What do you take in your hand luggage?

[BlondeViki]

Not the usual stuff, anything unusual but useful? Things I might not have thought of! This will be the first time I've flown long-haul in more than 15 years! (First time I've flown at all in 8 years...)


Those who have a Nintendo DS (or whose kids do ) do you have any recommendations of good games to play while travelling? I've only just got a DS, so acquiring some games is my next thing to do!

 

[scottishgirl87]

Not unusual but maybe useful. After my parents had a hellish holiday a year or 2 ago when they were going on a cruise and their suitcases had been misplaced on the way out, I now carry a pair of pyjamas, clean pair pants/socks and sometimes an extra t-shirt/top with me in my hand luggage. I know in Florida it'd be easy to replace essentials, unlike on a cruise, but at least this way I have something to sleep in when I get there.

 

[sanville]

regarding games i take professor layton - i dont now if you have heard it but youtube it its a brill puzzle - platform game eep you thinking for ages and great for kids/adults. secret files of tuskina is great for adults its a role play like broken sword or the sims

what i pack is ds, camera, hair brush ect, books, mp3 player, spair shoes, so it dont weight don the case and the mini travel suitcase scales so im not over at the over end !!

 

[queendisney]

I pack..

Camera, video camera, IPod, phone and the Bose Quiet Comfort headphones.
Hand santizer stuff, travel size body lotion, lip balm as it get very dry on the airplane, memory foam neck pillow and ear plugs!

Then its just travel documents etc..

 

[Kath2003]

We take everything in the hand luggage
But if we didn't...

Always always 24 hours worth of clothes!
DON'T pack a book - buy one at the airport. It's just as cheap and gives you something to do whilst waiting.
First aid kit - painkillers, stomach settlers, plasters etc.
Take a small bag with things you actually need for the flight, a small handbag does me. Nothing worse than people constantly faffing with luggage in the overhead bins during the flight. Make sure the small handbag fits easily into the larger backpack.
Oh and anything you would ever like to see again DEFINITELY goes in the hand luggage.

Be realistic about what you'll need/want to do. It's only 9 hours.

 

[laura_<3]

We take:

Travel documents, ipod, money, camera, video camera. This year I'll have my notebook and DBF will have his ipad (and chargers).

We buy magazines and sweets/mints at the airport

(It seems like so much more when I'm carrying it all, but when I write it down it doesn't seem like a lot...)

 

[Tink78]

For me, lip balm and hand cream.
Nail File maybe.

Are you travelling with kids?
If so, then you'll need more for them than you will for you.

Spare clothes in case of accidents are a must (for the kids, not me! )

 

[Beep]

We both use a gym bag to put in things we need for the flight like headphones, Kindle, mp3 etc and then in the hand baggage we have cameras, sunglasses, satnav, phones etc. we tend to keep our travel docs with us in they gym bags as I'm paranoid about them.

Coming back we use the hand luggage for the same and for anything we wouldn't want to lose and breakable stuff we might have bought.

 

[janiebubble]

would echo the Professor Layton recommendation for your DS, kept me occupied!

I take the clean knickers/socks just in case ... always reckon I could pick up a T shirt easily but knickers that fit just right ... not so easy!

Ipad, kindle, ipod and I'm amused.

Coming home, I have a change of clothes which I put on just before we board ... joggers and a long sleeved t shirt .. not quite PJs but comfy for the night flight and this year the best thing ever ... saw a full sized pillow in tesco for £3 rolled tight .... fitted in my hand luggage perfectly and we cuddled up with it between us ... best sleep I've ever had on a plane

 

[dixonsontour]

Painkillers, lipbalm, moisturiser, clinique face spritz, hairbrush

Tissues/wipes

Headphones and one of those 2 prong airplane adaptor things so they fit the plane socket

snacks eg pringles and sandwich/water (buy at Boots in airport)

I put things in plastic ziplok bags then not rummaging for stuff in my rucksack

For DD I take wikki stix, plastercine, stickerbook, paper/pens, kids headphones - but her main entertainment is the ipad.

 

[tinkerpea]

Well after travelling to Turkey alone one year when i was 18 to meet bf(at the time)who was on deployment I had my luggage misplaced and had not packed very much in my hand luggage apart from some make-up and a hairbrush

I went 4 days without any luggage and it was XMAS! so i learned a valuable lesson to always pack essentials like tooth brush and mini paste (provided on long haul of course) a spare outfit and i now travel in comfy shoes as when i had the Turkey incident i was wearing 4 inch knee high boots!!

when travelling to the states i take
mini hairbrush
chapstick/balm because the plane air is really drying
face cream/multi moisturiser as skin gets dry from the air
magazines (not as many now planes have seat bk tv's)
sweets/gum for landing
full sized pillow!!... I always take a pillow as i just cant get comfy otherwise dh laughs at me everytime! but i pray for the window seat so i can put the pillow against the side and sleep zzzzz
Blanket i buy myself a new blanket every flight normally pick them up for £5 from primark perfect size nice fluffy i like my comforts and now i always pack 1 each for my boys too and Dh,"he always tells me he doesnt need one but then ALWAYS uses it!
Different outfit as when we leave its freezing but when we arrive its hot so i pack shorts t-shirt or a simple sun dress makes me feel refreshed too.
Anything thing valuable that i dont want to lose like Camera video camera chargers money and at least 3 days worth of any medicine we are taking plus parecetomel for the kids and tummy upset pills as the kids get excitment tummys and sometimes feel a little ill.

For the kids
Ds/games
sweets/snacks
fav teddy each (my oldest takes piglet and eeyore EVERYWHERE with him he has had them since birth and god forbid we forget them!
drink
blanket (because mummy does) they have blanket style sleeping bags that we took last yr nice fluffy and still slim enough to roll up plus they stay cosy dont haveto keep pulling the blanket over their feet.
Spare outfit for the change in weather
Dj style headphones as they cant keep the plane ones on their ears! learnt that 1 flight when i think i spent every 5 mins puttingthem bk on them!..

we used to take toy cars, pens colour books etc but they never used them enough & they would keep dropping them on the floor!

 

[BlondeViki]

Wow! Some inspired packing tips here - not just for the items but for the ways of arranging things too - thanks!

I have ordered two Professor Layton games from Amazon - I love the style of the graphics from the screen shots - can't wait to get them

 

[cheryl.UK]

I always take

purse, phone, laptop and charger, kindle, earphones, T shirk, underwear, mints, painkillers, moisturiser, lip balm, all the holiday paperwork, water that I buy once through security and that's it. Small (ish bag) so that I don't have anything too heavy to drag around. I used to take loads of stuff that I never needed but it's gotten less and less as the years have gone on...like the rest of my packing

 

[Helen B]

I use my backpack that I will use in the theme parks and fill with:

Jelly sweets
Chewing Gum or Mints
Couple of magazines bought at the airport - don't do books, but that's a personal thing
Bottle of water - sometimes I just can't be bothered to get up and ask, but it also means I've got something to drink at the other end while waiting for luggage and getting the car
Phone which is also iPod with games
iPad - I have the iBooks and Kindle apps which DBF is likely to use
Cameras - will be taking 2 this year, compact and bridge types
Wet Ones
Deodorant
Lip Balm
Eye Drops - my eyes can dry out in air conditioning but particularly on flights
Going out - change of underwear - can always buy more clothes out there, usually wear light clothing for the flight anyway
Coming back - change of clothing for the flight

I'm sure there is something I've missed.