Do you think you could pack an entire week’s wardrobe into a carry-on? It’s quite possible, especially if you’re determined to move through each airport with relative ease.
Still, if you’re staying in your new destination for longer than a week or need to check a bag or two, there are a few strategies that’ll put your heart and mind at ease while you wait for your lost luggage to arrive.
These are twelve essential items that will see you through the worst until everything is sorted out.
1. Cell Phone and Laptop Chargers
These days, we always need to remain connected when traveling. Most of our boarding passes, hotel reservations, and other bookings are on an app somewhere on our phones. Be sure you’re always able to plug in somewhere, including both your cell phone and laptop.
2. Portable Power Banks
In case you need to plug in but, for some reason, can’t find any outlets, you always want to be self-sufficient enough to charge your cell phone and laptop on the fly.
Popular brands like Anker make portable power banks for both cell phones and laptops that are no bigger than an iPhone. Be sure to tuck one into your carry-on, as well.
3. Travel Adapters
Buying last-minute travel adapters at the airport will be far more expensive than the ones you purchased on Amazon before your trip.
Make sure you tuck two travel adapters into your carry-on, as well, so you can make use of the chargers you packed – and also recharge your power bank when it needs it.
4. Travel Documents
In truth, all your travel documents should be on you at all times, and not in your carry-on. We prefer traveling with a money belt around our waists and under our shirts to prevent any loss or theft of passports, credit cards, or cash.
If you’re not a fan of the money belt, then the next best place for your travel documents is in your personal item, like a purse, messenger bag, or backpack.
Still, there may be other travel documents that won’t fit in your money belt like backup paper copies of your hotel reservations and other tickets. Those can be tucked into your carry-on for safekeeping.
To help you maximize the space between your carry-on and your personal item, here’s the ultimate personal item packing list. When you play your card right and strategically pack the two, you’ll be able to free up even more room in your carry-on (and possibly avoid having to check a bag at all)!
5. Socks and Underwear
At a minimum, you want to be able to change your undergarments while you’re waiting for your luggage to arrive. A clean pair of socks and underwear will do wonders if the airline thinks they’ll have your bag back to you sooner, rather than later.
6. Light Change of Clothes
In the event it’s going to be a few days before you see your luggage again, you’ll want to have at least one light change of clothes in your carry-on to see you through the first day or two until you can go out and buy a few new outfits.
A light pair of pants and a cotton shirt will feel like a tiny miracle while you wait for your checked bag to arrive.
7. Extra Pair of Shoes
Since you’ll be making up your outfits on the fly, instead of wearing all the ones you carefully planned out in your checked bag, you may run into a shoe situation, depending on which ones you decide to wear on the plane.
If there’s room, an extra pair of walking shoes or sneakers will give you something more to work with than the one pair you wore onto the plane.
8. Laundry Detergent Sheets
If your wardrobe is going to be seriously reduced to the one change of clothes in your carry-on and the few things you pick up in your new city, you’ll want a way to wash and re-wear your clothes at night.
By tucking detergent sheets into your carry-on, you can wear and re-wear the bare minimum while you wait for your luggage to arrive.
9. Toiletries
All the clean clothes in the world don’t mean much if you can’t find a way to feel refreshed. If you can, it’s best to keep one set of toiletries in your carry-on, including shampoo, conditioner, face wash, body wash, and a toothbrush – at a minimum.
10. Medications
If you take any regular medications or vitamins, be sure they’re tucked into your carry-on, instead of your checked bag.
In the event that it does take a few days to get your bags delivered to your hotel or Airbnb, you’ll need your medication and be glad you can keep up your vitamin regimen.
11. Snacks
If there’s a long line to speak to an airline attendant, or things just get totally botched while you wait for your luggage that never appeared on the baggage claim, hunger might start to set in.
Bring a few healthy, well-balanced snacks to keep your blood sugar up, remain full, and prevent the inevitable stress that comes from feeling hungry while dealing with a stressful situation.
12. Valuables
If you like to travel with a few staple pieces of jewelry, that’s great! It’s helpful to pack a neutral wardrobe with matching pieces to keep things light. In that case, a statement necklace or chandelier earrings are just what’s needed to perk up your outfits.
You won’t want to sit there and worry that your favorite jewelry is gone while you wait for your luggage to return. Instead, pack them into a small travel pouch and keep them in your carry-on.
Everything Will Be Alright!
The overall goal here is that, if you never see your check-in bag again (which is very unlikely), you don’t want to lose anything that can’t be replaced – like clothing and shoes.
Ask yourself, “What are the essential items that I’ll need almost immediately upon touchdown.”
Aside from that, we can keep our faith in all the airline attendants all around the world. They move millions of pieces of luggage every day, most of which arrive safely.
Wherever you’re headed next, be it close to home or further abroad, we have a destination guide to help your trip go perfectly smoothly. Safe travels!