♡ HOLIDAY SERIES 2016: Carry On Luggage ♡

Hey everyone! I'm back, once again, with my Holiday Series. Just like last year, I wanted to kick this mini series off with a post all about my Carry On Luggage (or, cabin bag, whatever you prefer to call it) because, if I'm being completely honest, this is my favourite bit about preparing for a holiday - I just think that, once you get to that stage in your preparations, it's time to really get excited for your trip. I've chosen to write this post at the beginning of this month because the start of July is generally the start of the holiday season for most people - there's no point leaving this post until the end of August, is there?!

I'm fairly certain I mentioned this in my post last year (sorry if anything gets repeated, BTW), but I always like to take a backpack as my hand luggage / carry on bag. I just think it makes it ten times easier than taking a proper handbag - you can fit more in, they're easier to carry and I generally prefer them to travel with. I like to use my Vans backpack (I don't think it's available for purchase online anymore, but I did see it in the Vans store at Cheshire Oaks a couple of weeks ago!) because it's a great size and is super comfortable to use.

I didn't have time / opportunity to photograph my own bag, but I have managed to find an image of it from Google Images, just for reference! (Obviously not my image) 

In terms of how I pack my hand luggage, there's not really a system or specific way I like to do it, and, to be honest, I typically just throw everything in and hope for the best. Although, if I'm taking items that could potentially get broken (like my camera, or iPad, for example), I'll make sure that they're wedged in and protected in some way or another. I also tend to place items that I'm likely to use during the flight towards the top of my bag - you know, like a bag of sweets for take off.
I have a few essentials that I keep in my hand luggage every single time I fly - and, obviously, I thought I'd share them with you:
♡ As I mentioned just above, I always take some sweets for take off because I cannot be dealing with my ears popping so I find that sweets to chew on while you're taking off are always a great shout.
♡ My iPod, phone and iPad are all devices that I like to travel with because they all contain things that are likely to entertain me on the flight and in the airport. I generally use my iPod on the flight to listen to music, my phone while I'm actually in the airport waiting to board or in baggage claim, and my iPad is more likely to be used when I arrive in the final destination or on a long haul flight - it's just safer to keep it with me.
♡ Along with these electrical devices, I also like to carry headphones (obviously, to listen to music with) and the chargers for the equipment - after all, they're no use if the battery dies!
♡ This year, I'll also be taking my camera on the flight with me. Gotta get those cloud photos! Really though, I want to take my camera with me because I love taking photos and want to capture the beauty of a new place that I've never been to, and the memories I make there with a good quality camera - and I won't have to worry about running out of storage space on my phone! I'll be keeping it in my hand luggage because I don't fancy having it get broken in my suitcase while they're being loaded on and off the plane.
♡ I also like to take a spare set of clothes with me for when I arrive in the destination - I usually travel in leggings and, sometimes, it's so hot in the destination that you just want to change into some shorts or a skirt, so I generally take something to change into at the airport.
♡ Finally, I like to take a book and some magazines to read on the flight. I absolutely love to read and never really do it at home so I always take going on holiday as a perfect opportunity to do so, and tend to read a lot during the flight - I've been known to finish an entire book in one flight!

Are you going on holiday this year? If you are, I hope you found this post helpful in some way or another and, if not, I hope you found this post interesting. I'd love to hear your plans for the summer (whether you're jet setting or not), so let me know on social media or in the comments below. You can find all of my social media details in the sidebar of my blog, or on the About page at the top of my blog.