Archives for November 2016

This is part two of essential travel items, at least in my opinion 🙂 

I love traveling and have spent the last 20 years as the wife of an airline employee so I have had years of experience with what works for packing light, travel and making sure I have all the essentials for days of travel and possibly sitting in an airport, because the flights are full (that’s the downside of standby travel)

In my previous post Five Things You Might be Missing From Your Airplane Carry-on Luggage.

The five items that make traveling on the airplane for cutting down on germs and making sure your fed and yourself or your kids happy.

• Electronic chargers – most airlines now have usb chargers built into the seats for on board charging. You can see the complete list of airlines and their on board power in this blog post. With majority of airlines having in seat power it makes it easier to watch movies, listen to music, do work or whatever you want while staying charged and not draining your equipment.

• Portable battery charger – yes I know I just  said most airlines have chargers, but you never know how long your trip might take you! I like to have an extra battery so if a flight is delayed or canceled. It is especially helpful if you are using you smartphone to navigate the city. Map programs because they are using GPS can really put a drain on a battery. I also find an extra battery useful if I am at a conference or some other place where I may not have power to charge my electronics. There are tons of backup batteries to choose from and they can be very affordable. This one is cheap at only $10 and works great.

• stand to hold electronics – A nice folding stand is helpful to prop up your smartphone or tablet. I like them because then I don’t have to hold up my iPad while the children watch a movie or play a learning game during the flight. There are larger but light folding stands like this one for tablets, but also hold cell phones just as well. If you want a smaller one for just smartphones, I like this one and keep it in the pocket of my headphones.

• Noise cancelling headphones (don’t forget extra battery)  I love, love, love my noise cancelling headphones. Yes they were a splurge, but I have had them for years and they have helped out on tons of flights. I prefer the over the ear noise cancelling ear phones versus the buds, yes they are a little bigger, but they really cover the ear and the noise of the airplane. The noise cancelling really helps with cabin noise and if there are babies crying (it’s hard being a baby on a plane.) The bonus is that the noise cancelling have adjustable headband and even fit on the ears of my children when they were toddlers.

• Zip up bag to hold electronics – I like to have all my accessories in one zip up bag, so you can easily grab it from your carry on bag or put it away. I have used the Eagle Creek bags for years, they are high quality and durable. You can find them here.

no brainers

• important documents
• medications or other needs – including for young children
• valuables