I would have hoped that I didn’t have to write this, but lately I’ve seen some travelers post about baggage delays ruining their trips. While baggage delays are unavoidable, when you arrive at your destination and your bags don’t, that shouldn’t put a damper on your trip. I’ve had bags both lost and delayed before. It’s not fun to be without your things, but when you finish reading this post, you should be in a much better position in the event your bags end up in airport purgatory.
The first rule of travel is always carry on. Sometimes you can carry on everything, like if you’re a backpacker with a medium sized pack like a 40L or 46L. But, even if you check 6 pieces of luggage for your trip (this is totally excessive and you should not be taking 6 checked bags unless you’re a family of 6), you should still have a carry on bag. Carry on bags are extremely important, because these bags stay with you and never reach the hands of baggage handlers who may accidentally send them down a wrong conveyer belt or place them on the wrong aircraft.
So let’s start with the carry on bag itself. Always check the airline’s carry on allowance. If you’ll be flying multiple carriers, make sure to check them all. We have carry on bags for different situations—domestic, international, weight issues, rolling, or shoulder/hand carry. You probably don’t need all that, but you should know that if it’s your first international flight, your domestic roll aboard isn’t going to work. The international size for carry on bags is a lot smaller.
Now that you’ve decided which bag to take, we’ll go through what you should pack in it.
Passport
It should not be a surprise to anyone that your passport needs to be with you at all times. You’ll need it to check in, get through security, and to get through immigration at your destination. If you put your passport in your checked luggage and send it through, you can say goodbye to your destination, because you’ll be spending a bit more time in your departure city.
Money
If you pack your wallet with cash and credit cards in your checked luggage and you arrive in your destination, but your bags do not, you’ll have a really difficult time hailing a cab, buying a meal, or checking into a hotel (even if its already booked). Basically, you’re totally screwed. Cash is king, and you’re just the court jester.
Photography Gear
There are a multitude of reasons not to pack your photography gear in your checked luggage. First, you could be putting thousands of dollars at risk for theft if you check your gear. Second, if your bags don’t arrive, you’ll have no visual memories. I know what you’re saying, “But, I’ll still have the camera in my phone.” That may be true, but do you want a 12MP jpeg or a 24MP RAW photo? If you aren’t sure, you should probably just stick with your phone for photos. Finally, current regulations and airline policies for lithium ion batteries state that they need to be carried on, because they cannot be checked. Your camera batteries are probably LiOn (Lithium Ion).
Cell Phone
When your bag accidentally gets routed to Kathmandu and you’re in Bogota, the airline will have a difficult time getting a hold of you when your bag reaches the El Dorado International Airport. We’re pretty sure this one is obvious, but we know better than to overlook common sense. What might be a little less common though, is your charging cables. You know you’ve misplaced those before. We all have. Now that most aircraft have power in the seats, you’re going to want the cable to charge your phone. That inflight WiFi is going to be rather draining.
Change of Clothes
When you were a kid, your mom probably told you to always make sure you have clean underwear. She wasn’t wrong, but she should have also told you to have a clean pair of pants (or shorts) and a shirt also. Since she only covered part of it, I’ll explain the rest. Often, your international trips might be 12, 14, or even 17 hours, and that’s just the flight time. Add in 3+ hours to that since you woke up, showered, and put the clothes on your body. Are you starting to internalize the grossness yet? If not, picture arrival at the airport and standing at baggage claim, just watching everyone else pick up their bags and no bag for you. Your bag might be another 24 hours or more away from getting back to you. Do you really want to wear the same clothes for 36 hours? 48? This is why you pack a change of clothes in your carry on.
Comfortable Walking Shoes
I typically wear the heaviest shoes I will need on a trip during the flight as weight restrictions can be brutal and shaving off ounces here and there could mean the difference between overweight and within weight limitations. If I’m lucky, those shoes are comfortable walking shoes. If not, I make sure to pack those in my carry on. If my checked bag doesn’t arrive, I’m not going to let that ruin my trip. Any plans that require lots of walking will continue and my feet will thank me. If you read this, hopefully yours will thank you too.
Battery Packs
As previously discussed, airline regulations now prohibit lithium ion battery packs from being stored in checked luggage. They have been known to be somewhat of a fire hazard and the airlines would rather that fire be contained in a pressurized cabin where it can be dealt with than in cargo where it could be unknown and severely problematic for the airworthiness of the aircraft. This is important, and I cannot stress this enough, if you pack your batteries in your checked luggage, there’s a good chance you won’t receive them when your bag arrives at your destination.
Toiletries
Your dentist says you should brush your teeth in the morning and before going to bed. You do have a dentist, right? Ok, just checking. Assuming you get out of bed at 7am and are in bed at 10pm, that’s 15 hours between brushings. When you’re in flight for a long haul, you’re going to want to brush your teeth. And, if you don’t, do it for whomever is seated next to you—your spouse, side chick, or random stranger. Nobody wants to be the recipient of the stench emanating from the festering cereal pieces provided from the airport lounge that have now been lodged in your teeth for the last 17 hours. While we’re on the subject of health care, I’m also going to kindly ask that you pack a deodorant stick into your carry on bag. But, I’m also going to ask that you use it at some point during the flight. Flying makes a lot of people sweat. Whether its general nervousness, running to catch a connection, or landing in Doha and being hit with a wall of hot air as you leave the aircraft. Don’t make flying unpleasant for others.
Contact Lens Solution/Glasses
This one used to be an important item for Michelle, but she had LASIK eye surgery last year. If you wear contact lenses, you’re going to want to make sure you put lens solution, a case, and glasses in your carry on. Wearing contact lenses for too long doesn’t just get uncomfortable, it can also cause medical problems like corneal ulcers. You don’t want those, but you do want to be comfortable. During your long flight, you’ll want to take out your contacts and put on your glasses.
Sunglasses
When the sun is beaming through the aircraft windows with the shade up, you’re going to wish you had those sunglasses. I know what you’re thinking. You think you’ll be ok because you can just put the shade down. Well, you won’t be able to do that for the approach and landing. And, even if you could, you may touch down at an airport without a jetway. If you’re landing during the day, your eyes will want those sunglasses to shade them from the sun. If space is an issue, consider folding sunglasses like these.
Medication
This category isn’t just for prescribed medications. You NEED to carry those on, because your doctor has instructed you to take them. You cannot take medication that isn’t accessible to you. Don’t neglect over-the-counter medications too. We always take a bag of medications like Tums, ibuprofen, and Benadryl. You never know when you may need medications and if you are stuck in a flying bus, you can’t exactly go down to the local pharmacy.
