What I Pack Inside My Carry-On Bag

This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and Brita, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #BritaOnTheGo http://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV

It's travel season, y'all. Today, I'm sharing what I pack inside my carry-on bag. In the last 18 months, our air travel has really increased and I've picked up a few tips and tricks to make it a lot less stressful than it used to be for me. Having all of my essentials in my carry-on makes air travel a breeze.

About a year ago, I made a little deal with myself to never check bags on outgoing trips again...well, at least not when traveling as a family. Traveling by myself brings about its own set of "rules"...that's for a different post entirely. 

But, for family travel, we each have a wheeled bag for our clothes. And we each have a carry-on backpack for all of the things we need within reach while traveling. My kids are at the tween age, so they're pretty good travelers these days. I'm showing you my own bag below. I'm pretty meticulous when packing our backpacks. Not all airports seem to be as strict with the liquids rules as they used to be, but some are (ours is...ha!). So, I work hard to keep those liquids in the clear quart-sized bag as mandated by the TSA (one liquid bag per passenger). I also make sure that the liquid bags are in the backpacks so I don't have to open my wheelie bag in the security line (because, y'all, my underthings are in there...and I'm never in the mood to unpack and repack a wheelie bag at the airport). I can unpack my backpack (if they require it) easily and then be on my way.

One thing that can't go through security is beverages. But, I absolutely am a stickler for getting my daily water intake, especially while traveling. My new Brita Hard-Sided Filtered Water Bottle is fantastic for traveling and is another must-have in my backpack. 

Check out everything I include in my backpack to make air travel much easier, below:

1.Small cosmetics bag with chargers, small electronics, etc.: I'm a battery-phobe, y'all. To make a long story short, we had an "experience" the last time we flew to L.A. as a family and let's just say I make sure we are never without phone power again. Not only do I bring a back-up battery for everyone (we like the Mophies), I also make sure I don't burn up my own phone battery by using an iPod and iPad for plane/airport entertainment. 

2. Brita's Hard-Sided Filtered Water Bottle (from the hardware section at Walmart): This thing is now something I will never be without for travel. I bring it through security empty and then fill it up on the other side at the fun new airport water bottle stations I keep seeing pop up (more on that below). Or, just use a water fountain if you can't find one of the fancy new filling stations. :) The Brita filtered water bottles are made of durable BPA-free plastic, hold 23 ounces of deliciously filtered water, and have an easy sip straw. This saves me a TON on bottled water at the airport and on trips (taking it to Disneyland in a couple of weeks...I actually bought one for each family member to carry through the parks!). 
3. Wallet with important documents, money, debit, and credit cards. I only carry a back pack and carry-on wheelie bag through an airport. I pack a small cross-body bag in my wheeled carry-on to use at my destination, although the backpack works, too. But, my wallet has a wristlet strap and doubles as a little purse for evenings out. I don't carry an actual purse in the airport since it would count toward one of my two carry-on items.
4. Sweeteners: No airline and few restaurants offer my kind of sweetener, so I just bring some along.
5. Immunity Boosters: I carry some essential oil immunity boosting supplements and pop one every few hours. Airports are germy, y'all. And nobody wants to get sick while out of town.
6. & 7. Snackage & Gum: Dark Chocolate makes travel less stressful. Granola keeps me fueled. And gum...because gum, y'all.
8. Lip Balms & Lotions: I'm a lip balm nut and carry both tinted and plain when I travel. And of course lotion to combat dry skin.
9. Travel Tissues
10. Hair Powder: this is a fun new product my stylist recently introduced me to. It gives me TONS of volume and texture. And, since I can't pack my big ol' can of southern girl hairspray in carry-ons, this works out well. I may or may not buy a can of spray at a drug store when we reach destinations. The whole "4 ounce" rule of liquids really cramps my Texas-sized hair style, y'all. 
11. & 12. Nail File & Headband 
13. & 14. Mophie Charger & iPod: As I mentioned earlier, I'm a battery-saving fah-reak! I get a panic-attack when I see the mobs of people at airport-charging stations (major introvert, y'all). My Mophie has three additional equivalents of my phone's battery in it. And I use my iPod for games and music on the plane and in the airport.  
15. & 16. Headphones & iPad: I stopped traveling with my laptop last fall. Honestly, I worried too much about it, it took up so much carry-on space, and was heavy. I bring an external keyboard and have all I need with an iPad. The only thing I don't have on it is Photoshop...but seriously, who has time for photo editing while traveling?
17., 18., & 19. Deodorant, Face Wipes, & Brush: Gotta stay fresh while on the go, am I right? I carry a full-size deodorant in my wheeled carry-on. But I use a small one in my backpack at every airport bathroom we go through.
20. TSA-Approved Quart-Sized Liquid Bag: Like I mentioned above, some airports aren't as strict as they used to be on this. In Florida last year, we breezed through without unpacking a thing...same with JFK in New York twice this year. At our airport in Austin, though, we have to keep our liquids under strict compliance. I pack shampoo, conditioner, hand sanitizer (I use a spray one that functionally doubles so you can use it on handles, door knobs, etc.), essential oils, and toothpaste in my liquid bag). I was finally able to find a 3 ounce dry shampoo at the beauty store recently and totally rejoiced...I love that stuff and hated that I couldn't travel with it previously, since the bottles were too large for carry-on compliance. 

I tuck my iPod and Mophie, along with all of my chargers, into a cosmetics bag to keep it all together. I have a bag similar to this for everyone in the family to have their own (only, the boys use their school pencil bags, so they're more "manly"...ha!).

And seriously, this Brita Hard-Sided Filtered Water Bottle is such a delightful travel companion. Last June, my younger son and I took four flights on our own and I spent a small fortune on bottled water in every airport we stopped in. And that was just two of us. When all of us travel, we can leave behind a small part of our travel budget in the airports alone, if we're not careful. This bottle filters the water to taste just as delicious as any bottled water (if not better). And, I can be assured that we won't miss our daily water intake while traveling. Since starting to eat healthier about 18 months ago, water is a huge part of our day. Skimping on it just because we're traveling really isn't an option.
While I love this hard-sided bottle, Brita also carries a filtered bottle in a sport-style, as well as a soft-squeeze one, too. There's a bottle for everyone. 

And have you guys seen all of the nifty new water bottle stations popping up across the country in airports? They're so awesome. More and more people are catching on to the fact that you can totally bring an empty water bottle through security and then fill it up on the other side at these stations. 

Why not make the water taste fantastic and grab one of these Brita Hard-Sided Filtered Water Bottles at your local Walmart in the hardware department? Just because I like the taste of the water in one city doesn't mean I will love it in every city. The filter makes it a bit more palatable for me everywhere. The Brita Water Bottle allows me to have filtered water at my fingertips anywhere I go.

I can't wait to try these bottles out on our Disneyland trip in a couple of weeks. Many amusement parks allow you to bring in water bottles and fill up around the parks (both of the parks we're visiting allow it). We plan to take full advantage of that and make sure we stay hydrated without spending a lot on bottled water. 

The  Brita Hard-Sided Filtered Water Bottles have the ounce increments up the side of the bottles. Perfect for measuring out the amount of water I intake every day. I love doing this while on the go...it makes it easy to make sure I get my water.

Do you bring your own water bottle into the airport and on trips? 

And what other things do you like to pack in your carry-on bag?

Be sure to grab my (super-thorough) free printable Ultimate Packing List, too (pictured above).

Click here for that. (And never forget anything on your trips!)

Happy Travel Season, Y'all!

Neglect your chores like me and don't miss a thing:

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