Even packing ahead of time (and not half an hour before heading for the airport) is not a foolproof method for ensuring you don’t forget something, whether you’re traveling for a whole month or just for a weekend.
32 Carry-on Must-haves T+L Editors Always Bring With Them. Every Time. No Matter Where.
Phone Chargers
Toothpaste
When packing your toiletry bag, it’s all too easy to forget the essentials that you’re so used to keeping in your medicine cabinet or bathroom drawer. The front desk at a hotel can sometimes help out with a travel-size toothpaste, but frequent travelers have no excuse for forgetting toiletry basics. Sure, TSA rules can be a pain, but make it a habit of stockpiling travel-sized necessities like toothpaste, sunblock, and shampoo and conditioner, and then keep them in a basket in the bathroom or on a closet shelf. Then, whenever you go to pack for a trip, all you have to do is grab them. And of course, don’t forget a travel-size hand sanitizer to keep on hand at all times.
More frugal travelers should buy a set of travel-sized bottles to refill with their own products.
Swimsuits
Maybe just always pack a swimsuit?
Hair Brushes and Combs
As becoming as the windblown look can be, traveling with some basic grooming items is a good idea. Hair brushes and combs are another item that’s easy to forget on your bathroom counter, so make sure you keep a spare or a travel-size version in your luggage at all times.
Umbrellas
Whether you’re traveling to a rainy climate or not, you never know when a stray shower might pop up, and nothing’s worse than getting caught in a downpour unprepared. A compact, travel-size umbrella should always make its way into your carry-on, so you can stay dry and avoid spending extra cash on a flimsy convenience store umbrella.
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