Carry On, Carry All: Carry-on Travel Essentials

With fall break now a thing of the past, I gathered up some of my carry-on essentials for traveling. Whether I’m boarding a plane, sprawling out on the Carolinian rail, or just road-tripping home from ‘Lon, I make sure I always have some variation of these items.

1. A notebook or journal: I got this adorable notebook from Anthropologie as a birthday present this past year.  I love this one because it has a old-fashioned hardcover feel to it. Having a notebook on long trips is great because you can write or draw about literally anything to kill time. I also love this notebook, also from Anthro!

2. Writing utensils: you can’t have a notebook without writing utensils! I love this pen set from Ban.do. I’m a huge doodler so having pens are a staple in my bag.

3. Luggage tag: whether you need a suitcase or not for your trip, I always make sure to have a luggage tag on my bag so I can easily identify my stuff.  This one is from Ban.do! (Ban.do also makes passport/ID holders which is super helpful for air travel!)

4. Sunglasses: nothing is worse than stepping off a plane/train into super bright sunlight.  I love my Lennon-style sunnies from Urban Outfitters!

5. Something to read: more than often, cell service and Wifi isn’t a luxury we have on long trips. I always make sure to bring a book. Whether it’s assigned reading for my Science without Borders class, or just for pleasure--like Bad Feminist--I like having something to read when I can’t use my phone or laptop.

6. My glasses: of course, this only applies if you need glasses like I do, but I always make sure I have mine.  Especially if I'm doing a lot of reading, or my eyes are tired it’s super important that I have my glasses. 

7. A good sturdy bag: this one is obvious; if you have all these things you need something to carry it in! I got mine at H&M, but it’s no longer available. It’s big enough to carry my laptop and and some school books in addition to all the other items I’ve listed.  I also have this bag from Urban Outfitters which is great as a personal item tote as well!

Shot by: Kristin Leechow