10 Personal Item Bag Essentials That Will Save Your Flight

Today I'm going to show you exactly what I pack and how I organize my personal item bag for a flight. I've taken hundreds of flights and this is the exact system that I've perfected to stay comfortable, stress-free and fully prepared no matter how long the flight is. Let's start with the absolute essentials. These are the items that should always go in your personal item bag, not your carry-on suitcase, because there's always a chance that your carry-on is going to get checked in at the boarding gate. These are the things that you are going to want to have access to 24-7. First up, your travel documents. This includes your passport as well as any other travel documents that will need to be with you at all times. I also keep my wallet with my ID, credit cards, and some US cash, but here's a pro tip. Remove all of the unnecessary things like your Costco card or library card or loyalty cards before you travel. If you don't need it on your trip, it's just extra weight to carry around. And if you do end up losing your wallet or having it stolen, which hopefully never happens, you will have fewer things that you need to replace. Less damage done. Next, you'll want to pack all of your prescription medications plus a few key non-prescription medications like Tylenol or Gravol. This is especially important for any medications that you take on a daily basis at the same time each day, whether that's anxiety medication or birth control. And you definitely want these things in reach during the flight. If you wear glasses or contacts, these should stay with you in your personal item bag as well. And here's something that a lot of people forget. Travel insurance information and emergency contact numbers. Yes, I would still recommend that you bring a paper backup of both of these. My phone has died at spontaneous times or glitched in absolutely terrible moments and I don't know about you, but I don't have any friends or family phone numbers memorized by heart and if I was using someone else's phone, I would have no idea how to reach them, let alone who to call in an emergency situation except for 9-1-1 in North America and 1-1-2 in most of Europe. And a basic but 100% necessary item to always have in your personal item bag is a pen. You'll likely need it to fill out a form on the plane or when you arrive and you need to go through customs or immigration at your destination. Don't be the person that is asking to Now let's talk about tech and this is where organization becomes crucial. I pack all of my electronics in a dedicated tech pouch which I'll touch on a little bit more in the next point and here is my packing system. You want electronics as well as anything else that's valuable, breakable or expensive to be with you at all times and be sure to fully charge all of your devices the night before your flight. If you end up with a dead device, you could be unintentionally raw-dogging your next flight. Not fun. The most obvious electronic would be your phone but also remember to bring the charging cord and consider a USB-C to USB-A adapter as well. This tiny adapter is so cheap on Amazon and it has saved me dozens of times to take a charging cord from USB-C to USB-A so it's compatible with the charging slots that are still on most planes. For other electronics, I usually bring my fully charged iPad or Kindle and sometimes my laptop along with their chargers. Download all of your content the night before including books, podcasts, TV shows and whatever else you want to use on the plane, on your phone, your iPad or your Kindle. Do not make the mistake of relying on airport Wi-Fi to download these things before you board. If your phone and iPad take the same cord, you only need to pack it once. I like to put a piece of tape around a colored sticky note to pair electronics with their cord and then I will wrap all of these cords up in my tech pouch. If you do bring a power bank for travel, it has to go in your personal item bag. It's illegal to put it in a checked bag and some airlines like Southwest are even cracking down on you having a power bank in your carry-on suitcase since that's being placed in the overhead bin where it's going to be out of reach. For headphones or earbuds, I will bring both a wired set that I can use with the entertainment seatback system as well as a wireless Bluetooth set that I could use with my own device. I use wireless for my own devices but I bring a decent pair of wired headphones for the airplane entertainment system since some airplanes now charge a fee for headphones and even if you get them for free or you pay for them, they're going to be quite terrible quality. Some planes are rolling out Bluetooth connection to the seatback which is awesome but it's not widely available yet and it can be kind of faulty so it's always a good idea to bring your own set of wired earbuds to use with the entertainment system as opposed to relying on the hope that you might have a Bluetooth connection. I also use a small packable day bag for all of my bathroom essentials. I choose to use a packable day bag as opposed to some other pouch because it's going to be useful during my trip too. I've historically packed one of these travel folding toothbrushes along with a travel-sized toothpaste. However, I have recently been introduced to Colgate Wisps which are essentially these disposable toothbrushes that have the toothpaste built into them. These are game-changing and definitely what I will be using on future flights. I also pack one of these tiny lightweight folding combs. I think I got this one from a hotel but you can find them on Amazon for very cheap. I'll also pack floss sticks as well as makeup removing wipes and here's a hack if you don't have any of these wipes. You can take a liquid makeup remover and then soak it into a cotton pad as a sneaky hack to get this through airport security since it no longer counts as a liquid once it's been soaked into that pad. And speaking of pad, ladies this is a good place to also stick some feminine hygiene products. Travel and changing time zones can really throw off your body clock so even if you aren't expecting ant flow do people still say that? You will you will want to put a tampon or a pad or something similar in this bag so you have it. I will also throw in a small compression cube that contains one complete outfit which in my case is usually made up of pieces by today's video sponsor Helera. And here's why having that backup outfit is so crucial. I can't tell you the number of times a flight attendant has been