How To Pack A Carry-On Bag Like A Boss | Travel Essentials

As you might know, I have been traveling a lot the past months. Since the beginning of this year I was really looking forward to my summer holiday. This didn’t only mean I would have two months off from school (which is always nice), I would also go on some very exciting trips to see and explore new cities! Firstly I went to Athens, Greece with my friends, then I went to London, UK with Eline and lastly I went to Stockholm, Sweden and Copenhagen, Denmark with my family. The last two cities were kind of a surprise because we only booked this holiday a month before. For all the trips I had to pack different things. I used to find it hard to pack a carry-on bag but when you do lots of traveling, it gets easier (trust me). Since a carry-on bag is very important, I thought I would post something about the travel essentials you have to carry with you in your carry-on bag. This way you won’t forget anything important when you’re traveling.

Probably the most important thing to take with you on a trip are your boarding passes and reservation copies. Without a boarding pass, you can’t get onto an airplane so I would definitely recommend taking these with you (if you are able to check in for your flight online). The reservation copies are important because at some hotels you have to show these before you can check in. Sometimes they just ask for your name but you never know. It is always good to have these copies just in case.

In your carry-on bag you have to have your wallet as well. Besides the copies of everything, this is also very important. In your wallet you probably have your ID card, money, bank card, student card (because in some countries you can get discounts when you show this) and insurance information. The thing I really like to do is to keep my ID card in the case of my iPhone. I always have this in my hand while traveling so then I know I have it with me whenever I need it. Oh, and keep in mind not every country has the same valuta as your country. When I went to London we decided to get 200 pounds already while we were still in The Netherlands. Of course you are able to get money from the bank in another country but having cash on you is always good.

Something that is very important for me to take with me on an airplane is chewing gum. When the airplane is about to take off, I always take a piece of gum to make sure my ears don’t pop. Once they popped so bad, I had an ear/headache for about four days. So this is definitely a big travel essential for me.

Not on every single airplane ride you get something to eat or a snack. Most of the time you have to pay for food on an airplane and that can get pretty expensive. That’s why I always take a couple of snacks with me in my carry-on bag. It will always come in handy. On the airplane or just whenever you’re hungry or feel like you need some sugar or food in your system.

On to the entertainment! It doesn’t matter if you’re traveling by plane, train, car or bus, eventually you will get bored. That’s why I always make sure I have something with me to do. It could be a game I play on my iPad, a book I am reading at the moment, a pack of cards or just some music to listen to. With that, don’t forget a pair of headphones. Sometimes I see tweets from people who didn’t bring their headphones with them on a train journey and it sucks. And the most important thing (which isn’t really entertainment but that’s okay), a camera. I own a camera that has a wifi function, which means I can upload photos immediately on to my iPhone. Very handy if you’re like me and want to edit the photos on your phone.

With all of the electronics you might be bringing, you also need chargers. This is one thing I check over and over again when I leave to go on a trip. I don’t know what I would do without my camera and iPad/iPhone chargers haha. Of course you can always buy a new one from wherever you are but I would rather just bring it from home.

One thing I always take with me is a notebook and a pencil. Why? Because I want to write down every single thing I did and saw during the day. For this I use a travel notebook from Dille & Kamille. In this little notebook you can write where you are at the moment, what date it is, what the weather is like and what you did or saw this day. I think it’s really fun to read back to when I firstly starting using this. This is an ultimate essential I think. Oh, and of course my pair of Ray-Ban sunglasses. These are very important, especially for a sunny trip like to Athens, Greece.

Last but definitely not least, I have to have something to keep all of these important things in. As you might know, I am very difficult when it comes to bags. I have a certain view of what I look for in a bag and that’s why don’t just buy a new bag. For some time I have been eying the Herschel backpacks because I love their vintage look. Normally I am not the type for a backpack but for traveling and school a backpack is a true essential. Of course it depends on your trip but for my trip to Stockholm and Copenhagen it was great. When my classes start again, I will definitely bring this backpack with me. It has a compartment for your laptop (which is a must for all of my college students out there) and various pockets to keep all of the little knick knacks.

These were already my carry-on bag travel essentials! To London I travelled with only a carry-on suitcase for the first time. Most of the time I just have a bag with me, which I take as a carry-on like I showed in this post, and I check in a big suitcase but then I just had a little suitcase where all of my clothes and other things were in. Maybe I can make a blog post in the future about how I pack a carry-on suitcase for any trip. Anyways, I would like to know what you take in your carry-on bag and can’t go without. Do you miss any essentials in this blog post? Would you like to see a ‘how to pack a carry-on suitcase’ blog post?

Love,

Neeltje

This was posted in collaboration with Duifhuizen tassen & koffers