When you are young and broke and desperate to travel, the flights you take often have one thorny feature in common: ridiculously long layovers. Succumbing to a 30 hour layover can save you hundreds of dollars, but it can also leave you feeling like a washed up rat. Even if you don’t have to take those long layovers, a red eye really takes its toll. That’s where this carry-on hack comes in.
On long trips you need to make sure your carry-on game is strong. If my trip is longer than 4 days, I’m checking a bag. This is not a traveling minimalist account. Your girl has ADHD – she needs options. That’s why I’ve spent years honing my carry-on game, I don’t want to kill my shoulders, but I want to be totally prepared. And I’ve learned the one thing that’s 100% worth it…
3 Basic Principles of a Good Carry-on
There are 3 basic principles of an effective carry on: comfort, cleanliness, and construction. You want to make sure you’re comfortable, you want to make sure you can keep up basic hygiene, and you want a structure in place to make travel easier.
Comfort
Ensuring comfort on flights is paramount to a successful carry-on. Do you run cold? Wear a big ol’ scarf. Do you have achy joints? Make sure you have your compression garments. People love to shame those who bring full-size bed pillows on planes, and to those judgmental weenies I wish a hearty screw off. There is no such thing as an “I suffered the most on this flight” award.
This also includes any medications you use with relative frequency, and medicine you use to help ease flight anxiety (no shame in the Rx game). Don’t go crazy with every possible scenario, though. If you haven’t had diarrhea since 1998 then that 30-year-old immodium in your medicine cabinet can probably continue to languish there. Should gastrointestinal distress arise, flight attendants have well-stocked medicine cabinets.
Important caveat to medications: make sure any medications you take are legal and/or you have proper documentation for them if need be before traveling internationally.
Finally, mental comfort is important too. In addition to flight anxiety tools, entertainment is key. I like to have 4 key categories ready to go: something to watch, something to listen to, something to read, and something to play. I often won’t use all of them on a flight, but having options loaded is a huge help.
Favorite comfort things (not affiliate):
Cleanliness
No shade to flight attendants, but airplanes are gross. It’s a lot of people in a small area eating, talking, and taking their shoes off. Plus, flight attendants don’t perfectly clean every area of the plane between each flight – they couldn’t possibly in the time allotted! That’s why hygiene should be a priority.
Good public hygiene is first. Though masks are no longer mandated on flights in the US, there are lots of germs circulating in the air at airports and on planes. It’s not a bad idea to keep a mask on your person. Wipe down your area (including the tray table and seat back pocket) with antibacterial wipes. Wipes can double as hand sanitizer to save room in your bag.
Personal cleanliness is HUGE. As a mini carry-on hack, many of us can underestimate just how big of a difference hygiene can make. You don’t need to go full spa on a plane, but having a toothbrush and toothpaste, a mini deodorant, face cleaner, and some basic cosmetics makes a giant difference. Pro tip: a lip color in the right shade is a game-changer. If airplane bathrooms skeeve you out, you can always wait to use your toiletries in the bathroom at the gate when you land.
Favorite travel clean things:
Construction
If you carry a large bag with any regularity, you know how disgusting they can get. From crumpled receipts to melted chapstick, there’s usually something lurking down there. Not to mention, it’s easy to lose small objects in a big bag. That’s why I try to incorporate a little organization within my bag.
First, keep all your most important items in the most easily accessible pocket. Once you’ve reached your destination this is terrible advice (due to pickpockets). However, the only thing worse than a long security line is getting to the front and realizing your ID is at the very bottom of your bag.
Don’t be afraid of a bag-within-a-bag. I have found that Ipsy pouches come in VERY handy for corralling things like chargers, mini toiletries, and makeup together. This is especially useful if you are on a carry-on only trip, as anyone whose AirPods have disappeared underneath a hoodie can attest.
My bag organization favorites:
In summary…
If all of that was a lot, never fear! I’ve put together a detailed packing list with all of this outlined for you to save and use for your next trip.
Get the Carry-on Packing Checklist
So what’s the carry-on hack?!
KEEP AN OUTFIT IN YOUR BAG.
That’s it. That’s the hack. It’s so simple it’s brilliant, and yet very few people do it. I can’t tell you what a big difference it makes to get off the plane, splash water on your face, brush your teeth and put on clean underwear. Even if you didn’t know that beta blockers can prevent sleep in some people and therefore you did not sleep at all on your 12 hour overnight international flight (not that that happened to me), you will feel at least 20% more ready to use your limited high school French to call a Lyft to your hotel.
Here’s what I keep in my carry-on bag to freshen up:
- Face wash and moisturizer
- Toothbrush and toothpaste
- Hair brush and hair tie
- A new outfit & underwear
- A bag to stash my old clothes in
- Concealer
- Mascara
- Tinted lip balm
Flying is stressful enough as it is. Make it easier on yourself by being on-time, well-prepared, and ready to be comfy with this carry-on hack. What are your carry-on must-haves?
Leave a Reply