What's in my Carry On

Packing for holidays can be a little bit of a minefield, especially when you're going on long haul flights and as there as so many restrictions with carry on luggage, it's often difficult to figure out what to take. Friday I will be boarding Thai Airways for my first ever long haul flight, something I'm very excited yet slightly anxious about. I've only ever flown for four hours at a time and I cannot envisage how I will cope with the 12 hour journey. All I know is that once I land in Bangkok it will all be worth it. My carry on handbag - my Zara bucket bag is full of everything I need to survive the flight, things to keep me occupied and of course the usual essentials such as a good pair of sunglasses and my passport/flight information.

The first item in my carry on is of course my iPad which is full of games, music and TV Shows and my phone. I love playing games on my tablet and can easily spend my time enjoying previous episodes of Made in Chelsea. To ensure these stay charged and in case there's no chargers on the plane, I will be packing my cute little Power Bank that I recently bought my Primark. I'm shocked at how effective this little gadget is for the £6 price tag. The Power Bank works by charging electronics through it's USB port and can give your phone or tablet almost an extra 50% charge. I have been testing this over the last few weeks by taking it to work and charging my iPhone. Any Apple user will know that the iPhone battery life isn't as impressive as they make out, but with this little gadget there's no need to worry. My phone will easily last a day or sometimes even more.

The next item I plan on taking with me is this lovely Elephant notebook from Funky Pigeon. I bought this from my local train and thought it would be perfect for transcribing all my Thailand notes. Elephants are one of my favourite animals and I love the bright red love hearts.

One thing I love about travelling is being immersed in culture. When I travel I always to read up on the country's traditions and guides for etiquette. This lonely Island Thai phrasebook not only teaches me how to speak Thai, but it also has a lot of background about the country and the customs that I should abide by. I hope to learn everything I need to know about Thailand before entering Bangkok.

Finally, for a long haul flight a good book is a must. I've been wanting to read this Mary Portas book for quite awhile now and was so happy to receive this from my parents for my birthday.

What are your carry on essentials?