What's in My Carry-on Bag?

Traveling is a big part of my gig. More often than not, they're quick, one-night trips. However, there are multiple weeks each year where I find myself in airports quite a bit and preparing myself for 5-7 night trips.

I HATE carrying a ton of stuff through an airport and then hauling it around for the duration of my travel day. This hatred for schlepping things around is probably some of my Ol' Rodney (<- my daddy-o) DNA. As a husband and father of three daughters, Ol' Rodney figured out years ago that the only way he was going to enjoy his family vacations as much as the rest of us was if he enacted a 'you pack it, you haul it' credo. So, that's all I've ever known. (True story - Mommabear once insisted on purchasing and packing home a pair of table lamps from Mexico and Ol' Rodney wouldn't budge on his policy. I'll be darned if she didn't haul those lamps all over just to get them back to southern Illinois.  If ever there was a will, there was indeed a way!) (He might have helped her a little. It was so long ago I honestly can't remember all of the details.)

Even Mr. Cush will admit that I'm pretty good about lugging around my own belongings when we travel together. Sure, he helps me with my suitcase because he's a proper gentleman and whatnot, but I've never asked him to haul my purse or carry-on because I was raised to understand that those are MY things … and I should be responsible for them if I want to bring them along on any trip.

So, let's have a quick rundown of my must-haves for a carry-on bag. Everything else gets tucked away in the checked luggage …

(FULL DISCLOSURE: I also carry a backpack on my work trips, mostly to protect my laptop and keep my work items in a singular location. The graphic below obviously doesn't represent that bag, because it's what I call the 'boring' bag.)

1) This Michael Kors tote does double duty … it's large enough to carry everything I need, and once I've arrived at my destination it makes a great purse with lots of room for souvenirs!

2) Ol' Rodney might have reiterated the 'you pack it, you haul it' motto during my childhood, but Mommabear taught me a valuable lesson in always carrying on my chargers. I keep an old Clinique bonus bag with me that has my iPhone and laptop chargers, as well as my earbuds. I'd have a melt down if I ever encountered a lengthy layover with drained batteries in my devices. It'd be equally nightmarish if my luggage failed to arrive and my chargers were lost or delayed with my checked bag.

3) Travel Pillow … not necessarily a must-have for EVERY flight, but certainly for anything over two hours or anything at an unmentionable time of the day (early morning or red eyes).

4) My iPad mini is the perfect size for travel and stores my books/music/entertainment. Instead of draining my iPhone battery, everything can be used on this device for in-flight entertainment.

5) Yes, I still carry the occasional print version of a magazine. The stewards and stewardesses are real sticklers for that whole 'no using an electronic device until we've reached 10,000 feet' rule, and I have a hard time sitting still. This gives my something to thumb through during takeoffs and landings.

6) When I'm not traveling, I use a small wallet that contains my driver's license and debit card. When I'm on the road, I often have cash and hotel keys and receipts that I'm trying to keep track of, and this Kate Spade wallet becomes my go-to travel accessory. (I think I purchased this on Gilt a few years ago … there was a flash sale or something that discounted it to $39 and I hit 'purchase' before you can finish reading this sentence.)

And that's my carry-on bag! I might add a pullover or cardigan because I find flights chilly, but that's the only thing I haven't shown you.

What can you not live without when traveling? Let me know in the comments below!