As I sit here on my cross country flight to San Francisco I’m thinking about how nice it would be to have the perfect travel bag. I would like to live in a world where money is of no concern so I could have a bag filled with everything I need to fully entertain me on a flight but never need to pack those items…they are always in this carry on bag.
Of course these thoughts all came to me this morning when I realized that I forgot to pack my iPad and favorite noise canceling headphones. I should just keep those items in my standard carry on, just like I do with my extra phone charger and sunglasses. Those items have a nominal expense and it just makes sense to have extra. However, the #iPad is not an item for which you have “backups” I’m thankful that I was able to buy one. I use it quite often in place of my home computer. After all, who wants to wait for a computer to boot up when you just want to quickly surf the web? So there my iPad sits, in my bedroom where I left it, instead of with me on my 6 hour flight.
A few years back when my work and personal travel increased, I decided to buy an extra set of certain items to aid my common forgetfulness. So I picked up an extra phone charger, sunglasses, travel size liquids and an extra set of my powder based make up. Originally these items were standard in my travel bag, I never had to think about what I was forgetting and it seemed to make life a little easier. Later I added some basic meds…ibuprofen, pepto, Alka-Seltzer Plus Cold and Tums. I was ready to take on the world.
However, my self diagnosed ADD does require entertainment tools within this travel bag. My iPhone was my first small gadget and I loaded it with music, books and video. But of course the iPad was a brilliant way to bring your TV with you on the plane. The size is perfect for movie watching and is lightweight enough not to add stress to my back.
I have gone through a few variations of noise canceling headphones over the years. Although I love the quality of the #Bose noise canceling headphones, the size is a problem when you are trying to bring all the necessities on board in a carry on approved, fit under my seat bag. I was at Orlando airport one day when I stopped inside an electronics store that had a salesperson who sold me on trying a pair of in-ear noise isolating headphones from #Klipsch. The price ($99) was a little high for my perception of in-ear headphones and I have odd shaped ears, so I can’t even use the ones that come with my Apple devices. However, Klipsch has several in-ear pieces that can fit a variety of ear shapes and I was sold. Plus they came in a nice little velvet looking envelope that can fit in any small pocket of a carry-on or purse.
Oh so back to the perfect travel bag…the other thing about the perfect bag is that when items run low, like lotions, travel size face wash from Estee Lauder, and make up…I wish I could just push a button on an app that knows what I have in my bag and they auto ship to me. I am terrible about remembering to go to the store or online to reorder these items, because I only see them when I travel.
I’m still amazed how many companies have yet to figure out that a 4 oz bottle of anything is pretty much useless. As I wander the shelves I see 4.1 oz toothpaste or 1 oz…just make it 3 oz already. Lets be honest, either we want a large bottle/tube for the home 8oz or more, or we want travel size. The airport rules have been around long enough for companies to have reset travel sizes. Also high end products all seem to come in off sizes. I would be happy to pay $12 for a 3 oz #Estée Lauder face wash, but they only sell a 7oz for $19. However, they do make the travel size, you just have to wait for their twice a year gift with purchase. Adjust to the new era please and save me the trouble of squeezing the big bottle into empty travel bottles from the pharmacy that never seem to have secure lids, therefore oozing face wash or bath gel all over my quart size bag.
In a perfect world I would be on this plane with all my gadgets and products instead of ranting into my blog app about what I’m missing. While I’m at it, low-calorie food operations are desperately needed at our nations airports. In the meantime food I brought from home, including my honey crisp apple and low calorie cereal has taken a spot in my travel bag…probably where I normally place my iPad.
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