What's In My Hand Luggage?

Well hello there. I hope you enjoyed part one of Holiday reading by the lovely literary Alex. I thought I'd butt into the series to do a bit of a "What's In My...." post on what I carry in my hand luggage, mainly because I love being nosey and seeing what other people carry and it might be a bit hypocritical if I didn't show mine.


So....

The Handbag- Nica Alicia Crossbody Bag

Top Row from L-R

Railcard/Oyster Card and holder from H&M

Bare Minerals Compact and Refillable Brush

Bag for Security- Sexy Mother Pucker plumping gloss, MaxFactor lip stain, Gold eyeliner from French shop I used to live above, Boots strawberry lip salve

Bottom Row L-R

Biro

Hair Comb

iPod

Purse, New Look

European Phone

Painkillers

 I do love this handbag, because it's good and compact and it has OODLES of pockets to keep everything in. It's also a cross body which is great for travel.

I use mineral make-up which is great because the compact and brush do not have to go into the separate bag for security or take up the liquids allowance. They're both made by Bare Minerals and the compact comes with a small version of the "Full Face" which is perfect for the foundation and the brush has a section which screws into the bottom and mine has blush in and is released by the brush when you twist it open. Great for travel or for everyday top ups. I wear virtually no make up on holiday, so these are perfect for me.

My European phone is an LG Cookie. I bought it in Germany and it turns out my German SIM card still has a few Euros of credit on it, so I shall be using that. I am a BlackBerry user, but without the data (which I would switch off to avoid sky-high phone bills) it's just a phone, so it's as easy for me to take this one and it has the added benefit of having a European charger- so no need to clog up the adapter. One of the many joys of a holiday for me, is being in limited contact. My mum will get a text to confirm I have arrived in one piece and it's useful if I need to contact the lovely lady who organised my trip, but that's the extent of my phone usage on a trip like this.

Aside that, there's nothing different about my handbag when I travel, I like to keep things light, neat and secure. And if possible easy for getting through security. This is the first time in a long time when I haven't been flying in order to move countries, it's refreshing not to need to carry half a ton of documents, my laptop, all my electronics and anything that won't fit in my suitcase.

The Extra Bag, canvas tote from Ministry of Sound

Top Row L-R

Morgan Travel Wallet, Train Tickets, Plane Tickets and Assorted Documentation, Passport

Simple Oil-Balancing face wipes

Glasses, Prada

European phone charger

Bottom Row L-R

Georgette Heyer Novel (c/ the lovely Alex)

Kindle and Case, Amazon

Cardigan, H&M

Although I would happily just use a handbag for getting through the airport, having the other bag on the allowance does mean I have somewhere to shove a bottle of water once I get air side and a stack of magazines, naturally.

Having been stuck and delayed a fair few times in the last few years, I had taken to putting a change of underwear and some basic toiletries into my hand luggage, but I feel this is a habit that needs to broken for shorter trips and short-haul flights. A little extreme when going for a 10 day holiday... However... Face wipes are great when it's been a long day and you're not feeling so fresh, delayed or not. And I wear glasses/contact lenses. They get uncomfortable sometimes, and there's nothing worse than blurry, itchy,  uncomfortable contacts. Being able to put my glasses on if I want to is worth carrying them. These Prada ones are my absolute favourites and they go pretty much everywhere with me.

I carry my phone charger in my hand luggage for much the same reason. Nothing worse than being stuck, needing to call a hotel/family member/travel agent and your phone dying and the charger somewhere unknown.

Passport and tickets- I won't be going far without them now will I? The wallet was a Christmas present from my parents the year before I started placements abroad. It has sections and pockets and it's great when you have tickets, insurance documents, passports, travel passes, contact details for hotels/travel agents. If I had to carry all that loose, it would be nothing short of a disaster.

Now does anyone else find that they get really cold on planes? About an hour into any flights, I can guarantee I start to FREEZE! No matter how warm my destination is, I always have to take an extra layer for the flight. This is my latest favourite one from H&M- I do love this shade of pink, it goes with EVERYTHING.

My Kindle is a no brainer, it's rammed with books I've been wanting to read for at least 2 months and this holiday is all about books and sun loungers. And the Georgette Heyer came from a giveaway by the lovely Alex from Odd Socks and Pretty Frocks. I do love a bit of vintage crime.

Suitcase, Hand Luggage and Handbag- Packed and ready!

So that's it. the lot. I try where possible to travel light. Are you a lightweight traveller, or would you rather carry the weight for the sake of extras? Have I missed out on something- any suggestions on this I absolutely should be carrying?

Hasta Pronto Queridos/as and pop back for part 2 of Holiday Reading on Sunday. It's another good one!