Must have essentials to bring in a personal item:

Everyone knows that when you fly, most airlines will allow you to bring a carry on and a personal item. (I cannot stress MOST enough… Some airlines just don't have enough room to do this). Most of the time when I travel, I will only pack in a little carry-on and a personal item, to limit the amount of stuff I lug around. Plus I don't have to pay the additional $50 to check a bag or have to wait for my checked bag. So I try to avoid checking a bag at all costs.

My personal item is always stored at my feet, under the seat in front of me, or in my lap. I like to consider these my absolute necessary things I'm going to need on my flight. Things I can easily grab without disturbing the other people in my row. This is small enough to not cause suspicion when traveling and will hold things that are essential to a flight for entertainment.

Wallet:

This one is obvious. If you're an adult and you have a hard time keeping up with the location of your wallet, we are no longer talking. I'm not going there. Make sure you have your wallet to show security who you are and have a card ready incase you need to get a snack in the airport. I'm not going to address this any further.

Melatonin:

Yes, I bring melatonin on ALL my flights and I'm not sorry about it. Whether I'm traveling 2 hours to go to my home town or traveling 8 hours across the pond for vacation, these things are SUPER handy. Not only will they assist you in sleeping on the plane, but they can also help you sleep during your stay. Sleeping in an unfamiliar environment can cause worse sleep - tossing and turning, not used to the noise outside, no fan in the room. Whatever it may be, it will come in handy.

Journal and Pen:

Writing about your feelings, your sights, the taste of the food you are trying for the first time is extremely therapeutic. You will see how much you grew with just a few days off from working and focusing on experiencing a different view point. Did the gray sky against the old 17th century cathedral take your breath away? Write about it! Taking your first solo trip around the globe and you're feeling defeated about the lack of communication skills you had prepared? Write about it! You'll look back on these moments that you treasure (But forgot some of the details) and will be able to bring those old memories back to life.

Headphones/earphones:

Some of y'all might hate me for this but I don't care. Bring at least 2 pairs of headphones/earphones. If you're a person that likes wireless headphones, great, charge them and bring them, but also bring a wire set as well. You never know if your wireless one's break, gets lost, or uncharged. Just bring a wire set incase.

Also, if you're an iphone user, make sure to bring your little attachment. Airplanes are old school. If you are wanting to watch a show/movie on the airplane, they still have the circular jacks. So unless you want to buy bad earphones on the plane just to watch Brooklyn nine-nine that you will only use once before “accidentally” leaving them on the airplane, remember to bring your little attachment.

Ipad/Kindle/tablet:

I understand that not everyone can afford an ipad or tablet. But let me explain why something like this is so important. Ipad/tablet provides a variety of entertainment. You can write, you can read, you can play games, or watch movies. Plus they are thin and light and wont take up much space. So you don't need to have a fancy smanshy Ipad but make sure you have something that gives you a variety of entertainment.