Heading on a short trip? Sometimes you don’t need to pack full-on luggage for a short weekend trip or mid-week work trip. With more airlines starting to charge for baggage fees—why not just bring a personal item and carry-on bag? Below are our seven carry-on bag necessities, just pack these and you won’t need a checked bag.

#1 Space Bags 

If you’re planning on traveling with carry-on sized luggage—invest in space bags. These bags will create more space in your luggage by decreasing the amount of air in your bag.

#2 Travel Toiletries  

If you’re not checking your bag and only relying only on a carry-on, you’re going to need travel-sized toiletries to make it through security. Remember the 3-1-1 rule: Three ounces or less, in a clear plastic bag, one per traveler. Learn more here.

#3 Versatile Outfits 

Opt for outfits that can be worn day and night. Try to wear pants that you can dress up a bit or a dress that you can add a cardigan to. There are many possibilities here, so get creative. See examples of some versatile clothing options here.

#4 Medications

Make sure to pack your medications in your personal item or carry-on bag. If you’re traveling for a weekend trip, it might not be easy to get a quick prescription.

#5 Portable Charger

Avoid a dead phone by packing a portable charger. You don’t want to arrive at your destination with a dead phone. We always like to go with an ANKER charger.

#6 Entertainment

If you’re flying on a basic economy flight, you’re probably not going to have access to high-quality entertainment. You’ll want to make sure to download some movies on your laptop or tablet. I personally like to make sure I have all of my Spotify playlists saved in offline mode, just in case the Wi-Fi is dodgy on my flight. 

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