The Magnet 045: My Travel Essentials

After many years of business and personal travel, I’ve developed a system to prepare and pack everything I need for a trip quickly and without a lot of thought. You shouldn’t copy my system exactly, of course, but if you personalize it for your needs, you might find it handy, too.

Here’s how it works:

Packing list

A few days before I leave for a trip, I’ll print a copy of this packing list and keep it on my desk. It has everything I need for a trip lasting a week or more. If I’m taking a short domestic trip, I’ll cross unneeded things off the list (like international power adaptors and my passport).

Luggage and Clothes

I’ll start packing by putting my clothes into my suitcase. I try never to check my bag because I hate waiting for my baggage to arrive in the baggage claim area, and airports have lost my checked luggage more than once. I have a Briggs & Riley Domestic Carry-on Garment Bag with Wheels. It’s a whopping $650, but it is rugged and well-designed, and they offer an incredible lifetime guarantee. And if you want to fix a broken bag yourself, you can order a free repair kit to be sent to you. (This sounds like a paid testimonial, but it’s not. The Magnet contains no advertising or affiliate links other than Magnet T-shirts.)

Six Zipper Bags

The next items on my list are six mesh zipper bags, each of which is filled with my essential travel gear. When I get home from a trip, I replenish the consumables (like toothpaste) and then store the bags in a drawer in my bedroom. This makes packing for a trip easy.

I use these Zipper Mesh Pencil Pouches. An 8-pack with four small and four large bags costs between $8 and $12, depending on how much Amazon’s algorithm charges that day. I like these bags because they’re durable and see-through.

TSA BAG

This bag isn’t a mesh zipper bag because the TSA requires a clear plastic bag. I bought this TSA-approved plastic zipper bag to hold gels and liquids. It’s sturdier than a Ziploc bag.

Weight: 1 lb 3 oz

• Chapstick

• Tide to Go — It looks like a Sharpie with a felt tip, but the liquid inside removes stains like tea and coffee.

• Lotion

• Shaving cream — It’s hard to tell from the photo, but I trim the sharp corners off of plastic tubes of lotion, hair gel, shaving cream, etc. This keeps them from damaging the bag or my fingers when I reach into the bag to retrieve something.

• Sunscreen

• Deodorant

• Hair gel

• Toothpaste

• Wipes — these flushable Dude Wipes are like a portable bidet but can also be used to clean hands and things like cafe tables that have the previous customer’s crumbs on them.

SNACKS BAG

Weight: 9 oz

• Chocolate — Lindt 90% Cocoa bars are barely sweet but very satisfying and creamy. The best way to eat them is not to chew them. Pop a square in your mouth and let it dissolve on your tongue.

• Beef sticks — I like Chomps Spicy Japaneno Beef Jerky Sticks. Each stick has 9g of protein and no sugar. It’s made from grass-fed beef.

• Kind bars — The Dark Chocolate Nuts & Sea Salt bars only have 5g of sugar per bar. They help a lot when I am really hungry, and I can’t get to a restaurant.

• Instant coffee — If I’m not able to get to a local coffee shop for a caffeine fix, these Starbucks Via Instant Coffee Packs are second best. The powder dissolves in cold water if hot isn’t available, and it is very strong. I find a half pack to be plenty. (I use a clip from my tools bag to seal the half-consumed packet.)

GLASSES BAG

Weight: 8 oz

• Book — In 1995, Penguin celebrated its 60th anniversary by publishing a series of miniature books, each about 60 pages. They cost $2 each. I only bought two, and I regret not buying more. This book is my backup if I end up with dead batteries on a flight or get tired of screens.

• Reading glasses

• Eyeglass cloth

• Glasses — a spare pair

• Sunglasses

TOOL BAG

If you’re a paid subscriber, you’ll see another email with details and photos of the other four bags in my travel kit: Glasses, Tools, Electronics, and Meds, plus the other three sections of my Packing List.

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