Anyone who has tried to dig a charger, eye drops and a phone prop out of a bag at your feet in a cramped airline seat knows the struggle. Travel blogger Laurie of Travel Tips by Laurie says pouches completely changed how she flies, because they keep her organized. She uses four pouches in her system for a personal item that has to fit under tight airplane seats.
The type of vacation determines which pouch routine she uses on a given trip, she says, and the system keeps her personal item 100% organized. She stacks pouches like a sandwich, laid flat, or stands them up like library books.
Pouch One, The In-Flight Kit
The first pouch holds everything she needs within reach during the flight. One travel hack she likes is using a long section of a toiletry kit from Trip Travel Gear as the in-flight pouch. Inside go her AirPods case, the phone prop that sits up on the tray table, eye drops, cuticle oil for dry skin, a travel-only lip product and antibacterial wipes. She can pull it all out, or simply keep it zipped in the seat back pocket because it is so streamlined.
She also tucks in a cashmere wrap, which she says is not itchy and not humongous. It works as a blanket or drapes around your neck without bulk, and she says cashmere instantly cuts the cold on freezing planes.
Pouch Two, The Tech Pouch
The second pouch is for electronics and cords. Laurie says not every cord needs to ride in your personal item. Her laptop block and cord can go in the suitcase, while the cord for her AirPods stays handy, so if they fall out while she sleeps she is covered. A small pouch that zips easily is enough. Her Nomad Lane Bento Bag comes with a free tech case she does not use, since she likes her own little things and a super deep pocket for the rest.
She also reminds travelers to bring a data blocker. You only need one, attached to a USB-C cord, if you plan to plug into public charging at an airport or hotel. She warns that so-called juice jackers can steal your identity through those ports, and the blocker adds protection.
Pouch Three, The Emergency Preparedness Kit
Her third pouch is an emergency preparedness kit, and she says it is about being prepared, not scared. She suggests putting medicine in Ziploc bags and a pill organizer big enough for large fingers to open. She adds travel-size Pepto-Bismol packets, which she says Target now carries, and a saline rinse to keep sinus passages moist, which she uses before flights because of the dry air. Individually wrapped cough drops mean you will not be the person coughing.
Her Mark and Graham pouch has a strong carabiner hook, and she keeps a printed three-second emergency card inside with doctor phone numbers and medicine information at a glance. If you had three seconds to leave the plane, she says, you grab the pouch and go. It can also clip to the outside of a crossbody bag.
A second trick covers lost luggage, especially around Thanksgiving and Christmas. She fills a compression cube with two shirts, two pairs of underwear and a pair of socks, zips it to the size of a book, and says you are covered with a few outfits if the airline loses your bag. There is also a lumbar hack: a long cube holding a puffer vest can be pulled out mid-flight and tucked behind your lower back for support.
Pouch Four, The Landing Kit
The fourth pouch is the landing kit for the end of the flight. Laurie packs minis, including a blurring powder, a tiny deodorant, individually wrapped floss sticks, a Q-tip, eye drops and a mini toothbrush with a hint of toothpaste on one end and a floss stick on the other, which she says you can use without swishing water. If you wear mascara, she says an eyelash primer makes it come off more easily and puts it on before applying.
Where To Put Them, And Four Tips
She first looks at what the bag gives you. In a bag with an angled top pocket she calls the brain pocket, she once tossed things loose and came close to losing items, which is why she now relies on pouches. In the Nomad Lane Bento Bag she uses the long front pocket, and in a regular backpack she keeps the pouch she needs right at the top. Her second tip is to use a pouch that fits the shape of the pocket or item, such as an organizer that slips over the tray table and stays zipped until takeoff.
Tip three is not to overstuff a pouch. If you are, she says, you are packing inefficiently, so use two smaller pouches instead of one large one. Tip four is to use a crossbody bag as your flight pouch, with reading glasses, a travel wallet, the phone prop, cords and a lip product. She says her suede crossbody looks like a designer bag for far less.
More Stories You May Like
- Wedding Guests Are Being Told to Put Their Phones in Pouches That Cover the Cameras Before They Can Walk In, and People Are Split on Whether They Would
- Diner Notices the Restaurant Already Added a $20 Tip to His Bill When He Only Wanted to Leave $10 and Shows Everyone Exactly What He Did About It
- Guest Is Charged a Wedding Fee for Choosing to Attend a Wedding and Asks Whether This Is Where Etiquette Ends
