Painting, sculpting, drawing, photography are all considered art forms right? Well here’s another one for you – packing the right luggage.
Yep, packing is an artform. Knowing what to bring and what to leave behind can have a serious impact on the quality of any trip. It can impact your happiness and isn’t art all about triggering emotions! Or something like that.
In an even more condensed way, knowing what to bring onto a plane in your carry-on luggage can have serious consequences for how much enjoyable, or even just bearable, your flight is. Forget to pack the right gear and your long haul flight can be a really long haul indeed.
So what are the must-have essentials for your carry-on luggage. Well, read on below and I’ll tell you…
A refillable water bottle
Investing in a durable refillable water bottle is an incredibly sensible investment if you do even a modest amount of air travel.
For annoying but quite understandable safety reasons, taking your own water through the security gates is not allowed. That means you are going to have to frantically chug down that water you just bought, or throw a full bottle away. What a waste!
Don’t worry once you get through security you can buy a new one in the shops for as little as $100. Ok, I exaggerate a little, but water in airports aint cheap! That’s unless you fill your own refillable bottle at a drinking fountain. Nice!
A water bottle can take up a good chunk of space in your carry on, so a smart move is to buy one you can affix to the outside of your bag with a handy carabiner (that’s a hooky circular thing for you non-campers or climbers).
A travel blanket or wrap
What is with the complimentary blankets they hand out on planes? They are either so thin that you can see straight through them or so small that you could mistake them for something you blow your nose on.
What there are definitely not designed for is keeping you warm or helping you sleep. Which is a shame because long haul flights get chilly and getting sufficient rest is hugely important for your health. The guys at The “Sleep-Advisor” talk about this all the time. Exhaustion is one of the reasons why so many of us leave flights with colds and flu. Tiredness leads to reduced immunity, combine this with the germs on a plane and the odds aren’t good.
The solution to getting more sleep then is to bring along your own travel blanket. Or if you’re a lady, maybe a nice pashmina style wrap. Not only does having something soft and warm increase your odds of catching some much-needed Zzzs on the flight, it’s also just damn comfortable. Getting all wrapped up is like having a lovely hug.
Plus – and this might only be relevant for someone as clumsy as me – but a travel blanket also doubles up as a bib to prevent your in-flight meal ruining that nice new shirt!
Your own in-flight entertainment
Now, I love The Rock as much as everyone else. The man has charisma. However, there are only so many Fast & Furious films you can watch on planes before you start craving something a little different.
Flights are long and full of boredom. To survive you just gotta pack your own in-flight entertainment. Be it a pocket full of podcasts, an E-reader full of New York times best sellers, a tablet topped up with your own movies, or even a book of crossword puzzles. Whatever it is, just make sure you’re prepared.
A battery pack
A lot of flights nowadays provide handy usb charging spots, which is very nice of them I’m sure you will agree. However don’t get overconfident, there are still some planes out there that are flying around like planes from the Dark Ages, so to speak!
Make sure you are never caught short by picking up a handy little battery pack/power bank. These slimline and often quite attractive looking items can be charged up fully at home and should provide enough of a boost to keep your phone, E-reader or tablet charged until you reach your destination.
Moisturizer, nasal spray and your glasses
The air circulating around in planes is a strange thing. Not only is it populated by the germs of your fellow passengers it is also a damn slight less humid than the air you will be used to from wandering around at ground level.
This lack of moisture in the air can lead to terribly dry skin. Hence the moisturizer. An increase of irritation to the nose and mouth. Hence the nasal spray. And if you’re a contact lens wearer, dry, itchy and uncomfortable eyes. Hence the glasses.
Well, there you have it travel fans – five essential things to think about before you dare board that next flight of yours. Forget any of these items from your luggage at your own peril. Here’s to a safe, enjoyable flight and a fun trip, wherever you’re going!
