Packing your carry on can feel very high pressure as you do it, the choices that you make at home can dictate how comfortable and enjoyable your flight is. We’ve all made errors of judgement and packed things we didn’t need or forgotten those we did.
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I’ve got a few fail-safe ways of remembering what I’ll need during the flight and prioritising what will get a coveted spot in the few kgs of baggage allowance that walk onto the plane with me;
- Be ruthless. There’s no room for packing ‘maybe’ items. Make sure what you’re bringing with you is something that you’ll actually use. I’ve learned not to bring my laptop on the plane anymore – I can watch TV on the seat screen and any reading/work I tell myself I’ll do on a flight I very rarely actually will. It’s a waste of weight and a waste of worrying about it getting thrown around too much! Wrap it in a good case and a jumper and keep it in your checked in luggage.
- Don’t overshoot it. Sometimes I think I need a dozen different thing to do on a flight, I get caught up in thinking it’s a super long time. Often times a long flight isn’t as long as you think, it gets broken up by sleeping and meals getting served. Once you’ve watched movie you’ll find you don’t need three books to read. Be conservative in how entertained you think you will need to be.
- R E L A X. Seriously. You don’t need to be busy on a flight. Sometimes we’re on the way to a holiday, and sometimes it’s for business. But when in the air it’s a perfect opportunity to take to relax. You’re unplugged, and you have a chance to not be a slave to your phone or the constant pull that everything gives for your attention.