Travel ritual: my cabin suitcase

my cabin bags

Ah, the art of packing: trying to fit a week's worth of clothes into a suitcase meant for an overnight trip

International baggage rules

Always check with the airline before travelling, how many and what size bags I can take, and to know whether they add any special restrictions.

International flights varies from airline to airline. Generally, passengers are permitted to carry 1 piece of hand luggage and 1 small item (handbag, laptop) on board.

Hand carry luggage should not exceed 56 x 45 x 25cm (dimensions include wheels, handles, side pockets...), weight limit may range between 7-8kg, and to board with 1 personal item and 1 piece of carry-on.

In general, the standard cabin baggage size for most airlines is around 56 x 36 x 23cm including wheels, handles, and any external pockets

My cabin suitcase is

Exterior

• metallic green, C-Lite hard-shell curv ultra-light suitcase carry-on
• 55 x 40 x 20cm
• 1,7kg - 36L
• a horizontal side handle
• a verticale side handle
• an elongated double pull handle
• spinner 4 wheels
• zipped fastening

Interior

• organisation with extra zipped apron pocket
• bottom compartment with ribbons
• top compartment with elastic cross-ribbons
• 3-digit TSA certified locks

=> without exterior pockets (protection against theft and illicit items by strangers)
=> to avoid wasting time or lose items at the security control, I put my jacket in it

=> a distinctive sign: red and purple ribbons on the handle

So, in this suitcase

(natural, organic, eco-friendly, biodegradable, vegan and cruelty-free products)

Usually, I keep the excess never more than 5kg!  It was only once that it weights around 7kg, and it's too heavy!

• 2nd copy, in plastic cut-flush files: passport, etickets, boarding pass, itinerary, list of things to see and do, copy of travel vaccinations (and now of COVID-19 travel documents), prescription medicine (if necessary), copy of my blood type, itinerary, list of things to see and do...
  

• a foldable backpack (10L)
  

• 2 pockets of tissues

• a small bag of chargers: kindle, mp3, power bank... (except for the smartphone, always in my handbag when travelling)

• small makeup bag (my favourite organic beauty products, difficult to find or even non-existent elsewhere)

• small jewellery bag (choice according to mood and destination)

• jacket (usually my anise green fleece jacket because I often travel in Autumn and Winter) => to keep it before the security control

• super soft oversized velour hoodie (I'm a 34-36, I took size 46 :D (one of my travel essentials now)
  => great to sleep in, to keep the chill from the air conditioning and to avoid that my head comes into contact with the seat (disinfecting or not)

• having a change of clothes and undies at the ready (favourite): white capri pants, a white cotton vest, a blouse, white long-sleeve open-front blouse, soft khaki green relaxed utility jacket with patch pockets

• medicine and vitamins bag in its original packaging (with prescription medicine if necessary): Cocculine (granules in unidose container), AdvilCaps 400mg, Loperamid 2mg, adhesive plasters, aRgalys Essentiels (multivitamins & minerals)

=> like my organic beauty products, some medicine/vitamins are difficult to find or even non-existent elsewhere (like Cocculine, aRgalys...)

• 1 pack of organic makeup remover wipes

• ideally, a compact travel pillow

Actually, my favourite carry-on was from Muji but gave to my brother who needed it and he is really like it; especially, it's very practical for his camera because the suitcase is not splits equally in 2 parts, just a bottom compartment, quite deep and a top to close.

 

That's why, the disadvantage of my current carry-on c-Lite is that it opens in 2 equal-volume sections.

my cabin bag: metallic green, C-Lite hard-shell curv ultra-light