Tag: Carry-On

Carry-On Chronicles: One Week in Aruba

I left Canada.

It happened.

I am sitting here sending this to you from the beautiful island of Aruba.

This trip had been three months in the planning and I finally got to leave and it has been a minute since I packed a whole weeks worth of stuff between a carry-on and a personal item. But, I’m still DAMN good at it, thank you.

carry on items
carry on items

This is how I broke down my packing list for this trip:

2 x sandal, 2 x comfy dress, 3 x romper, 2 x leggings, 10 x shirts (comfy and little dressy mix), 5 x shorts, 2 x purse thingy, 4 x bathing suit — I should mention, I’ll be wearing the sneakers on flight, one pair of leggings, a t-shirt and a hoodie.

3 x bra/sports bra, underwear, 2 x socks, toiletries, charger(s), plus my laptop so I can work on the blog sometimes. I’m even surprised I got ALL of this to fit and be able to close my carry-on (the black bag) and my personal item (the green bag).

carry on
carry on

The other notable items to mention that I always travel with are (links embedded in names):

  1. 20L Waterproof Dry Bag Backpack – I use this as my carry-on for hot weather and cold weather trips. The material is thick and the bag is waterproof and it is the 20L size. Hasn’t let me down yet, and I really love the durability of it and again, WATERPROOF YES.
  2. Zomake Ultra Lightweight Packable Backpack – This can be used as your personal item or your day bag when you take day trips. I use it as both (especially when doing fun catamaran or beach things). It has two mesh side pockets and also two zipper-sealed pockets for your other items. This folds up into a tiny little bag as well, so when you have no use for it you can just fold it away.
  3. Portable Door Lock – Whether you travel alone or in a group, BRING THIS WITH YOU! It can attach to damn near every door and it’s just a nice extra piece of safety (or peace of mind) when you’re in your hotel room or AirBnB. I’ve tested out how strong it is, and I was pleasantly surprised.
Carry On Bags
Carry on + Personal Item

Totally brought enough clothes for a hot-weather place. This time I had a SHORT layover getting from Toronto to Washington to Aruba so the chance of checked-in luggage was a chance I was definitely not going to take. I rather just pack small and keep all my items with me and ensure I make my connection. Yes, I am paranoid.

I will note that one big blessing I had on this trip is having access to a washer and dryer on premises. Can’t say I miss hand washing things in the sink like I’ve done on previous trips.

Happy packing everyone!

– Mirna 

Carry-On Chronicles: Long Weekend in Banff

It is finally time for me to fly somewhere. I mean, it is WITHIN Canada but at least it’s something, right?

For the Canada Day long weekend, I am spending time in Banff, Alberta. I haven’t traveled to much of Canada so I am very excited to see somewhere new. I am especially excited because Banff looks breathtaking in every photo I’ve ever seen of it!

Here is a breakdown of what the carry-on packing will look like for this trip which consists of a bunch of hiking, possibly swimming and one night of looking like a hot girl.

This is how I broke down my packing list for this trip:

1 x sandal, 1 x heel, 1 x nice dress to go with the heel, 1 x shawl for dress, 3 x leggings, 2 x thin long sleeve, 7 x t-shirts, 4 x shorts, 1 x PJs, 1 x purse thingy, 1 x bathing suit — I should mention, I’ll be wearing the sneakers on flight, one pair of shorts, a t-shirt and a light windbreaker

5 x bra/sports bra, underwear, 5 x socks, toiletries + makeup, charger

All the things going into the carry-on.

The other notable items to mention that I always travel with are (links embedded in names):

  1. 20L Waterproof Dry Bag Backpack – I use this as my carry-on for hot weather and cold weather trips. The material is thick and the bag is waterproof and it is the 20L size. Hasn’t let me down yet, and I really love the durability of it and again, WATERPROOF YES.
  2. Zomake Ultra Lightweight Packable Backpack – This can be used as your personal item or your day bag when you take day trips. I use it as both (especially in this Banff trip). It has two mesh side pockets and also two zipper-sealed pockets for your other items. This folds up into a tiny little bag as well, so when you have no use for it you can just fold it away.
  3. Portable Door Lock – Whether you travel alone or in a group, BRING THIS WITH YOU! It can attach to damn near every door and it’s just a nice extra piece of safety (or peace of mind) when you’re in your hotel room or AirBnB. I’ve tested out how strong it is, and I was pleasantly surprised.
Carry On Bags
Carry on + Personal Item

I am ready to go, and it has been a LONG time. I can’t wait to see Banff and then write about all the shenanigans I got into while there.

