© Jeshoots/UnsplashIt's a travel scenario we're all familiar with: You make it through the airport, board your plane, settle into your seat, and.suddenly realize you left something at home. It may something replaceable like a phone charger or toothbrush, but it's still incredibly annoying to be stuck in the air without those essentials.
While you can easily make a packing list (and check it twice), there are still some basic items that travelers usually forget to throw in their carry-on bags. But what are the things people almost always forget to pack? To get some answers, we reached out to a few flight attendants with 26 years of combined experience. After so much time in the sky, they have heard every complaint and dealt with every request, and they were gracious enough to share their knowledge with us.
Read on for their carry-on packing tips, and be sure to revisit this list before your next flight.
McWilliams-Guerra says that while flight attendants can usually accommodate requests for water, many budget airlines don't include free drinks. To avoid paying a hefty fee or having to wait to quench your thirst, bring your own travel-friendly water bottle-you can even find collapsible bottles that hardly take up any space in your bag.
You obviously don't want to fill up your carry-on with bulky bedding, so make sure to look for compact, travel-sized blankets and pillows. Many popular travel blankets fold down to a fraction of their full size, while the best pillows are lightweight while still providing ample neck support.
She suggests packing a small amount of disinfecting wipes in a Ziplock bag or buying a few individually wrapped wipes for your flight. Just be sure to use products with at least 70% alcohol to truly get rid of germs, per the CDC's advice.
A travel-sized umbrella doesn't take up much space in your luggage, and you'll be glad you brought one when you have to wait for a taxi in the rain. Sure, you can buy an umbrella at the airport, but you better believe those prices are going to be super jacked up.© Shanti Hesse/Shutterstock
While many airlines sell headphones for a small fee or let passengers stream movies from an app on their phone (meaning you can use your usual headphones), it's best to play it safe and bring your own pair. You can invest in a reliable brand like Bose or Apple, but honestly, a basic, inexpensive set of wired headphones will serve you just fine on a flight.
You simply plug the adapter into your seat's aux jack (where wired headphones would normally plug in), sync your device, and watch movies to your heart's content.
"I recommend packing at least one charger per each device you bring onboard," says Vogelsang, "along with a portable charger in case the USB slot at your seat is damaged." Many portable power banks can recharge your device three or four times and are no bigger than an average smartphone-so there's really no excuse not to bring one along.
On a personal note, I can vouch that forgetting to pack a pen is a huge pain (especially as a writer who loves in-flight crossword puzzles). While I always try to throw a couple in my carry-on before each trip, I find it's much better to keep a little zip-up pencil pouch in my luggage with at least a few writing utensils-while I lose pens all the time, I never lose the cases.
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