Travel Essentials: What I Pack In My Carry-On in Experiences, LA, Life, Travel on 04/17/19Wheels UP! I am currently en route to the Golden State for a trip I have been looking forward to for what feels like forever!! I unfortunately skipped out on Coachella this year, but was nonetheless itching to get some time out west in what is soon to be my new home 🙂 The timing has turned out to be perfect— we just got a literal blizzard in Chicago…. sooo yeah, I’m outtie. In addition to my dire need to get away from this cold, I’m also super excited for this trip because I’m going with my bf! He’s never been to California, and I’ve planned what I think is the perfect itinerary for a first time, long weekend trip out there. Side note that this is not me being bossy (although who are we kidding, that is typically my brand lol); he’s confirmed to be very happy to leave the planning to me and just be along for the ride!! I will be ~vlogging~ and doing a full recap with details of our trip, but for today I want to talk packing! Specifically, what to pack in your carry-on bag. Now, the 5ish hour flight to California from Chicago isn’t super crazy— just long enough where you’re going to want to get comfortable and have all your travel essentials within arms reach. When I fly, I use a standard carry-on size suitcase and a big ass tote for all my plane essentials. Today, let’s talk about what goes into that big ass tote. What I Pack In My Carry-On Of course, I always pack the usual suspects: wallet, laptop, chargers, headphones, hair ties, cozy socks, tissues, a couple make up essentials for touch ups once my flight lands… Keep reading to see the special items I also bring along with me! 1. BĂ©is Weekender Tote First of all, I want to quickly talk about the tote itself! I literally just got it in the mail the other day and have been making everyone in my life listen to how genius I think it is. The brand is called BĂ©is, which was actually founded by Shay Mitchell! I listened to her interview on the podcast Second Life (shout out to my friend Ellie for recommending it to me, it is absolutely fantastic), and am now completely obsessed with her; I didn’t realize that she has become a really influential YouTuber in the travel space! She founded BĂ©is after finding that there weren’t a ton of chic, functional, more minimalistic, and affordable travel accessories on the market. Which is so true; I’ve been looking for the perfect travel bag for the longest time and anything I loved was super expensive or just overly basic. The Weekender tote is $87, comes in beige and black (in fact, the entire line is centered around beige and black!), is HUGE, and has the coolest features: It’s lined with a waterproof resistant fabric, has extra wide straps for comfort, has a back pocket designed to go over your suitcase handle so you can rest the bag on top, has an entire zippered bottom section designed to hold shoes, dirty clothes, a hairdryer, you name it… Oh, and the bag opens up ridiculously wide to make it super easy to pack, unpack, and find shit. Definitely check this brand out, their stuff is SO dope. 2. Patchology Flashpatch™ Rejuvenating 5-Min Eye Gels These are so perfect for flying, which is notoriously harsh on skin! Between the lack of humidity and high altitude, which prevents blood flow to the face, you’ll likely end up with dry skin and dull texture. These under eye patches come in individually wrapped packets, are way more discreet than a full sheet mask, and only take 5 min to work their magic. Put them on once the plane begins its initial descent to boost brightness, hydrate and de-puff the area under your eyes so you won’t look like you just came from the airport! 3. Batiste Travel Size Dry Shampoo One of my all time favorite dry shampoos. Batiste is super affordable and works just as well as some other popular dry shampoos on the market. I always have one of these on hand so I can freshen up my hair before or after I land; it makes it feel cleaner, bumps up the volume, and makes my hair smell great! The “blush” scent is the best. 4. Herbivore Rose Hibiscus Coconut Water Face Mist I love this stuff and often carry it around in my purse! It’s the perfect refresher when your skin is feeling a little tight and dry, and helps give you an overall glowy, dewey look. I also love using it to set my makeup. Quick note: applying this continuously during a flight might actually make your skin even more dry as the product evaporates in the dry conditions. Instead, I like to use this right after I land for an instant, hydrating, pick me up. This product is also considered “clean beauty” and fully plant based! 5. Soma Glass Water Bottle Speaking of hydrating, obviously drinking water is going to be your best course of action. Another fact is that water bottles at the airport are fucking expensive as shit and I don’t know about y’all, but I’m seriously trying to cut down on my plastic usage (trick question: we all should be doing that!!!!). I found this one at a cute little store the other day and couldn’t pass up the pretty blush color and bamboo cap. 6. Kleenex Germ Removal Wet Wipes Soooo let’s not dive into how gross and germy airports and airplanes are… Apparently the worst offenders are the head rests and seat pockets #yeet. I basically try to keep my body as much to myself as possible, and giving the seat, arm rest, and head rest a proper wipe down with a sanitizing wipe definitely helps put me at ease. I love these wipes because they’re individually wrapped, so you don’t need to worry about buying a big packet and having them dry out. Just throw a few in your carry-on before your trip and you’ll be good to go! 7. Dr. Bronner’s Organic Lavender Hand Sanitizer Continuing onwards on the germ thing, I always need to have hand sanitizer on hand (pun intended) when I travel. This one is organic, chemical-free, smells fantastic, and won’t dry out your hands. 8. Sagely Naturals CBD Relief & Recovery Roll On This little roller ball has saved my life many a time. I picked it up last year at this boutique wellness spa in LA, because of course. It’s the size of your index finger and packed with peppermint, rosemary, and eucalyptus essential oils, which work with the CBD oil to target pain and discomfort. It truly, truly works, you just need to re-apply it fairly often… But if you get a headache and need some instant relief while you wait for your advil to kick in, then this is the perfect thing to have in your bag. I’m super headache prone and don’t leave home without it. 9. The Georgia Hemp Company CBD Sour Gummy Bears Can you tell I’m a CBD superfan? I’ve tried a couple brands of CBD gummies and these are by far my favorite. They have 10mg in each one (which taste delicious btw!) and are great for anti-anxiety and relaxation. Between dealing with the craziness at security, unexpected delays, turbulence, dealing with annoying strangers doing annoying things, these zen pills will seriously chill you tf out. I find these give a fairly strong “body” sensation… “Body high” wouldn’t be the correct term since CBD doesn’t contain THC (the psychoactive property in weed), but there definitely is a physical body response. My body feels very relaxed and kind of heavy. Which, for me, is exactly what I want on a long plane ride. 10. Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng This has been on my list for a while! I read “Everything I Never Told You,” another novel by this author, and loved it. I do see mixed reviews on “Little Fires Everywhere,” but going to give it a shot! My mom also picked me up a copy of Trevor Noah’s memoir “Born a Crime,” which got rave reviews— I’ll also be packing that with me! I always gotta have something to read on the plane! 11. Emergen-C Vitamin C Drink Mix Not exactly a cutting edge secret new product by any means, but there is a reason this stuff is the bomb! Always a great idea to boost your immunity system when you’re traveling and dealing with unexpected germs and stress. I like to pack a few of these in my travel bag so I can just mix them up in my water bottle and drink it before my trip even starts; nothing worse than catching a bug during a vacation. 12. Sugar Advanced Therapy Lip Treatment And finally, my all time favorite lip balm that I recommend to everyone!! It’s expensive, which is annoying, and I go through them pretty quickly… Also annoying. BUT, it makes your lips feel so, so soft and works miracles on overly chapped and dry lips. I’m obsessed with the formula— it is light weight, can be worn under lipstick, and it makes your lips look as plump as can be. One of my fave beauty products!