serving drinks and something spills or you accidentally spill something on yourself during a flight. You do not want to sit through an entire flight with coffee on your lap or sticky diet coke down your shirt. Helera clothing is perfect for a budget friendly plane outfit as well as for your backup outfit since you want both of these to be comfortable, versatile and also something that you would actually wear during your trip as well as on the flight. I love Helera because you can find multifunctional pieces that look great and feel incredibly comfortable. You can find everything from stretchy jeans to active dresses to cozy lightweight pants. There are also colors that are going to flatter every skin tone and size options that will work with every body type. I personally stick their vacation pants in as part of my backup clothing set since they're stylish enough to wear out to dinner but also comfortable enough to sleep in if you needed to. They're also so lightweight that I can army roll them into a tiny plastic bag taking up virtually no space inside my personal item bag. I'll leave a link down in the video description where you can check out Helera clothing for yourself and then don't forget to use the code TRAVEL at checkout for an additional discount on their already ridiculously affordable clothing. Now let's move on to comfort and miscellaneous items that are going to make your flight infinitely better. I'll always pack a collapsible water bottle. It takes up no space when empty and you can fill it after security but here's where I get a little bit extra. I'll also bring a wide mouth thermos. It does take up space but I have so many uses for it that it's going to be worth it. I'll use it for regular water as well as hot water as well as instant oatmeal or instant soup during the flight. You name it. It's so versatile that it earns a space in my bag every flight. Sanitizing wipes are also a must. I will wipe down my tray table, armrest and the seat belt buckle as soon as I sit down as these places are not cleaned as much as we would like them to be. Airplane air is going to be incredibly drying unfortunately but thankfully there's something you can do about it. I also pack an aquafort stick that doubles as a lip balm but also works for dry patches on your face or your body. Band-aids are something else that I pack that might seem random but you tend to walk a lot when you're traveling or when you're flying and I've been grateful to have them more than once for my feet. And an eye mask is absolutely essential for any flight where you want to zone out or sleep. Gum for takeoff and landing also helps with ear pressure or if you have had ear pain in the past, ear planes are another great option on Amazon that are even more effective than chewing gum at preventing ear pain. If you wear a mouth guard or nighttime retainers, don't forget them and also pack a small moisturizing cream for your face since the dry airplane air is going to 100% dehydrate your skin and your face is going to thank you for packing some extra cream. Eye drops are also a great idea if you are prone to dry eyes. It can get very uncomfortable on a flight without drops. This mini fan is also a game changer and one of the best selling things that I recommend from Amazon. Planes are often so hot when you first board and this fan is going to save you from getting all sweaty only to end up being freezing cold an hour later when the AC starts blasting. And I'm not sure what category this goes in so I will mention it here. Clips for my personal item bag zippers. In-flight theft is a growing problem and while this isn't locking your bag, it is going to create an extra barrier so someone can't be sneaky and slip their hand into your bag without you noticing. Let us know down in the video comments what your number one essential item to pack in your personal item bag is. You guys leave the best comments and ideas down in the comment section and I'm always learning new things so thank you. You'll also find a free downloadable checklist in the video description of all the things that I mentioned in this video that's going to help you take the guesswork out of what to pack the next time you fly. Now let's talk snacks because this is where you can really save money and ensure that you have something you actually want to eat that isn't going to be breaking any travel rules. Pretty much any solid food is allowed to go through the security checkpoint and anything that you buy at the airport after security can be brought onto the flight with the exception of alcoholic drinks. Everyone should consider packing their own snacks when they fly and if you have any dietary restrictions or allergies you'll benefit even more by not having to hunt for anything acceptable at the airport. You're also going to save a ton of money. Here are my plain snack rules. Nothing smelly or spicy or that goes bad at room temperature quickly and then if it's fruit, vegetables or jerky expect to finish it during the flight or you'll need to throw it away before you arrive and go through customs if you are taking an international flight. Also nothing crumbly and if it's possible, which it should be possible, please try to avoid anything that has nuts as those on board with allergies are going to thank you and also not die. My go-to snacks for a flight are going to be protein bars, popcorn, gummy candy, beef jerky, electrolyte packets and some caffeine-free tea bags. The tea bags are great because flight attendants can almost always give you hot water during a flight and the tea that they have ready made and serve is often full of caffeine. I'll also sometimes stick in a packet of instant oatmeal or instant soup that I'll put in my thermos and then ask a flight attendant for hot water. Because I do this so often you will also always find a spoon tucked away in my personal item bag. Doesn't stay tucked away for long. The key to a great personal item bag is organization and thinking ahead. Pack under the assumption that your carry-on is going to get checked in because it very well might and even if it isn't it's not going to be easy to access from an overhead bin mid-flight. I'll put a video on the screen now as well as link it for you in the video description on some genius hacks that are going to make any flight 100 times more comfortable even in economy. You'll definitely want to watch that one next especially if you have a flight coming up. Don't forget to hit that subscribe button to join Ollie and I back here for more travel tips and hacks each week and we will see you in that next video soon. Bye!