Packing use to be something I honestly dreaded, but now it seems like a monthly chore. Since graduating college, almost two years ago, I’ve become quite the little traveler. I split my time between New England (for work) and Dallas (for Matt), which means a lot of late night flights and drives to the airport. I’ve actually been to the Dallas airport six times this month, so sometimes it feels like my second office. 

Now that I’m traveling more and more I’ve put a packing system in place that has helped me stay organized and not leave anything essential behind and with the holiday season upon us, I figured I’d share my tips and tricks for packing in-flight travel essentials. I’ll be heading home to Connecticut for Thanksgiving this upcoming Monday, so I figured I’d break down what I’m carrying on. 

I’m often traveling for pictures or to shoot content, so for me, outfit planning is the easy part. I’ll usually have my outfits decided upon and hung weeks before the trip; so I focus most of my packing time on last moment items and in-flight travel essentials. Now, my two carry-on bags are a completely different story.

I usually carry-on my camera backpack; which includes my camera, a scenic lens, portrait lens and camera cleaning kit; which gets placed below the seat in front of me, along with a large tote to be placed above. 

Now, while my camera backpack is neat and tidy, keeping my in-flight travel essentials organized can be a completely different story. A few items you’ll automatically find in the tote bag are as followed: my laptop, charging cords, a bag of snacks and a scarf. Once all of the essentials are packed at the bottom of the tote, I’ll use small pouches to keep random items like pens, chapstick, keys, and headphones from getting lost.

I honestly don’t think I’d survive traveling so often if it wasn’t for keeping my items in organized pouches, it saves me time while relieving any anxiety I may have had of misplacing an item.  By knowing each item I own, has a place, keeps my brain clear from fretting over thinking I’ve left an item behind.  

Anyway, I hope this is getting you guys excited for one of the busiest travel times of the year! I’ve also thrown together a little video on how I keep my checked bag organized above. Make sure to check it out here and subscribe to our Youtube channel for new videos every Wednesday. 

And just like that, we’ll be back at the airport. Let me know where you guys are headed this holiday week, and just maybe we’ll run into each other at an airport. xx Aubrey 

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