Last week, I left the office on a Monday morning and took a cab to Newark International Airport to board a flight to Milan, Italy for a press trip centered around the Formula One Grand Prix in Imola, a small city near Bologna and Florence. From EWR to MXP, the flight is about 8 hours. From there, we were to take a 2- to 3-hour car ride from Milan to our hotel, Borgo Condé, about an hour from the track. In total, that would’ve made my travel day somewhere around 10 hours, with the expectation of the same on the way back. Little did I know, though, that due to unprecedented flooding in the Emilia Romagna region of Italy, I’d be traveling a whole lot more than just to and from the airport.
Due to the weather, we ended up moving to multiple hotels and houses, all of which were located in different parts of Northern Italy, making my time spent traveling reach well over the 20-hour time frame that I’d initially prepared for when I was packing my carry-on and personal item for the trip. But honestly, it didn’t matter. After years of planing, training, and automobiling for both work and pleasure, I’ve learned a thing or two about packing for any and all circumstances. From portable chargers—which seriously came in handy after my laptop and phone died without power to charge them—and expandable bags—a must if you plan to shop at all—to very necessary SPF and comfortable travel attire, scroll down to dig through my carry-on from my long and exhausting 20+ hour travel journey to and from Italy last week.
I’ve learned the hard way to always pack my toiletries in a clear makeup bag or else you will be forced to fit everything into one of security’s plastic bags that won’t close unless you throw almost every item you packed away.
Nothing stresses me out mid-flight like having to take everything out of my carry-on to find the items I consider most important, aka headphones, charging cords, my passport and other travel documents, and more. That’s why I always bring a separate pouch to put my in-flight essentials in.
I’ve used this Longchamp bag as my “personal item” for close to a decade now and have convinced at least five people to get one of their own. What makes it so perfect is that it expands with a quick zip around, so if you shop at all while you travel, you can simply unzip this bag and it’ll double in size. Personally, I’ve gotten away with bringing the larger size on flights plenty of times, including this one, when I added the Bottega Veneta Sardine bag I bought tax-free in Milan after we made it back to the city.
After all of the headlines last summer about lost baggage, I promised myself I’d never check a bag again unless I absolutely had to. Because of that, I wanted to finally get a carry-on suitcase durable enough for me to sit on it when I’ve overpacked but still need to zip everything inside.
Whenever I have a really long flight, I try to make it overnight so I can get a head start on the jet lag by sleeping on the plane. Doing so takes supplies though, and this mask is at the top of that list.
I, for one, cannot sleep on a plane without a set of noise-cancelling headphones. They’re a true lifesaver. Plus, this pair is currently on sale. Score.
I used to feel like I had to pick between a comb and a brush for a trip, but ever since I got this set on a press trip last summer, I can’t leave town without it. The brush is super tiny and great for wet or dry brushing, and the comb is a miracle worker when I can’t, for the life of me, get a straight part with just my fingers.
Because I have curly hair naturally, it tends to get a bit crazy when I sleep. As a solution, I swear by these Slip silk scrunchies. I keep it in a low ponytail and when I wake up there are no weird creases and it’s much more tame.
Last summer, I traveled to Berlin with my sister and before we left, she grabbed the cashmere throw off my bed and told me to pack it up tight and put it in my carry-on. I honestly didn’t want to since it took up a significant amount of space, but I’m so glad I did, and now pack one every time I leave for a long flight. For this trip especially, I had a lay-down seat so it made a huge difference to my sleep quality to have a blanket from home to sleep with. (Shoutout to La Compagnie, the all-business airline.) Also, I can’t be the only one who thinks planes are so cold.
I take airport attire very seriously. Comfort is key obviously, but I don’t want to look like a total slob, especially for a work trip when I’m flying in business class. I love this SKIMS oversize tee because it’s shockingly soft but still has a more elevated look than a vintage graphic tee.
I’ve worn these wide-leg, drawstring pants from Zara on a total of four flights now and I can’t get enough of them. They’re a little bit see-through, but the comfort factor and elevated look (thanks to the pleating in the front) more than make up for my need to wear skin-matching underwear.
Bringing a reusable water bottle on a trip might seem a bit cumbersome and unnecessary, but trust me, it’ll save you from feeling super drained and dehydrated after a long flight if you fill this bad boy up at the airport and down it during the journey. Also, at least in Europe, hotels and restaurants don’t dole out free water like they do in America, so if you want to get your H20 in, it’s best to take matters into your own hands. I’m obsessed with this one, in particular, because it doubles as a foam roller which is shockingly helpful for mid-flight leg cramps.
