What’s in my carry on….

So I am back! Yay! After a three week whirlwind tour of Europe, seeing 5 countries, and 6 cities. It was a blast and I will post some photos soon. I planned expertly for my trip, if I do say so myself. I packed one check-in bag and one big purse. When planning for my trip, I googled the heck out of phrases like “what to pack for three weeks in Europe” and “what to pack for Europe” and “good travel outfits” but there were very little actual advice. Things like “pack comfortable shoes” and “an umbrella” kept popping up but I wanted real advice. hard core stuff, like 3 knee length dresses and 1 stripped shirt. But apparently the internet doesn’t have that hard core of advice. So I thought I would share my own hard core advice, starting with packing my carry on.

I packed it in my black longchamp, the reason why is simple: longchamps are waterproof and zip all the way. I have to admit, my uncle gave this bag awhile ago and at first I thought it was the ugliest thing. Black and brown? No design? Gross! But then it rained one faithful day and my stuff stayed dry. Completely dry. Notebooks didn’t get ruined, papers did not drip, it was magical. After that, I was sold, I love it. Look, people who tell you they are beautiful bags are lying to you. But they fold flat completely (great for storage) and the one zipper is great when worried about pick pockets!

So enough about my rant on longchamps, let’s get to what’s inside my bag: (Clockwise from left)

• Sleeping mask (in case, I think for once there might be a slight chance I can fall asleep on the plane (spoiler alert- I didn’t manage to, again))
• Candy  (because well… duh)
• Gum (for ear popping at take off and landing but gum isn’t popular in Europe so beware)
• Kleenex (always useful, worse case they are back up napkins)
• Peppermint mouth drops (from Aveda,  AMAZING, a few drops and my breath smells fantastic)
• Netbook (laptop is way tooo bulky when I just need it to store photos)
• Folder (had copies of passport, credit card, and confirmations for everywhere plus itinerary (more on that in another post)
• Bag of makeup (I was on planes for 10 plus hours, it needed to be re-touched)
• Wallet
• Guidebook for Paris
• Purse hook (so my bag doesn’t touch the ground and get dirty, plus protects from pickpockets)
• Pen and notepad (to keep track of expenses, more on that later)
• Notebook (for notes about trips and such)
• Economist (I love the Economist, I look smart while reading it and all the articles are short enough to keep my attention span, seriously pick up a copy for a long trip, you will be glad you did)
• Iphone
• Sunglasses (I did not wear them inside, don’t worry, but I do have a tendency to wear them too late into the evening, any bit of sun is sunglasses weather for me)
• Lip stain (I love that is gives me color and doesn’t smear off, perfect for planes and every other occasion!)
• Passport
• Ipad (had a tv show (okay, Downton Abbey Season 2) downloaded and 3 books, perfect amount!)
• Lighted magnifying mirror (bathrooms even in hotels aren’t always that nice, and I like to make sure I am able to see everything)
• And last but certainly not least FLEECE LINED Leggings (Theses are the best thing I have ever found, seriously. They keep me warm, even in cold Calgary weather last year. Airplanes are perfect for them. Slip them on under a dress and you don’t even need that crappy blanket they give you. It’s like a blanket for your legs, that covers every bit of them. I find mine at TJ Maxx. Last year, for Christmas, I gave all of my girl friends a pair, they all love them! One even wore them on a plane to Australia and said they were the best decision ever)
• Not pictured: Camera in a camera bag (it was charging, sorry!)

So that’s what was in my carry-on. I hope I helped your future travel adventures. Any tips? Anything I missed?  I used everything in this bag and the bag was heavy but manageable for the trip! I emptied it for every day use while over there.