Adventures in the Great Wide Somewhere // Packing a Purse or Personal Item

One week from today I'll be touching down in London! I cannot even begin to tell you how excited I am! I thought I would talk about my tips on packing a personal item as my last travel post before I leave the the blog is quiet. This was a huge trial and error for me to get to this and I hope I can save you some time and stress. I wasn't so fortunate and made a lot of annoying, not to mention heavy, mistakes but I digress.

So this is my final post in regards to packing tips is the personal item. (If you want to check out my checked bag post and carry on packing tips check out the links.) Listen, I have had a different purse/tote on every trip I've taken. I have yet to find an airplane purse/personal item that works for me. One day I will, it is my solemn vow. Until then I will tell you what I found the be essential in the overall packing process and planning your personal item. I finally figured out on my last trip that less really is more and by that I mean pack your carry-on backpack with all your 'must-needs to survive' essentials like we talked about and use a medium sized cross-body purse or tote to keep with you that has all your plane ride must-haves. Make it light. No joke, guys. Do not make your purse heavy or carry a huge tote with you. I've made this mistake and not only does it cut down on leg room because you have to shove it under the seat but it gets awkward to carry on your shoulder or elbow. A cross-body bag leave you hands free to find your passport, take out essential documents, and grab your luggage.

Adventures in the Great Wide Somewhere // Packing a Carry-On

The most stable relationship
I've had for the past 5 years

This portion of packing tips I'm talking about carry-on bag. I have always used a backpack as my carry-on and it's something I have never regretted doing. Me and my backpack are closer than Dora and hers. It has been literally everywhere with me. If that thing ever breaks or rips I will be as devastated as Tom Hanks losing Wilson. No joke, that thing is a part of me. It's the only thing that has been with me on every trip and has never let me down. I can't even tell you the size of liters it is or where to get it because I bought it on sale at Sports Authority literally almost 5 years ago. It is my BAE and I'm also convicted it has a little bit of magic in it that every time I pack it it's like a Mary Poppins bag because I fit SO much in it!


Prior to my first international trip I read dozens of articles on packing tips. The one thing that I took away from all of them and stuck with me was to pack your carry-on assuming your checked bag would be lost. Pack essentials to be able to live out of for a few days if the worst case scenario happens. I can now honestly tell you after 4 years of international travel British Airways were the assholes that made my OCD packing a a reality. They lost my bag and I was in London for 2 days sans luggage. THANK FUCK for that backpack and my packing habits. I'll be doing a post in the future of Travel Woes where I'll talk more about lost luggage but for now, here's what I pack in my carry-on and why my backpack is essential to my travel.

Adventures in the Great Wide Somewhere // Packing A Checked Bag

A post a lot of people have been asking about are packing tips! To be honest, this was a lot harder to put together than I thought! Unfortunately there is no magic suitcase that allows you to bring your life with you all for the low, low weight of 35 pounds. Maybe one day when we all get into Hogwarts, right? I'm gonna go through a few things that have helped me and I've learned along the way as well as include a few travel-savvy friends and their number one packing tip. Even though it looks long and intensive, I'm gonna include my travel packing list of everything I usually bring so you can get some idea of what all goes into that precious cargo. This edition will focus on checked luggage. Note: I haven't mastered the art of packing carry on only and I don't think I ever will, I'll explain why more below.

1. Choose Your Luggage With Care

Everything I brought with me on my last trip.

I have been through a few different types of suitcases and I think I finally found the one that works for me. For Christmas I asked for a hard case luggage and I think it was the best investment ever. Granted, I  have friends that swear by soft case but I no longer am one of them. I love my hard case suitcase with it's double sides to fill. I have a 24 inch Dockers Hard Case Spinner in a gunmetal blue color, now it's only available in green but I digress. I found this to be the perfect size for me to bring what I needed and have room, and weight, to spare. One side zips completely on the inside as to not cause strife the you open it, it also expands an extra 2 inches if you need  the room. Also keep in mind where you're going. I used a rolling duffel bag when I went to Africa and South America (legit $25 at Target and it was amazing). It seemed silly to bring a nice suitcase to Africa for obvious reasons (which turned out to be accurate because my flight there my bag got slashed where the handle came out of. Didn't damage the bag's function but still annoying) and I knew I'd be flying around a lot and camping in South America. A rolling duffel bag I didn't really care what happened to it was perfect for those trips. And it was surprisingly spacious! Extra compartment on the bottom to keep a few things separate, I love that duffel hard. Next time I go to Africa that thing is coming with me. Best investment ever.