What's In My Hand Luggage | Survival Kit For Long Haul Travel
Hey guys! Happy new week! I'm dedicating this one to all of our news from NYC! We've finally caught up on sleep/work backlog, and I am SO excited to share our highlights and travelling tips from our time away. (OK, I have some fun things for back home too!)
As any one who travels with budget and short haul airlines will know, it’s often easier and cheaper to fly short distances with hand luggage only. In recent years, as I've mostly been travelling in Europe, I’ve become pretty adept at packing my life into a small wheely suit case. It's practical, but I miss having the luxury of packing things I actually want for a flight. When it came to packing for New York, with the joy of both hand and hold luggage, I couldn't wait to assemble my perfect long haul carryall.
Here are the items which kept me snug, happy, and organised for our NY flight . . .
Scarf: Becksondergaard Pre SS15. Love This & This | Leopard Print Pouch: Becksondergaard Pre SS15 Love. Love This Chic Option. | Patterned Note Book: Paperchase | Long Necklace With Stone: Feather & Stone | Lip Balm: Burts Bees | Face Spray: Pai Lotus Flower & Orange Blossom BioAffinity Skin Tonic (sold as part of travel set) | Face Moisturiser: Elemis Hydra-day Cream | Hand Moisturiser: La Roche-Posay Hand Repair Cream | Tablet: Apple iPad Mini | Socks: Pantherella c/o
Travel scarf: I recently professed my love for the travel scarf in my weekly blog for Hello! Fashion (by the by - have you checked it out yet? I don’t think I even told you guys I was doing that!). Natural fibres are always the best as they keep you warmest. I took my new Becksondergaard scarf to New York, it's pre SS15 but this gorgeous cashmere scarf would be perfect too.
Precious jewellery: I keep all of the things I would hate to lose/ couldn’t replace, close to me in my hand luggage, jewellery included. I use small jewellery pouches, or even a purse to keep the items I want to wear on holiday safe.
Socks: I want to feel as comfortable as possible on a long haul flight, and so I love to slip my shoes off and pop a pair of cosy socks on. Pantherella has a great choice, and I love the simple grey pair I got recently. I am also a huge fan of Roos Beach Shop, a super sweet Cornwall-based boutique I am yet to visit in person, but which has a great selection of gift-able items online. I just added these fun patterned socks to my sock drawer!
Moisturiser - in every guise!: After previous flights, I’ve found myself suffering breakout. This is the last thing you want when arriving at a fabulous holiday location, or returning back to work. I made it my mission on this trip to be fastidious about moisturising and staying hydrated. I accepted a glass of water every time the cabin crew came round with drinks and avoided the salty plane food. The beauty products I took with me were:
- Burts Bees classic lip balm. I use this every. single. day.
- Elemis hydra-balance day cream. LOVE! I have been using the cleansing balm too.
- La Roche-Posay Hand Repair Cream. this was a gift, and I have never used a better hand cream! Sometimes I use a little of the excess to smooth through the end of my hair too to minimise frizz.
- Pai Lotus Flower and Orange Blossom Skin Affinity Tonic: a refreshing spritz of this perked my skin up when it was feeling particularly lack-lustre on the flight.
- Burts Bees classic lip balm. I use this every. single. day.
- Elemis hydra-balance day cream. LOVE! I have been using the cleansing balm too.
- La Roche-Posay Hand Repair Cream. this was a gift, and I have never used a better hand cream! Sometimes I use a little of the excess to smooth through the end of my hair too to minimise frizz.
- Pai Lotus Flower and Orange Blossom Skin Affinity Tonic: a refreshing spritz of this perked my skin up when it was feeling particularly lack-lustre on the flight.
Pouches for stuff: I love a great pouch. On any given day I’ll have two or three in my handbag. Pouches rock my world! To clarify, in my mind, a pouch is either a small clutch bag, wallet or even pencil case, which I use to store things in my bag for easy visibility. No handbag rummaging for me! When travelling I use a clutch for passports and boarding passes, a separate one for all travel itineraries and information. And one for my iPad. I also have a separate one in my small personal handbag for receipts, and sometimes an extra one for cards and change. Yeah, I love these things!
iPad: I love the feel of a physical book, but I find that downloading titles on to my kindle app is much more space-efficient. Before we left for NY, I took the advice of Lindsay & Bjork from A Pinch Of Yum and downloaded a load of business-related books they recommended. To my shame I actually got lost in more of my non-fiction titles, but still, I like to know they’re there when I do want to get stuck in to a business boost. I also use my iPad for browsing the internet when away as I didn’t take my laptop with me to NY.
Notebook: this thing comes with me everywhere. Despite working in the digital sphere, I find that I make my best notes and musing by hand. I religiously write to-do lists, and jot down thoughts as and when. This notebook was great as I actually dedicated a page to every day we were in NY, and we could scribble in things we wanted to do. As sometimes phone signal, and data allowance, can be tricky when abroad, it helped to have a physical record of everything. I also wrote down directions to places we were going in case we couldn’t look them up on our phones.
The bag: OK so this is a biggie, which bag to use for your hand luggage?! This Karen Millen bag has been a daily saviour in my life of late! I use it to carry my laptop - SO hard to find an attractive, comfortable go-with-everything bag for this - and it was a great size for hand luggage. I like that it’s big but not bulky, and that it has both a long and short strap which gives you an option for how to hold you bag.
What’s not shown: I took Sarah Yate’s advice and bought my own tea bags for the journey too. This helped to stifle the boredom of plane drinks, and keep us hydrated on the flight. And naturally I bought a hundred magazines for entertainment.
What’s on your hand luggage must-have list? Do you have any tips and tricks for feeling healthy after a long-haul flight?
I am so excited to share all of our travelling news this week! If there is anything you would like me to specifically cover, leave me a comment below or drop me a line on monica@theelginavenue.com
Have an awesome start to your weeks all!
Love,
MB x
