What to pack

 Yes, I know there are hundreds of lists like this out there and there is nothing original or groundbreaking here.  What I aim to achieve is thorough. I hope that you will trust me, in that we are perfecting the process. While the list looks prolific, I promise this all fits in a reasonably sized carry on.  Apologies for anything obvious, but sometimes even I need to be reminded. This can be scaled back based on the length of your flight. Since international flights tend to be more reasonable these days, we find ourselves going for long hauls, which thus influences this list.  To simplify and satisfy my need to categorize, I’ve listed essentials vs “nice-to-haves”.


We were gifted Herschel backpacks from our amazing friends Jon & Anika as a wedding gift.  My last backpack purchase was in the late 90s and the modernization is life changing. There are extremely useful (and plentiful!) pockets, key clips, back support and more.  We use this as our personal item and it easily fits everything we need for flight comfort.


Personal Item

  • Passport/Green Card/Travel Documents

  • Pen(s) for visa purposes – don’t be that guy.

  • Apple – gotta get rid of the sweater teeth post flight. This is a MUST.  If you can pick one thing from this list, this is it. Only slightly kidding.

  • Gum if its your thing

  • Nuts – list benefits

  • Banana/sandwich – don’t waste your money or satisfaction on nasty airport food.  Its worth the effort to get good nutrition that will fuel your day. Skip the yogurts and generally liquid things that the TSA will throw away much to your dismay.

  • Empty Water Bottle – I hate single use plastics, but sometimes this is the simplest option – link to camping collapsible bottle,

  • Ear Plugs – those flights to Utah have ALL of the kids

  • Eye Mask – you can go for the basic option or Yassine’s deluxe model

  • Neck Pillow – this is my favorite right now )_____ hangs easily from the backpack loop.

  • Headphones (airplane jack) – airlines are not interested in your ear comfort.  Apple is not interested in standardized ports.  

  • Socks/Flip Flops – okay, maybe the flip flops are overkill, but we do like them on long flights.

  • Tablet/Kindle charged up, book, cross stitch, sodoku, whatever your time killers are.

  • Battery pack/charging cords – this has saved our skin more times than I can count.  It’s a beast and you can plug in four devices. Amazing for road trips and long hauls.  For something lighter and more manageable, we love this.

  • First aid - tissues, Imodium, Rx, Neosporin, bandaids 

  • Makeup wipes – I try to go no makeup most of the time, but for post-work or international flights, it’s nice to be able to take that layer of sludge off.

  • Hand cream

  • Lip balm

  • Essential oil roller ball – now I’m being indulgent, but man these really take things to the next level.

MAIN LUGGAGE

  • Laundry bag for soiled garments

TROPICAL TRIPS

  • SPF – protect yourself, and more importantly, protect the environment.  Look for brands that are not toxic to sea life. Mother earth thanks you.

  • Aloe, if you’re foolish with the above

  • Cell phone protector pouch – SO nerdy but I really wish we’d brought one to Jamaica for the Blue Hole

  • Water Shoes – see above for nerdiness, but gotta watch out for the tootsies.


LADIES

  • The essentials – tampons, maxis….don’t assume this will be easy to find.  Trust me, pads are just as bad as they were when you were a teenager.

  • AZO or something similar in case of a UTI. This will ruin your trip.