At the onset of January, I had declared 2024 to be a year marked by expanding my horizons and seeing new places through travel. While I have been fortunate enough to have new experiences in new locales, a surprising side-effect of this pursuit has taken form in how to pack the perfect carry-on. While it’s still a work in progress, you’ll find the current lineup for what I pack in my personal carry-on item for extended stays away from home in the contents below.

THE BAG

The vessel I’ve been gravitating towards as of late is my great grandmother’s Louis V Speedy 50, as it fits more than you would expect and is a great size to stow away beneath the seat in front of you.

THE CARRY-ON CONTENTS

Earlier this summer I got this handkerchief for only $1 at a thrift expo in Columbus. In an effort to reduce any unnecessary waste that I can, this has served as a convenient (and cute!) substitute for a Kleenex. I’ve been scouring the internet to see if these are mainstream, and it turns out that a handful of Etsy vendors sell vintage handkerchiefs.

After losing my Charlotte Tilbury Lip Cheat Liner in ‘Supersize Me’ one too many times, I have solemnly cut myself off from indulging in lip products priced over $15. However, the offerings at the drugstore have proven to be incredibly strong, if not even better than their more expensive counterparts. 

The two drugstore lip products that have been at the forefront of my lip-combo rotation include Pixi by Petra’s Hydra Treat Lip Makeup balm in ‘Rosette’ and Colourpop’s Lux Lip Oil in Dew Drop. While the Hydra Treat balm offers the perfect wash of natural-looking color, the Lux Lip Oil provides a non-sticky yet incredibly sheeny surface on those puckers. 

In addition to the lip lineup, I couldn’t travel without my trusty Epi-Pen on account of my anaphylaxis-level-of-severity nut allergy.

Aside from the Epi-Pen, these are the most important items in the carry-on contents lineup. My Min & Mon bubblegum pink cardholder, Tom Ford Rex sunnies, and house keys fixated with a smiley face keychain I got a few years back from the Moderna Museet in Stockholm.

Early this summer a question was raised in a game of ‘Would You Rather’ between my Ohio girls when we were at Smith Mountain Lake for the 4th.

Would you rather have sticky hands or be itchy for the rest of your life?

Personally, I can’t STAND the feeling of being itchy. So much so that I sleep with winter mittens on to prevent myself from unconsciously getting scratch marks on my body while I sleep. 

But I also don’t like the feeling of having sticky hands either, so starting to carry a pack of hand-sanitizing wipes and spray in an attempt to ‘control the controllables’ against the fate of sticky hands. Whenever winter rolls around I like to stock up on the Winterberry Saffron hand sanitizer wipes from Whole Foods. A wave of nostalgia always hits me whenever I crack open the seal from how much it reminds me of Berry Twinkle, a discontinued Bath and Body Works holiday scent from 2012. 

It truly wouldn’t be a flight or road trip without some sort of written medium to pass the time with, and the NYT bestseller The Dutch House by Ann Patchett is the book that currently has my undivided attention. 

💘 Hanna