What to pack in your hand luggage aka J’s Lucky Seven

Before I went on my first trip to South America, I was a mess. I had never had to do an airport transfer before, and I was apprehensive about not knowing what my tourmates were going to be like. In a bid to reassure me, my dear friend J came up with a list of what I now call ‘J’s Lucky 7’ i.e. the 7 items you should always pack in your hand luggage. If you stick with these, you can’t go wrong!

1. Passport + any relevant tickets you might need physical copies of. Some airlines will charge you if you don’t have your flight tickets either printed or stored in their app, for example. You also might need to provide the name of your accommodation upon landing at your destination so it’s good to have this information to hand. 
2. Bank/ credit cards. Physical money is probably less important post-COVID, but it depends on where you’re going – it might be worth having a few notes that you can use for the bus, for example. I also use Revolut which allows you to convert your cash on the go (you can find out more in my holiday planning tips and tricks post here). 
3. Phone + charger/ USB cable (most long-haul flight companies offer USB charging). It’s also good to bring along an external battery as you never know when you might need to charge your phone on the go, but remember you need to keep this with you in your hand luggage.
4. Plug adapters – don’t forget these will cost a lot more at the airport!
5. Toothbrush, toothpaste and deodorant. I always carry these with me in case of delays or when I’m travelling long-haul. Even just the simple act of cleaning your teeth when you’re sweaty and tired from travel can make you feel a whole lot better.
6. Change of clothes. On the trip I mentioned above the airline actually misplaced my case which was, er, not a fun experience. However, even just having one extra set of clothes with me made a huge amount of difference to my stress levels!
7. Antibac wipes. These have a multitude of uses which come in super helpful when you’re travelling, from wiping down tray tables on planes to wiping grimy hands/ any spills. Whilst they’re not necessarily going to save you from germs, regular wipes will also help with grimy hands/spills, and are great to help freshen up your face after a flight.

Being the wonderful soul that he is, J has since forgotten that he came up with J’s Lucky 7, so here it is enshrined until the Internet dies.