Must-Haves For Your Carry-On

You’ve packed a carry-on, I’ve packed a carry-on, she’s packed a carry-on… We've all packed carry-ons. Of course we always include things like books and iPads, crosswords and pens. We travel with our passports and methods of payment and we know we should remember our earbuds and iPods and chargers. There’s a bunch of little items I throw in my carry-on though, that can make anyone’s flight a little bit more comfortable, and I’d bet you haven’t thought of them all!

Here are several items I make sure are in my carry-on that you may not have thought of:

Hoodie - It gets chilly on some of those flights, but you don’t want to wrap yourself in a coat. You want comfort, because we all know the seat isn’t going to offer any. Grab your favourite, most comfy oversized hoodie to disappear into when you need to get away from the chilly airline air.

Universal power adapter - For when you’re at the gate, waiting for your flight. If you’re overseas, chances are the plugs are different and you’ll want to make sure your iPads and Kindles and smartphones are charged before you get on board. So, make sure you have a universal power adapter so even when you’re in some strange country with weird looking outlets, you can still get all your charging done pre-flight.

Sarong - Yes, one of those brightly coloured sarongs you can buy for ten bucks in places like Mexico and Thailand. Throw one of those in your carry-on, because it has endless uses. If you’re cold during your flight, wrap it around you for warmth. If it’s too bright to sleep on the plane, cover your eyes with it. If you need a pillow, scrunch it up into a pillow. You can even use a sarong to carry extra items with you, by draping it into a handheld satchel.

Chewing gum - Gum isn’t just good for satisfying your need to snack, or to help your breath stay fresh while en route. It’s also great for take-off and landing to help your ears pop. The chewing motion can help promote the release of pressure in your ears when yawning and swallowing won’t do the trick. Avoid the pain of ears that won’t pop with a couple sticks of gum.

Ear plugs - If you’ve never heard a story about a crying baby on a flight, you must have been living under a rock all these years. Yes, people with children travel and even the most well behaved kids are bound to be noisy every once in a while. You’re sticking little balls of energy in a tiny little seat for hours at a time. Of course, they’re going to snap at some point. Instead of being subject to the meltdown, just stick a couple foam earplugs in your ears and read your favourite book until it’s all over.

Chapstick - You can feel it now, can’t you? That dry, cool air on a plane that seems to suck all the moisture out of your lips. Not being able to travel with too many liquids makes it difficult to keep hydrated the way you might like, and because of these things, our lips get chapped so quickly during flights. Carrying chapstick makes this a non-issue.

Eye mask - Some flights are brighter than others. Sometimes you’ll want to nap on a day flight. Maybe the window you’re next to is right in the line of fire of one particularly bright sun ray. Whatever the case, slipping on a cozy eye mask will block it all out for you, so you can get the shut eye you were hoping to.

Local cash - Some destinations have airports that are impossible to leave without cash. If you’ve ever been to Cancun, you know what I mean. Half the time, their credit card machines are down, so if you don’t have a pocketful of pesos, you’re more or less up the creek. Making sure you buy some cash in your destination’s local currency before you get on that plane, is going to make things that much easier when you arrive.

Tylenol - The dry air and dehydration on a flight can lead to a real banger of a headache. Just bring along a small bottle and pop it in your carry-on to fight off any in-flight head pain you might experience.

Deodorant - Long flights can have an adverse affect on your personal odour. Don’t let this happen to you. Disembark your flight smelling fresh as a spring rain by making sure you slip a deodorant in your bag.

Eye drops - For the same reason you’re carrying chapstick, eye drops can kill the dryness in your eyes caused by the recirculated air in the cabin of the plane. You have no idea just how relieving it can be to put a couple drops in your bloodshot eyes on a long flight. This is an absolute must-take item.

Is there anything I missed that everyone should take in their carry-on? Let me know in the comments, and happy flying!