I have a lot of food sensitivities, so rather than trying to work around them at the airport or on the flight, I’ll usually pack a ton of safe snacks in these cute Miniware portable meal sets. Things like dates, blueberries, nuts, and other fruit always do the trick. I’ve seen people pack literal salads and rice bowls on TikTok, but that feels too risky when it comes to possible spillage.
If being at a hotel without power, water, or WiFi has taught me anything, it’s to never ever travel without a book—and a long one at that. Reading is also the perfect way to tire yourself out so you can sleep on the plane and wake up feeling refreshed in your final destination. Right now, I’m reading Kiss My Jagged Face by Isabetta Andolini, the sequel to Italian Lessons, a book all about a young woman who moves from New York City to Milan. So you can see why I loved it so much.
I love wireless headphones just as much as the next person, but something about being 30,000 feet in the air makes me not trust them entirely. That’s why I always bring a wired backup to plug into my computer and also the plane.
With over 70,000 reviews and an average of 4.7 stars on Amazon, this Anker charger was the obvious pick when I went shopping for a new one. Every time I feel like I don’t need to bring one on a trip, I regret it. They always come in handy, especially when you go to Italy during a weather emergency and your hotel loses power for multiple days.
After I went to Oslo sans an adaptor, counting on my hotel to have one only to find out that the entire country of Norway was sold out of US to EU plugs, I went out and bought this entire Apple set. Depending on the plane’s country of origin, it might not have US plugs, so a pack like this is equally essential for the in-flight experience.
I refuse to fly without a pair of cashmere socks to change into immediately upon taking off. There’s nothing like it.
No matter where I’m going, this Eau de Beauté spray by Caudalíe is coming with me. It’s the only facial spray that I think actually does something—it’s extremely refreshing and wakes me up after a long, sleep-filled flight.
You never wash your hands more than when you just lived through a pandemic and you’re traveling in a people (and therefore germ) filled airport and airplane. Since I have really dry skin naturally, I always bring my Chanel egg pod—aka the brand’s La Crème Main hand cream—with me in my makeup bag when I’m boarding a flight.
I count on Paula’s Choice BHA exfoliator to keep my skin clear like I count on getting coffee and Biscoff cookies when I wake up after sleeping on a long flight to give me life.
I swear by this solid body moisturizer for traveling since so many hotels only give you tiny lotion bottles and the product is too often not very moisturizing. It’s also great for the flight when my skin is sucked dry of all moisture from the altitude.
If you’re going to bring Kate McLeod’s solid moisturizer on trips with you, this travel case is essential.
Any time I can replace a liquid with a solid for a flight, I’m going to do it. Luckily, my favorite perfume from Glossier has a solid to-go alternative to the spray.
I swear, every time I go into the bathroom on a plane, the first thing I see are my dry, dark circles under my eyes in the mirror. I recently started using this intensive eye cream by Shani Darden and after lathering my under eyes with it before takeoff, I swear they stayed hydrated for the entire duration of the flight.
It sounds crazy to put on sunscreen for a plane ride, but it’s no joke. Because the atmosphere is thinner at higher altitude, and since atmosphere helps to scatter UV rays, a thinner atmosphere causes UV rays to be more powerful, according to Dr. Jaimie DeRosa for Newsweek.
I’ve been using this moisturizer day and night for over a decade, so I’d be completely lost without it if I left it at home. It’s super thick and whipped which I love for a super dehydrating and drying airplane ride.
I don’t go anywhere without my Rhode Peptide Lip Treatment in Salted Caramel. I’m obsessed with it and find that not only does it leave my lips feeling moisturized, it also gives the appearance that I did something with my face, which I like on a plane since I have a rule to never put makeup on for a flight.
I’m very strict at home about washing my face at night, so since this was an overnight flight, I had to do my entire routine at 11pm (in who knows what time zone). I brought a small container of my normal face wash from La Roche Posay, but since I don’t love to use plane water on my face, for this occasion, I bought these instead. I’m not a huge fan of face cleansing wipes, but I trust this brand with my skin already.
I swear by these bottle protectors for any beauty products that are oil-based after many a spill over the years.
