What’s in my Travel Bag — Tips for Travellers

One of my favourite features in En Route Magazine is “In the Bag” where people itemize out what is in their travel carry-on. I’ve gotten so many great ideas from seeing what’s in other people’s bags that I’ve decided to share what I travel with.

My preference is to use Baggallini for carry on. It’s designed by Airline Stewardesses and has a million practical pockets for everything from FF cards to good luck charms. However, their bags are a bit on the small side and I often found myself carrying a travel purse, laptop bag (with SLR camera), and a roller board. Then TSA changed the allowance for the number of bags you can take through security (now 2) and I had to change to an Eagle Creek bag.

Below is what I carry in the Eagle Creek bag… minus computer and phablet.

(Sorry for the format. I had to kill the annotated image version because it kept messing up my layout.)

1. Toque and fingerless gloves. I somehow always end up in cold places (and am a wuss when it comes to the cold). The fingerless gloves keep my hands warm but still allow me to take photos and type unhindered.

2. Plastic bags for child’s spills and random collected items from the beach/forest/muddy places. I also use these for wet swim gear and in a pinch could help save someone with a perforated lung.

3. The sim card kit. Yes… for those who know me… I have downsized from the multiple country holder to the three country sim card holder.

4. Key chain sized cleaning cloth and bag. This thing is massive but somehow manages to squish back into a tiny little bag. Said cleaning cloth works on my camera, sunglasses, and phone.

5. Document, Visa, Passport sleeve with random “I love you” messages from child. This little beauty was designed for my old Baggallini bag and holds every travel card, document, passport, and legal letter that I need for global travel. I swear it uses some sort of magic to hold it all in.

6. Sharpie, pen, and multicolored highlighters. The bare minimum of what I need to start a project when no supplies are available. Sticky Notes (#9) fit into this grouping.

7. Lumix camera. I travel with many cameras but this one is always in my bag. It takes fantastic high quality photos and is small and light. It even allows for manual photography.

8. Bandaids because everyone needs a bandaid and yet no one ever seems to be able to find one.

9. Sticky Notes. These go with #6. I’ve called them out separately because my child is creeped out by auto-flushing toilets in airports and I hate the lights on smoke detectors in hotel rooms. This problem is solved by putting a sticky note over the automatic sensor or light.

10. Google Pillow. I love the Google pillow. It’s technically supposed to be a phone holder but I also use it as a glasses holder, a chin pillow, a head rest, a neck massager, a toy for restless child, and a conversation piece. It weighs nothing and takes up very little space in my bag.

11. An umbrella. Read #1 and add that these cold places are usually cold and wet.

12. A neoprene pencil case for receipts, plane tickets, and other annoying paper that you need to claim but want to hide while you’re traveling.

13. Burt’s Bees medicated lip balm (eucalyptus). This goes with #15, #16, and #17 below. Surprisingly, this particular type of balm is difficult to find. The Eucalyptus is an added “wake up” when it’s time to refresh.

14. Tiger Balm for sore muscles; goes with a lacrosse ball (not pictured).

15. Balm perfume. It’s light, fruity and smells polite.

16. Suki Foaming Cleanser. This stuff is a miracle after a long flight. It wakes you up and makes your face look like you’ve had a good night of sleep. This comes in granular form and foams when you add a bit of water. I generally follow this with a heavy cream like Andalou night cream because planes are super dry.

17. Toothbrush. Brushing my teeth after a long flight somehow makes me feel better. This goes very well with #13 (medicated lip balm).

18. Deck of cards. This deck of cards has entertained many bored children and adults.

19. The flight survival kit: mini flashlight, ear plugs, headphones, eye pillow, Advil, and kleenex.

20, 21 and 22. The international connectivity kit: global universal adaptor, projector dongle, mac power dongle, generic plugin with USB connector end, air cards for various countries, media card reader for every format known to mankind, and bluetooth earpiece. The UK is the best place in the world to buy dongles / connectors / adaptors: because they make them very small.

23. Lego USB Key. Even in the day of wireless and Dropbox I still have to frequently sneaker-net files and data.

24. Kindle… every book I own is on this Kindle… I’m carrying a library around in my purse… a library I only need to charge every 4-5 months.

25. Travel book. I work in IT and know that technology will fail you when you are lost and need it the most. So, I still write down addresses, phone numbers, confirmation codes, and stick in any travel plans. Unlike my phone and computer, that book is never slow, has never crashed, failed or lost connectivity.

26. Spirulina Energy Bars. Being a frequent traveler and being allergic to wheat and dairy, I often find myself in places where I can’t eat. These tiny little bars will keep me going long enough to figure something out.