What's In My Carry On

I know travelling can sometimes be stressful...

However I strongly believe that it's something everybody should do. As cheesy as it sounds travelling is food for the soul. You get to experience the excitement of going somewhere new, learning about new cultures and of course, eating all of the amazing food! Although these are all things I look forward to before heading off on my trip, I also really enjoy getting there. So, in order to make one of my favourite parts of my trip as enjoyable as it can be I like to have a few things to hand on the aeroplane that I can reach to if I need them.

Going back to basics

Whenever you travel there are a few obvious key items that you should never go to the airport without. For me these items are my passport, my mobile, my purse containing my IDs and bank cards, local currency, a charging cable and any necessary medications. To make myself at feel at ease I always tell myself as long as I have these things, no matter what happens, I'll be okay. 

The beauty essentials

It's no secret that travelling can be tough on your skin. That's why whenever I travel, no matter how near or far, I always ensure that I have packed a few of my must-have beauty items. The first item on my carry on checklist is my travel sized bottle of micellar water. When baggage space is scarce micellar water can be used as a makeup remover and as a general cleanser, leaving valuable space for other items. Another beauty essential for me is hand cream, when travelling I find that I'm subjecting my hands to conditions I usually wouldn't therefore a creamy, beautifully scented, moisturising hand cream is a must. While we're talking about moisturising I also never leave on a trip without at least a small tub of Nivea. Nivea works great as a moisturiser and you can even apply it as a mask. Again, it's all about multi-purpose beauty products and saving space. 

Keeping clean

I never travel without having a few wet wipes, whether they're for keeping my hands clean, removing makeup or clearing up an unexpected in-flight coffee. Didn't you know that wet wipes were given to us with various purposes in mind? Speaking of cleanliness I also pack my backpack with a few other hygiene essentials like travel toothpaste, mini deodorant and shampoo/conditioner.   

Locking it down

Carrying around a heavy carry-on is bad enough without having to worry about your toiletries spilling everywhere. That's why sturdy, reliable, security-friendly storage is always in my luggage. I find the best ones are the transparent kind that come with 100ml or smaller bottles zipped up inside. This way you can transport some of your favourite products that perhaps come in larger containers, while still allowing your liquids to be visible for security staff. Not to mention the strong zip gives me reassurance that if my toiletries do spill during transit, they won't get over the rest of my stuff in my bag. 

In-flight entertainment

Nobody likes to travel without something to keep their mind occupied. For me, my favourite things to entertain myself with while I travel are books, audiobooks and music. Therefore my headphones and at least one book always make their way into my carry on. Lately, I have really been enjoying listening to some language learning books on the plane. At the moment I am brushing up on my French with Paul Noble's French course. 

A travel blogger's must

Finally, the last item I cannot forget in my carry on is my camera. What sort of blogger would I be if I didn't carry my trusty blogging and vlogging camera around with me? I couldn't imagine boarding a plane and not taking a shot of the wing amongst the white fluffy clouds, or taking a few selfies with my travel companions to capture the memories. I always take my Nikon, as it's the perfect size for travelling - I don't have time to be lugging around a heavy and very expensive DSLR. To be honest the quality of images from smaller compact cameras are now starting to catch up with DSLRs anyway so I don't feel at a disadvantage using this abroad and leaving the bigger camera at home.