What’s In My Bag: Travel Edition

Okay, nosy Nellies! I know I love seeing what other people carry in their bags so I figure its payback time. So, here’s what I’ve packed in my bag for my trip to LA for the California Pen Show.

The Bag:

For this trip, I am using a small backpack from North Face called the Berkeley Day Pack. It’s very similar in size to the JanSport SuperBreak and other “school bags” but does include a padded back and two pockets on the side for water bottles. I had been using the Kipling Seoul 15″ laptop bag. I have an older version of the Seoul bag which does not have any water bottle pockets which can be a pain when traveling since its prohibitively expensive to buy drinks at an airport in the US. Putting drinks inside the bag makes me nervous. I would hate for a water bottle to leak on my technology, notebook or knitting project. So… I decided to upgrade my bag.

I wanted something small, light and comfortable. I think the North Face Berkeley is good as a travel/day pack but I wouldn’t recommend it for anyone over 5’6″ as it might look or feel tiny. As for me, I needed to be a little selective about what I would pack since the bag is not huge so I can’t carry knitting projects AND Switch AND extra books, etc. So, it forces me to pack lighter.

Maybe I should have just gotten a new Seoul. What’s you go-to travel bag?

The Stuff Inside:

When traveling I use a small zipper pouch to carry my phone, money and cards. I’ve had this Coach zipper pouch with handle for years. It’s large enough to hold the things I need while at the airport or if I want to pop out for dinner without having to carry a large bag or going all loosey goosey.

My ride-or-die items are my pen cases, journal/planner and pocket notebook (AKA Dump Book). At this point, they are emotional support items. They are in almost every planner post I’ve published here the past couple years so they may look familiar to you.

In the chargers and cables bag is an assortment of charging cords (USB-C,micro USB and Lightning because none of my devices use the same one!), a portable battery, AirPods (just in case), iPod and a wall (charging brick) wart. No one wants to see the cord chaos so you get to see the nice zipper case my friend Felicia made years ago.

I also carry a knitting project which is a good way to while away time on a long flight. I can pop my headphones on and listen to music, an audiobook or podcast and feel a little productive. If I get stuck in the middle seat, I will probably read on my Kobo instead. I read while I eat, before bed, in the morning, so whether I use the Kobo on the flight or just at my destination, I like having my dedicated reading device.

I always pack an inhaler in my bag just in case. My asthma is pretty well controlled but I never want to risk it. Always pack the meds you need in your carry-on. I also carry a snack or two because I have trouble finding reasonably priced snacks at the airport. I don’t want to spend $14 on a bag of candy.

Finally, I pack a deck of tarot cards. Sometimes, I read cards for myself and sometime for friends. This mini deck-in-a-tin likes to travel and is easy to tuck into my bag.

What are your ride-or-die items for travel? Favorite bag? Pen Show essentials?

Not pictured: iPhone and Bose QuietComfort headphones. Why? I used the phone to take the picture above and the headphones are on my head MOST of the time.

---

DISCLAIMER: Some items in this review include affiliate links. The Well-Appointed Desk is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon. Please see the About page for more details.