Happy packing everyone!

– Mirna 

Carry-On Chronicles: Winter Travel Packing

(Repeating, for third time) I have written before about vanity being a detriment to smart packing and that it is more relevant that you stand in front of the Eiffel Tower in whatever clothes vs stand in front of the CN tower in a great outfit. 

Funny enough, because this time? I’ll actually be going to see the Eiffel Tower.

On December 25th I will be leaving on a 12-day trip that will take me to eight countries in Europe. I will start in Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Paris (France) for NYE, Denmark, Sweden, Prague (Czech Republic) for the ballet, London and then finally Iceland.

I have never done winter travel to another cold place, especially not to eight different ones. During this trip I have like three spa visits, two alpine trips, museums and even the ballet as an activity. Usually I’d be totally fine with being a bum in thick clothes the whole time but some of these require me to look a little nicer or be prepared to go swim.

This trip managed to be under $2000.00 for all flights and stays, and I wrote about that here. With the money saving, this means I’m only going to be allowed 10kg (22lbs) with me on this trip. Some of the airlines I’ll be flying on do allow more, but I have to base it off packing for the one that allows the least so the 10kg it will be.

This is how I broke down my packing (clothing) list for this trip:

1 x boots, 1 x winter coat, 1 x all black hoodie, 1 x heavy wool pants, 1 x long sleeve, 1 x scarf —— these I will be wearing, to avoid putting heavy things into the carry-on.

2 x skinny jeans, 2 x leggings, 4 x long sleeve, 2 x bra, underwear, 3 x socks, 1 x heavy wool sock, 2 x nice shirt, 1 x PJS, 3 x swimsuit, 1 x day bag, toiletries

This time I saved A LOT of space for toiletries by switching to this Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soap. I have read MANY a travel blog that said this liquid can do it all so I’m willing to test this theory out. I brought two little carry-on size bottles of it to be used for: washing hair, body wash AND doing laundry in my sink. Will update on how this works out.

All the things going into the carry-on are on the right, all the things for the personal item on the left.
All the things going into the carry-on are on the right, all the things for the personal item on the left.

Unlike my previous carry-on travels, this time I won’t JUST have the carry-on. Because this blog keeps me very busy and I don’t want to take time off from posting on it, I finally bought myself a new laptop and will take advantage of the whole ‘personal item’ allotment for the flights as well. Basically, you can carry around a purse along with your carry-on bag. This purse of mine is just for my items needed to work on blog/stay connected.

1 x Pixelbook, 1 x Anker Portable Charger, 1 x Tripod/Selfie stick, 1 x Picture Bluetooth Shutter, 1 x Voltage converter, 1 x Waterproof bag, 2 x Chargers

Carry on + Personal Item
Carry on + Personal Item

I hope this packing list ends up working well for me because unlike some of the warm-climate places I go to where just buying anything is cheap, THAT IS NOT THE CASE IN EUROPE. Especially not in places like Switzerland and London where the Canadian dollar doesn’t mean a damn thing.

Happy packing everyone!

– Mirna 

5 Things to Keep Calm and Bring in Your Carry-On

After this last trip to Barbados, I realized I got really annoyed when the people sitting around me on the airplane were missing a crucial carry-on item.

Have you people NOT flown before?

How could you NOT have that on you?

Urgh, rookies.

Then I calmed my judgy self down and thought about that yes, indeed this might have been some folks first flight. They just don’t know any better. Fine.

This post is for the people who don’t know any better. Those who aren’t seasoned travelers. I want to make your next (or first?) flight easier to get through so you have no surprises and look like you know what you’re doing. I’m going to put you on the five things you need to have in your carry-on.
 

