Travel Essentials – The Things I Can’t Fly Without!

I definitely used to be one of those people who prepared for about a month before going on holiday.  I used to make a list of every possible item I might need whilst on a flight, regardless of whether it was a 40 minute or 12 hour flight. Given that Dan works for an airline, we have taken our fair share of flights, and over the years I have certainly become a bit more relaxed about my ‘in flight essentials’.  There are however a few items that I pack religiously, and always will………

As I am travelling to China next week, I thought I might as well write a blog post about what I will be packing in my carry on bag.

Carvela Kurt Geiger Minnie Rucksack

This Kurt Geiger backpack is my favourite bag for bringing to the airport, and on the plane. It is the perfect size for fitting everything I need, and because it is a backpack it sits comfortably on my back and more importantly it leaves my hands free for browsing through the duty free lol.  This bag is also the perfect colour and material for travelling. Not only is navy my favourite colour but it is also very easy to keep clean. The material is wipe clean too which is so handy.  I bought mine from ASOS last year and it seems to be out of stock on their website now but they have lots of similar ones available.  I did find it in the black version here. 

Geeky Bits

 iPad

I think it’s definitely a sign of the times we live in, but I always like to have my iPad with me when I travel. Not necessarily to entertain me on the flight (to be honest it’s sometimes nice to switch everything off and just relax), but I do like having my iPad with me to use in the airport.  I am especially grateful of it when my flight ends up being delayed, or if I get to the airport too early (that doesn’t happen often though!).  There is also the odd occasion where I want to get online whilst in the air.  At these times my iPad is perfect.

Headphones

I always like to bring my own headphones with me when I fly. They are just so much more comfortable than the ones provided. I love my Frends Layla headphones because they are really small and comfortable. They also fold up nice and compact, so they don’t take up much room in my bag. I highly recommend these. They come in different colours and styles too and you can change the clip on the ear piece which is really cool. I love anything that you can accessorise or personalise!

Water Bottle

Everyone knows that flying can make you really dehydrated so I will always try to remember to bring a water bottle with me, which I can fill up en route. Of course the bottle part is not essential because you can always just buy a bottle of water along the way, but I like this Swell one one because it does a good job of keeping the water cold, and of course because it is gold and looks very nice 🙂 lol

Facial Spray 

Continuing on the topic of dehydration, my skin really suffers from dryness after a flight. Therefore I try to do everything I can to minimise the effects of flying on my skin. In addition to drinking lots of water I will always, ALWAYS take a facial spray with me on a flight. There are lots that I like, but my favourites of the moment are the Pixi Hydrating Milky Mist and the Body Shop Vitamin E Hydrating Face Mist. These provide a really hydrating mist which I will spray regularly throughout the flight, making my skin feel fresh and moisturised. It is especially nice to use just before getting off an overnight flight to help me feel a little more awake.

Lip Balm

One thing that I absolutely cannot do without on the plane is lip balm!! My lips just become a whole new level of dry when I fly, so lip balm is a complete and utter essential for me. I am a massive lip balm fan in general, but I when I fly I like to use a super thick balm that won’t just slide off my lips after a sip of water. Some of my favourites include the infamous By Terry Baume De Rose, and First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Intensive Lip Balm.  The First Aid Beauty one has a bit of a medicated smell which I don’t love, and it sometimes leave a bit of a funny taste in my mouth, but it is very moisturising and long lasting which is exactly what I want.  I also like to bring a stick lip balm with me too, as sometimes this is a bit more hygienic than a potted balm which I have to dip my fingers in and out of. My stick balm of choice is usually Carmex, which is an old reliable.

 Hand Cream

My hands are dry at the best of times, so needless to say that when I fly they become even more dry.  I constantly lash on hand cream throughout the flight to try and keep them nice and moisturised.  My current favourite hand cream is the Jo Malone Vitamin E Hand Treatment.  I especially like this one for flying because it doesn’t have a particularly strong smell, and is nice and thick, so feels really moisturising.  You can see below that mine is well loved!

I hope this was helpful to any of you who have an upcoming trip.  I would love to know what your travel essentials are too.

As I am going on holiday, there will be no new blog posts for the next few weeks.  I will be back on 27th May with a new post.

P.s. I am off to Shanghai for our friends wedding and then onto Beijing for a few days.  I would love if you have any suggestions or recommendations for either of these cities. 🙂

 

 

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