I lost my bag twice on holiday – these are the very common packing mistakes I'll never make again
AS I WATCH an airport worker turn off the conveyor belt, my worst travel fear is realised - my suitcase hasn't arrived.
Let's be real, it's not the end of the world, bags get misplaced all the time. The real disaster was what I neglected to pack in my hand luggage.
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I will never pack hand luggage in the same way again
Credit: Supplied
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My recent trip to the USA was derailed by a missing cabin bag
Credit: Supplied
I had arrived in Syracuse for a week-long journey across New York State, my bag however, was still in
After filling in a form about my missing suitcase and being told it 'happens all the time', I wearily trudged back to my hotel room.
Knowing that I didn't bother to put the basics in my hand luggage when I left for the airport almost 12 hours ago, I almost didn't want to open it.
Deodorant, hand sanitiser, Chapstick, a jumper, a book, my passport, purse and house keys were all I had.
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Heading downstairs to the hotel reception, I explained the situation and they handed over some essentials - it seemed like I wasn't the first person on this day to have their bag misplaced.
Returning to the room, I was armed with a small plastic toothbrush, toothpaste sachets and makeup wipes.
I felt a bit better about the situation, until the following morning.
With a full day of exploring ahead of me and a packed schedule, I had no time to pick up anything at the local shops - including clothes and clean underwear.
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It was a horrible feeling having to don the slouchy clothes I'd worn on my twelve-hour train and plane journey to the States for another whole day.
Luckily, I had group members come to my aid, some offered make-up and moisturiser, one lent me her tiny travel hairbrush which did the trick.
The Sun's Travel Editor Lisa Minot shares her top tips when flying hand luggage only
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My suitcase had been left in Philadelphia - while I was in Syracuse
Credit: Supplied
In all my years of travelling, I'd never had a suitcase not turn up.
But then again, I had never taken a connecting flight before either.
In saying that, I've travelled long enough to know that without
fail
, you should pack your travel 'essentials' in your hand luggage - and to me, that's your passport, travel documents, purse and keys.
Now the word 'essentials' has a whole other meaning.
Always pack at least a day's worth of clothes, maybe more if you can fit them in.
For any make-up wearers, pack that in there too. Luckily most of them are travel size by default like mascara and concealer, as for foundation, that can be decanted into a smaller container.
Another essential is moisturiser, because we all know the air conditioning on the plane can be incredibly drying.
Any contact lens and glasses wearers should pack both of those as well as a hairbrush and toothbrush.
Also check if you can take a handbag as a personal item, if not fold one down and pop it inside along with your cards and cash if you want it.
You can argue I was being dramatic because my bag was delivered to the hotel at 6PM the following day and some remarked that it was the happiest reunion they'd ever seen.
Flying back home I wasn't too bothered about what was in my hand luggage knowing I'd be reunited with the rest of my belongings by the end of the day.
But still, disaster struck when I arrived in Heathrow and my suitcase had been delayed coming out of Chicago, talk about bad luck.
Luckily, two hours later I saw my black and red suitcase come around the carousel and one thought struck me, I'll never pack hand luggage in the same way again.
A travel expert has
And Sun Travel
Hand luggage rules for UK airlines
We've rounded up how much hand luggage you can take on UK airlines when booking their most basic fare.
Ryanair
EasyJet
Jet2
One personal
TUI
One personal item that its underneath the seat in front and one cabin bag no larger than 55cm x 40cm x 20cm weighing up to 10kg
British Airways
One personal bag no larger than 40cm x 30cm x 15cm and one cabin bag no larger than 56cm x 45cm 25cm weighing up to 23kg
Virgin Atlantic
One personal item that fits underneath the seat in front and one cabin bag no larger than 56cm x 36cm x 23cm weighing up to 10kg
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I wasn't too happy to wear my plane clothes two days in a row
Credit: Supplied
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