  1. Food: So you’re gearing up for your 5 hour or 15 hour flight and you see in the booking that there will be food served on the airplane. If you are like myself, you have read reviews about what kind of meal this airline will be serving and the quality of it. Unless you are flying in business or first class, likely, it is some less than desirable meal. I have had some delicious meals in economy however, it is like a 2/10 occurrence. Make sure to bring snacks onto whatever flight you are taking. I know different airports have varieties of sanctions about which food you can actually bring through customs, doesn’t matter. BRING. FOOD. ON. THE. PLANE. When I flew to Shanghai in December I was in the air for a little over 14 hours straight. There was three meals to be served and drinks in between. I had taken the time to research the food that China Eastern typically serves in economy, and I knew right away to make sure to purchase food at the departures terminal to have with me. It saved me on my flight. It really did. The food was mostly inedible for my tastes and imagine not eating much for 14 hours? No way. I stocked up at the departures gate on sandwiches, chips, nuts and brought on two 1.5 liter bottles of water. Even if you have a shorter flight that may be only 4-5 hours, bring something to munch on. I know airport prices for food are exorbitant but I rather you spend some extra money and have a happy belly on a flight than end up landing miserable and starving.  
  2. Pen: This item was the sole reason behind me writing this blog post. This is the crucial carry-on item aforementioned. HOW THE HELL DO YOU TRAVEL WITH NO PEN TO FILL OUT THE CUSTOMS FORMS???? I get so annoyed at this, that it triggered a blog post and the usage of caps lock. Look what you made me do. For the love of god people, please carry a pen or two on you when you fly. I will tell you why this is important. Not only will it save you from being the head-ass who has to ask strangers to borrow their pens because you’re unprepared, it will also save you time getting through customs. I don’t want any of you being those poor people who didn’t have a pen, didn’t have anyone to borrow it from and now you’re standing at that little table scurrying to fill the forms with that pen on a rope while everyone else is already in line to go through customs. This will save you time! I promise. Bring a pen.  
  3. Headphones: I thought all of us traveled with these anyways, until I flew from St. Lucia to Atlanta. The flight crew announced over the speakers that they had run out of their own headphones to distribute to the passengers and I heard a big sigh in the plane. You people don’t travel with headphones? Not even the little shitty dollar store ones? Really? Do not expect these airlines to have headphones to give you every time you fly OR be prepared for some airlines to charge you to purchase them. Always have a pair of headphones on yourself for flights because listening to people breathe or children crying will drive you absolutely mad. Also, you might miss out on watching movies that came out in 1999 on the TV in front of you – I want better for you.
  4. Portable Charger: Most of the flights I have taken recently have the charging ports for your cellphones for each seat, however, some still do not. If you have been paying attention to recent news, a flight earlier this month in Ottawa stayed on the tarmac for six hours. For those six hours, the passengers were not allowed to leave the plane. They just sat there waiting to disembark the entire time. Now I don’t know about the rest of you, but if I had a phone that was dead and I couldn’t cuss the airline on Twitter throughout those six hours – I probably would have been escorted off the plane forcibly by border guards. Furthermore, imagine you have family or friends waiting for you but you can’t let them know the situation because your phone is dead. Or (heaven forbid) in case of an emergency, you want to have that phone charged. I bet Gilligan would have turned his roaming on and risked the data charges to be found on that island after being shipwrecked.      
  5. Warm Top: If you have ever stepped a foot onto an airplane, this tip is pretty straightforward. If you have not, you need to do this. It doesn’t matter if you are flying to a place that has weather of -40 or +40, the airplane is going to be an icebox. I do not get cold easily, I am usually a warmer body, but on airplanes? Forever cold. Anytime you get ready to fly somewhere, bring a light sweater to have on for the duration of the flight. I know some of my friends even bring small blankets and yes, some airlines will provide you with blankets as well. I’m paranoid and the blankets that others have used before creep me out, so I recommend just bringing your own sweater to keep you from freezing.

Special Mention to: a) Hand Sanitizer + b) Entire Outfits.

a) I recommend keeping a small hand sanitizer on you at all times when you fly because airplanes and airports are cesspools of sickness just waiting to attack your frail body during/after all that travel.  

b) If you have luggage to check-in, make sure you keep one or two whole outfits in your carry-on when you are traveling to your destination. Many of us have had the unfortunate circumstance of an airline losing our luggage and suddenly you have nothing to wear for 24-48 hours until the airline gets your entire wardrobe back to you. You could also opt to JUST fly with a carry-on so you don’t worry about things being lost, click HERE to read about how I managed to do that for a week in Barbados. 

I hope this post helps some of you embarking on your first flights one day. The rest of us had to experience some of this bullshit so that you may never have to. 

– Mirna