Last week I wrote about my flight suit. Today let’s examine the anatomy of my flight bag, which I affectionately call my Little Buddy because it basically totes my life around for me when I’m on the road. After multiple attempts at trying carry-on bags of different shapes and brands, from hard cases to soft duffel bags to designer totes, I’ve settled on a simple black computer rolling bag with just enough room for my essentials while compact enough to be easily lifted into the overhead bin. Unfortunately it only fits under the seat in first class cabins.

So what are these essentials besides my laptop, phone, ipod, digicam and their respective chargers? An international converter block that’s seen me through 6 continents–best invention ever besides the Internet:

A set of cashmere blanket and eye mask so that I don’t have to use the public ones on the plane; I’ll stick to my own cooties, thank you. This particular set was from the Banana Republic holiday collection a few years ago:

A pair of burnt orange silk and mink-trimmed Prada slippers in their matching case pretty enough to double as a clutch; I got this on a trip out to the Prada outlet mecca just outside of Florence, Italy almost a decade ago! I’ll wear these in my seat (or the hotel room) but put my shoes on to walk around the bacteria pod otherwise known as the airplane:

A change of clothes in case my suitcase gets lost. As there’s not much room, it usually means underpinnings, extra pair of socks, and another black shirt or knit dress that can be neatly rolled up. I’ll also include a floppy hat that’s good for sun and rain (Burberry and Juicy Couture offer great choices). You never know exactly what kind of weather awaits you when you exit the airport.

A Ziploc bag of essentials that pass TSA muster:

As you can see, mostly skin care products and things to battle germs. My favorite item is that single-use toothbrush; awful for the environment but super convenient for me! No makeup concessions except for the lip gloss (my toiletry bag always gets checked in) so I just have to pray my face doesn’t melt by the time I land.

As for entertainment, I already have books and music downloaded to my smart phone. At most I might stash some fashion mags inside the outside pocket of my bag and blow through them on the plane so I can lighten the load by the time I reach my destination.

It’s hard to imagine that my whole life can fit inside my Little Buddy, but basically my work is on my laptop, my memories are in my digicam, and my contact to the outside world is my phone. Everything else is replaceable if my luggage doesn’t make it. And yep, that’s a perfect excuse to go shopping :-D.