I’m in Hong Kong for more than a week and packed a huge checked-in suitcase for the trip. It is the holiday season, after all, and there are many dinners and reunions to go to. However, that isn’t the only suitcase I have with me. I also packed a smaller roller-on-board to take with me on long haul flights so that I would always have some items with me in case the checked-in luggage is lost. Items in the suitcase include:
- Underwear (two pairs of panties and a bra should be enough to get you through)
- One little black dress
- One pair of simple pumps
- Toiletries
- Your make-up
- Laptop
- Band-Aids/other brands of adhesive bandages (for emergencies)
- Socks
- One pair of pj bottoms and a T-shirt
- Pair of jeans/casual pants
Of course, what you put in your emergency carry on suitcase would depend on the type of trip you’re taking. If you’re going on a week long trip to a resort, then I’d pack a sundress, bathing suit and flip flops. For long business trips, where you’d be checking in your bags, you might want to pack a suit or something else work-appropriate. But the underwear, a change of clothes and toiletries should always be in the bag. I also have my tote bag/large purse to hold the camera, wallet, passport, thick socks/soft slippers and a book or magazine to read on the flight (thank goodness many long distance flights these days have personal entertainment centres (aka TVs). The flight to Hong Kong is about 16 hours direct and one book wouldn’t be enough for such a long ride. During the flight, I probably saw four movies as well as two season one episodes of Sex and the City (season one was actually pretty bad – almost as bad as the second movie) and perhaps slept three or four hours).
If you check in your bags, do you tend to carry emergency items in your carry-on?
