The essential carry-on collection when travelling.
Your essential carry-ons
You’re about to board a cramped vessel filled with recycled oxygen and barely edible food. You’ll be stuck in a narrow seat for several hours or more and everything you need to stave off insanity will need to fit in a bag no larger than 55 x 40 x 23 centimeters. Sound impossible? Well, as The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy advised, “Don’t Panic.”
The key to avoid dying of boredom is to arm yourself with entertainment. If you’re joining the Mile High Club, you need T&A, but for membership in the Long Flight Club, you want T&M, as in tunes and movies. Nothing is more important than being able to zone out, and that begins with a good pair of foldable noise-canceling headphones, such as Sony’s MDR-1000X, which are so good some reviewers say they trump competitor Bose; a tablet, preferably an iPad Pro 9.7 fully stocked with movies or a couple of seasons of your favourite shows; and your downloaded Spotify playlist. Prefer reading? Don’t you dare waste valuable space with an old school paper book. An e-reader — give the Kindle Oasis a whirl if you’re iPad-less — is the only way to travel light.
For nutrition, bring a bag of nuts, perhaps a couple of granola bars; Health Warrior makes a delicious Apple Cinnamon chia bar and is light and filling. An empty water bottle is a must, too. You can fill it on the plane and remain hydrated to help avoid that disgusting flight feeling. Speaking of which, sinus problem sufferers should pop an allergy pill such as a Sudafed Sinus Advance before boarding, and bring a nasal spray like Otrivin on board to stave off any head pressure. Stay fresh by packing a Radius Tour Travel toothbrush, which is ideal for nomads, a travel-sized tube of toothpaste and some face wipes.
Oh, and you may actually want to sleep, perchance to dream, at some point. Arm yourself with a Sleep Master eye mask and Original EarPlanes ear plugs for this task. If you have room in your bag, a neck pillow by Travelrest could save you hundreds in massage fees.