What’s In My CARRY ON BAG? | Minimalist Travel Essentials + Packing Tips ✈️

Well, hey everyone, and welcome back. Today, I want to share with you what I keep in my carry-on bag when traveling. And obviously, when you're flying on a plane, trapped for hours at a time, and then at your destination for a week or more, it's important that you bring a few more essentials with you than if you were just running errands. But that being said, I do still try to be intentional about what I bring with me in my carry-on bag. And I'm leaving on a trip to Boston in just a few days, and I am so excited for it, but I figured now would be the perfect opportunity for me to share with you what I bring and how I pack my carry-on bag. And I want to get right into this, so if you haven't already, make sure to hit that subscribe button below, and let's go. And let's start off by talking about the backpack that I use as my personal item when flying, and that's this black backpack from ISM. This is a bag that I first got three, I think going on four years now, and it really has stood the test of time. It's just the perfect size to where it's big enough that I can fit everything that I need, but small enough that I don't have so many items in there that it's weighing my back down and causing me any kind of back pain. On top of that though, all of the pockets and compartments are really well designed, so everything just fits seamlessly into place. The laptop compartment really fits and protects my laptop, and everything just fits together really seamlessly. And just look at it, it's really clean and beautiful and still looks amazing even after all these years. So overall, it's just a really amazing, high-quality backpack and something that I use pretty much any time I travel or honestly leave the house. And then as far as the essentials that I actually pack in my backpack, one of the first things that I always bring with me is my laptop. And this is the MacBook Pro, and it's a computer that I've had for a few years now, but I find it really helpful to bring with me. Honestly, even if I'm going on vacation, because as someone who's self-employed, there are just sometimes situations or circumstances that come up that I'll need a laptop to deal with, so it's just one of those things that even if I'm not planning to use it extensively during the trip, I like to have it with me for those few hours when it really does come in handy. Plus, it's great to have one flying because I can always get some emails done or use it to watch something. And then this little bag is what I use to contain all of my electronics and cords in one place. And in here, I'll keep the charging cord for my laptop, the cord for my phone, an external battery. This one holds something like four phone chargers in it, which is extremely helpful, especially for longer flights. And then I also keep my AirPods in here. And often when I'm actually flying, I'll get them out and start listening to something, but I find it really helpful just to keep my electronics all in one place so that as I'm packing, I just know visually and can easily see that I have everything. And it makes it so that it's not just loose and causing tangles in my backpack. And then similarly, I have this Coach wallet that was given to me a few years back that I use to store my wallet, my passport and green card, and a chapstick. And it all fits really neatly inside. But what I love about it is that when I'm at the airport and once I've gone through security, I can get this out and use it as a wallet to buy anything that I need, if it's a snack or drink or anything like that. But I can also use it for my passport and I can just carry it around my wrist, get it out when I need it, and just have kind of those essentials handy so that I'm not needing to dig around in my backpack while I'm at the airport. Plus, I basically just use this as a purse when I'm traveling too, so it comes handy a lot. But again, that's something that I really try to think about when packing is just, okay, how can I contain the items I have so that it's easy to find what I need and we just don't have loose things flying around in the bag. Okay, this is a pretty practical one. I always try to bring my silk eye mask with me when I'm going on a plane. I really struggle to sleep on planes, but one thing that I found can really help me kind of get to sleep more easily is just having my surroundings completely dark, not with anyone's reading light or anything like that on. And so having a complete blackout eye mask really does make a difference. And I think I found this for less than $15 on Amazon. It's been an absolute game changer and just something that I find so helpful when traveling. And then another essential I'll bring, not so much for flying, but for the trip itself, is an empty water bottle. I try to avoid buying plastic water bottles in as much as possible. And so it's really helpful just to bring this along with me and I can fill it up whenever I get to my destination or if I can find a water bottle refill station or something like that at the airport. It's also great just to fill that up so that I can stay hydrated while I'm flying. The water bottle is by Clean Canteen and I love the sports cap on it and I made it kind of fun with stickers. So it's great. It helps me to not use plastic water bottles and it looks cute. And then another thing that I'll usually pack, especially if I'm going to be gone for a week or more, is a reusable bag. Honestly, I find that these just always come in handy, even if I don't initially have a super clear plan of how I'm going to use it. This one is from the brand Bagoo and I love how it's really small and portable. It fits into my backpack with no issues, but it does expand into a really nice quality bag. And it's great just to have kind of just for when, just for when you need a grocery bag, when you need to buy a few essentials at the store so you can have breakfast while you're on vacation or so that you can put your dirty laundry in as you're going through your trip. Whatever the trip, I can't really think of any that I haven't ended up using the bag that I brought. So it's just a great useful thing to pack. And then the last big thing that I like to pack in my carry-on bag, apart from some smaller stuff, which we'll get to, is a book. Now, personally, I don't get motion sickness and I love to read on planes. So I will pretty much always bring a book with me when I'm traveling. That being said, I feel like people say it all the time. Oh, bring a book to read while you're on the plane or on vacation. But if you aren't a big reader and you've maybe brought books on vacation before and haven't read them, don't feel the need to bring them. If that's not you, that's okay. I think it's just good to be aware of what you're actually going to use and not use when you're packing. That being said, though, I do love reading. I've got like 30 pages left in this book. So I will definitely finish it, probably on the plane to Boston. There's something for me about reading on the plane that's just really romantic and dreamy and so much fun. And then the last few things that I like to bring with me in my carry-on bag are a snack. These are the Trader Joe's freeze-dried mangoes. I love freeze-dried fruit and these are incredible. And so they're just a really delicious light snack for while you're flying. And then I'll also bring some medicine and medications. I have my birth control and then this little container filled with ibuprofen. I try not to use medicine all that often, but occasionally I do get a lot of tightness and headaches kind of in my neck and shoulders. And so having a bit of ibuprofen on hand is always a good idea for me. And then I'm also super lactose intolerant too. So I always pack a few things of dairy pills with me so that I can just eat whatever I feel like when traveling without having to worry about it. And then finally, I'll pack a face mask that I can wear on the plane and anywhere else that it's required during my trip. I do really like that this one is handmade and I feel like a lot more fitted to your face than some of the other face masks that I've tried. And it's pretty comfortable and breathable too, which is great for flying. All right. Well, that is it. That is everything that I carry with me in my carry-on suitcase. And I really have found it to be a good balance of being able to bring the things that I need while not having way more than I need and end up taking with me things that I won't use. And I really hope this gives you some ideas and inspiration for the next time you're packing to really just think through and be intentional with what you choose to bring. Our goal should be to pack just enough to have everything that we need with none of the excess. But now I want to know, what are your carry-on essentials? Make sure to let me know in the comments below. And of course, if you enjoyed today's video, make sure to hit that like button. Subscribe if you haven't already. Follow me on Instagram. I'm at ashlyn.in on there. And thank you guys all so much for watching. I hope you have an amazing day and I'll see you in the next one.