Traveling is one of the most rewarding things you can do. It stretches your comfort zone and exposes you to new ideas. It can also be very stressful. Especially when air travel is involved. So many rules to follow on what you can and cannot bring, time sensitive planning, and how to haul everything are just a few of the stressors when planning to fly. As an individual who flys for work now (it’s literally my job lol) I have come across a few items that make it easier. Today I am sharing with you my favorite ’personal item’ backpack!

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How did I find this bag?

When I first started with my airline, they gifted us with a beautiful red leather purse. It is iconic and my friends and I would joke it’s the reason we became flight attendants to begin with. It holds a ton and served me well in the first 7 months of the job. But it wasn’t always the most practical. Placing it on the top of my suitcase would make the handle so heavy. (Weight distribution is real) And wearing it on one side would cause my shoulder to ache plus it was always slipping off.

I saw a few other flight attendants wearing backpacks at work and that started to pique my interest. One girl in particular had a cute Tumi backpack that I was interested in, but upon looking it up on the website, that one bag was $300!! I set off to find another backpack. Even going so far as to asking a passenger about her bag because I like it so much. Her’s was technically a diaper bag so it was also more than I wanted to spend.

Then one day, while sitting on airport standby, another flight attendant comes into Ops with a backpack I hadn’t seen yet. I ask her about it and she tells me it’s on Amazon and is under $30.

On Amazon and under $30?? You mean, my dream bag!

I had her send me the link and forwarded it to my lovely boyfriend as my birthday was coming up. A couple weeks later the bag was in my possession and I was ready to test it out! I decided to go with the larger option as I needed the bag to be as versatile as possible.

It has several neat features such as a external port to plug your device in (when you have a portable battery pact connected on the inside. Not included), sleeve compartments for laptops/tablets, a few pockets in the lining to keep smaller items organized, and a separate zippered compartment on the outside for things you need easy access to. The top opening is my favorite feature. It has a thin metal frame that ensures that the top opens wide so that you can see all of your items inside.

What all does it hold?

When I am working there are several items that I have to carry with me or I can’t fly. These plus the things I choose to carry fill up the bag but I always seem to find a little extra room to hold my Chick-fil-A that I grab on the way to our next flight!

Here is a list of all the things I carry with me on a typical work day:

• Crew ID
• Passport
• Lip Balm
• Phone
• Tissues
• Sanitation Wipes
• Mints or gum
• Pens
• Keys
• Water Bottle
• Pocket Mask
• Flight Attendant Tablet
• iPad
• Notebook
• Lipstick Bag
• Charging Cords Bag
• Wallet
• Hand Lotion
• Saline Nasal Spray
• Pain Reliever
• Battery Pack
• Feminine Products
• Nail Clippers/File
• Ponytail Holders
• Sunglasses
• Blue Light Blocking Glasses
• Mini Hairbrush
• In-Flight Shoes

This list can change depending on if I am working or not. When I’m not working I remove a lot of my work specific items so I don’t misplace them. Now, I use this backpack instead of a purse for my everyday. It’s great for taking with me on small grocery runs as I can usually fit all my items in the backpack and don’t need to use a plastic bag!

There we have it folks! My favorite personal item for flying that doubles as my everyday backpack! This would also work well for students and office jobs that are on the more casual side!

Thank you so much for reading. Stay fab! Xoxo,