10 Things You're Doing Wrong When You Pack Your Personal Bag for a Flight

Maria DiCicco
17 hours ago
5 min read

I love sharing my wisdoms on packing light and packing right - especially for overseas adventures. Learn the do's and don'ts for packing your personal bag with these tried and tested tips and gear.

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You don't think about the time spent in the airport.

Shoulder totes and pack-all small duffels sound like a great idea until you've got to lug all that weight on your arm or shoulder. I recommend any top opening bag with wheels, bonus if it has multiple size and carry options like this clever guy:

You've packed by the airplane dimension guidelines, but you don't make it look small at the gate.

I fly on a lot of budget airlines and even though I know I'm going to pass muster (I'm always bringing a digital travel luggage scale and pocket-sized measuring tape in both inches and centimeters), I still worry at the boarding gate.

So, I have a few tricks to 'look small', including:

Using soft-sided bags that squish in the sizer box
Carrying a rolling bag as a tote or arm bag to look more like a purse (and removing the wheels when applicable!)
Giving the biggest bag to my husband to carry, because he'll make it look smaller with his size comparison!

Don't roll up with your massive looking bag with harsh edges and heavy looking load. Look like you're carrying a pillowy bag full of feathers!

You forget to pack your overnight essentials.

Murphy's Law - if it can go wrong, it very well might - so always have a change of clothes (or at least a clean shirt, new socks and underwear) and your most basic cosmetics to get you through any unexpected overnight layovers.

Always have a 'go bag' with overnight airplane essentials and keep it stored away in a 'travel pile' when you aren't traveling to always keep it handy. (Pro tip: this is also great for last-minute getaways or times when you need to pack a quick out-the-door bag.)

I came across this whole slew of options for ready-made travel kits on Amazon, worth taking a look to see if this fits your needs.

Last Minute Checklist for International Travel Including Types of Plug Adapters Needed

You let everything roam loose in your bag.

Bring little bags to corral things. I have a 'chargers' bag, an 'airplane essentials' bag, a medicine bag, jewelry bag and even one housing my small format entertainment like UNO and word scramble sheets.

These little sub-packs make it easy to tear around and find what you need in a pinch.

You pack snacks but not with intention.

I know this sounds strange, but you need to think about how you pack snacks. Choose items that won't crumble into a million little bits (like Goldfish or chips), and exclude snacks in little bags (like potato chips) that expand into a giant air filled ball to pop midair. I find that small Pringles tins are great, and you can even fill them up again with other snacks.

For kids, minimize the chaos with a Melii spin snack container or (fun for everyone) a compact snackle box.

I've been known to pack something like this on return flights from Europe, where I stock up in places like the Barcelona airport lounge on nice cheeses, nuts, and other little charcuterie items. I typically hate airplane food, and it beats paying $20 for the shop-n-fly style cheese boxes! (Note that you should be discrete about this...I literally shoved jamon into a baggie there once, and people were definitely staring with judgement.)

Understanding How To Pack A Personal Bag For An International Flight

You leave out 'mishap' supplies.

I have a young daughter, so we always have mishap supplies on hand, which typically includes 1-2 plastic grocery bags (for spills, barf, wet clothes, snack trash, etc), stacks of paper napkins collected throughout our journey and wet wipes for sanitizing seats and hands.

Your bag can't carry your water bottle.

This is a pet peeve of mine. I like to have a water bottle with me, always, and often carry special water bottle purse style bags to keep my hands free, but they count against my luggage allowance, so it would have to fit inside my personal bag (see the bag-in-a-bag trick below).

Alternatively, if my personal bag doesn't have slots for a water bottle, I typically bring a lightweight plastic bottle with a top I can hook onto the bag with a carabiner. It works well, but can be heavy, awkward or cumbersome. I try to pick my personal bag to include a water bottle sleeve!

Your bag isn't a top-open or easy-access bag.

I bought the coolest backpack that opens like a briefcase, but it was super impractical for an overnight flight under the seat in front of me. Every time I wanted something from the bag, I had to pull it out, put it on my lap,unzip it, take up room in the seat next to me and grab the item before reversing the process and putting it away. Always choose your personal bag based on easy in-out access under the seat in front of you.

You're packing too much in your personal bag.

I always say, only pack what you can carry. If it's a drag to bring anywhere, you're packing too much. Consider clever packing hacks and swaps to minimize what you are bringing with you. In most cases your destination will have the things you need for purchase, and you always want to leave room for souvenirs!

I used to pack a dozen magazines to browse through on airplanes, but my gosh those get heavy. I started to take note of my actual reading habits on trips, and found I was only reading 2-3 on the return trip (I was busy sleeping on the to-Europe routes) so I minimized the reading materials.

If it helps, lay everything out on the bed and ask yourself, do I use this regularly? Why would I need it on this airplane ride? Remember that your personal bag is primarily to get you through the travel day. That's it.

Travel Only with a Purse: Personal Item Packing Hacks and Swaps

You don't know about the bag-in-a-bag trick.

I don't know why you would want your passport, wallet, phone, keys, and other important items to be on your back or dragging along the ground through the airport. I keep these ON me, typically in a small profile purse, sling bag or fanny pack style crossbody. It saves time at security checkpoints, and frankly it's more secure this way.

BUT, we are all only allowed one or two bags on board (if we're lucky) and I always make sure to leave space in my personal under seat bag for the purse. It's a bag-in-a-bag, and I stuff it in at boarding time only, to be pulled out again when I get on the plane.