My Carry On Essentials & Plane Beauty

My Carry On Essentials

As a travel writer, it’s important that I don’t spend hours and hours of precious time at home agonising over what to take in my carry-on bag. Thankfully, traveling overseas as often as I do has given me ample opportunity to hone my sweet packing skills for long-haul flights. Gone are the days when I was so eager to use the plane time to catch-up on less-urgent work and research that I’d pretty much pack everything but the kitchen sink. I mean literally, it was like I was smuggling a hippopotamus through customs; I probably would have packed the kitchen sink too if it would have passed through security!

Anyway, Lugging around 13+kg (because, who really checks the carry on weight limit anyway) got a little old (and expensive from post-holiday massage bills) so now I try to keep it light. I’ve got my carry on essentials list down to a minimum, but not so bare minimum that I hop on the plane and alternate between twiddling my thumbs, watching a film and staring out the window into the great blue abyss. No, it’s more of a happy medium minimum, where the sign of a “good pack” is when everything I strategically chucked into my carry on gets used in the air.

So the following is my “good pack” list of carry on essentials. Feel free to adopt it, because there’s nothing worse than realising 1.5 hours into a 15 hour flight that you forgot to pack your eye drops and you get to spend a very painful 14 hours without them! Worst. feeling. ever.

My Carry On Essentials List

Laptop
Passport
Lip Balm
Sunglasses
Vitamin B Complex
Echinacea
Eye Drops
Mini Perfume
Business Cards
Deodorant
Travel Pillow (Evolution memory foam travel pillow)
Lavender Essential Oil Vile
Rescue Remedy Drops
Hand Sanitiser
Mixed Nuts Bag
Compression Socks
Leggings
Lightweight Puffer Jacket
Camera/s
Charger and International Adaptors
Chargers
Pen
iPad/Kindle
Mobile Phone
Notepad
Sleeping Mask
Water

Plane Beauty (My Carry On Essentials)

I must warn you that I do tend to view long-haul flights as my own personal beauty spa. Note: this is much easier to get away with if you’re in business or first as you won’t get so many weird stares! Whatever, they’re just jealous they didn’t think of it first! I jump at the chance to embalm myself in all those samples I saved from previous purchases at cosmetics counters as they are the perfect size and shape for travel. I transfer any creams and lotions over 100ml into clear plastic containers bought from the local pharmacy/drug store beforehand.

If you like the idea of catching up on some pampering mid-flight, it’s important to take as many hydrating lotions/masks and oils with you as your clear plastic security sleeve fits. My mantra? Just keep applying every few hours to fight against the drying air of the plane. It’s also a bonus if the gels are clear because take it from me, scaring little children on your way to the lavatory in a green clay mask is so not cool.

My Carry On Essentials Beauty List

Aesop Parsley Seed Cleansing Mask Sample
Aesop Oil-Free Hydrating Serum
Keihl’s Magic Elixir Hair Restructuring Concentrate
Keihl’s Superbly Restorative Argan Body Lotion
Jurlique Herbal Recovery Antioxidant Gel Mask
Grown Alchemist Rosehip & Camellia Seed Facial Serum
Grown Alchemist Camellia & Geranium Hydrating Cream
Indeed Labs Hydraluron Gel

AMW x