My Long-Haul Carry-On Essentials

 One of my favorite things to do is travel...and for me, that includes the actual trip to get there. I love my luggage set and over several trips I have my process down to a science.

For starters, my set is a bright purple/plum color so I can spot them from the other side of the airport. We 2 large Delsey suitcases and a smaller one that we use when we travel as a family. But, more often than not, I travel alone and use one of our larger Delsey cases and my Aimee Kestenberg carry-on underseater bag. (It's a lucky coincidence that my carry-on bag happens to perfectly match the larger suitcase!) Finally, I always carry my Vera Bradley handbag which kind of color coordinates with everything else but also has a million pockets to work perfectly for holding all my items. I only use this handbag for traveling, so it's always ready.

For long-haul flights (typically those 7 hours or longer), I have a few things I do to prepare. First of all, I pack my PurseN lunch bag, pajamas and change of underwear into my carry-on bag. Next, I make sure that my daily essentials are in my handbag: wallet, makeup bag, battery brick, and my passport. Third, and very importantly, I check in and make sure I have picked my seat. This can literally make or break my entire trip so I always make sure I have this done.




Personally, I rely on Seatguru to pick the best seat on the plane:

Once I get onto the flight (or sometimes right before I board) I change into my pajamas. I've experimented with wearing comfy clothes or keeping it casual, but to be honest, there is no way I have found to sleep in my clothes and still arrive looking fresh and sleek. So, my recent process is to wear whatever I want, then change into pajamas for the flight. I then stow everything else away except for my PurseN lunch bag, which contains all my essentials:

1. My auto-inflate neck pillow which has a little pump so it inflates with just a few squeezes of the nub.
2. My molded eye masks that are contoured so they don't press into my eyes.
3. Earplugs so I can enjoy some quiet time when I sleep.
4. My compression socks in leopard print to help me fight DVT.
5. Foldable flats that I put on to walk around the plane (the floors can be filthy, especially in the restroom).
6. Lip balm, hand lotion, hand sanitizer and hydration spray.
7. Mask- this helps keep the air I breath moisturized and also helps me avoid germs from the recycled air.
8. Coloring book and coloring pencils (I also stash a pen in the tube).
9. My travel journal. I keep notes on things I plan to do or journaling on what I've done.
10. Face Mask and eye treatments- one of the things I like doing to pass the time on long flights is to do face mask treatments. Flights dry out my skin so it's a great pass-time as well.
11. Spare charging cable.

And that's enough to keep me occupied for up to 16 hours on a flight!