What is in Lauren’s Carry On?

“Now boarding Flight #274 for Sioux Falls, South Dakota.” Growing up, this was a frequent phrase I heard at least four times a year. I would board a plane and head out west to see my grandparents. Two flights there, two flights home- four in total. With so much flying in my life, I became a professional at packing the perfect carry on, with some variation depending on my age. No, I was not packing my favorite barbie doll and two extra outfits for her when I was sixteen years old.

At age 19, I took my best friend on her first flight ever. She was also 19 and terrified of being thousands of miles in, so I had her focus on packing the perfect carry on. It was corny, but it made her calmer. So what is in Lauren’s 19 year old carry on?

Choice of Bag: Nike Athletic Backpack

Items:

1. Phone charger: What is a phone without a charger to keep it alive? With the chance of so many delays and having to spend hours in the airport as a result, your phone may end up being your only form of entertainment. Whether you choose to watch Netflix, listen to music, scroll through social media, it won’t be possible without a charger to keep it from dying. I never forgot one.
2. Laptop (with charger): Many times, my airline travels take place during the school year for family trips for holidays. With the free time, either in the airport waiting, or on a two hour flight, it is the perfect time to get some work done. It is also a good time to look through old pictures on your laptop that you downloaded to free some space up on your phone. Braces and terrible acne on my forehead, a good period of my life to look back through to kill some time.
3. Book: Sometimes technology can be hard on the eyes, but you aren’t tired enough to take a nap. Therefore, I bring a book. Sometimes, it is never touched, and other times I start and can’t put it down. Either way I like to bring it with me every flight. Some of my favorite books from my favorite author are listed below if you need some book suggestions:
   1. Colleen Hoover:
      1. Maybe Someday- My personal favorite of hers

         

      2. Confess
      3. November 9
      4. Any other book she has written
4. Sweatshirt: Airplanes are tricky when it comes to temperature. Sometimes it is absolutely freezing, and other times you can find yourself over heated. When traveling to warm locations, like Florida, it is always smart to wear layers that can be removed. Bringing a sweatshirt along acts as a layer than can be on or off. It also acts as a great pillow to use if you get the “window seat” for when you want to take a nap to make the time go by faster.
5. Headphones: My final item is a must have everywhere I go, but especially on an airplane. Crying babies, obnoxious people who talk too loudly, sick people coughing and sneezing- it all takes away from the peace I try to find when on a flight. Therefore, I bring headphones to listen to the playlist I prepared before the flight, with enough songs to last the entire length of my journey through the air.

Five items are all I need. It’s perfect because it is light and doesn’t hurt my back to carry around. Sometimes I might have some chapstick, female products, hair ties, and other random miscellaneous but necessary objects also in my bag, but the listed five are my constants. What are your constants? If you are ever nervous for a flight, take the time to create your own perfect carry on to help you get excited for your journey to curing your wanderlust.