11 things to pack in your hand luggage - our top tips

What do you usually pack in your hand luggage when you fly? Here are 11 things that should always go in the aircraft when travelling. We also give you some rules on what can and cannot be packed in your hand luggage.

Packing hand luggage

When you fly, you always have to pack some kind of hand luggage, whether you choose to travel with hand luggage only or you also check in a larger pack. But first and foremost, it's important to choose a suitable bag.

Choosing a bag for your hand luggage

Hand luggage rules vary from airline to airline, but as a general rule you can take with you one piece of hand luggage, such as a cabin bag or a bag and a small personal itemsuch as a handbag, a side bag or a small backpack. In some cases, you can take two pieces of hand luggage. We sometimes take one cabin bag each as hand luggage, but often we settle for one backpack each.

Advantages of checking in your cabin bag: Checking your cabin bag avoids dragging it in and out of the aircraft, which can be crowded and cumbersome. If you have a stopover, you don't have to take care of your bag during the stopover. By checking in a bag, you can also be more confident of getting on the plane if you're out at the last minute.

Advantages of having your cabin bag as hand luggage: You can keep better track of your bag and avoid the risk of losing it on the way (unless you lose it yourself, of course). If you don't have any checked luggage at all, you don't have to wait on that boring conveyor belt, but as soon as you land you can grab your bag and go.

To think about: All airlines have some sort of limit on the size and weight of hand luggage, and this can vary slightly between airlines. Here are examples of what applies on SAS:

• SAS Go and SAS Plus: One piece of hand luggage (max 8 kg and 55x40x23 cm) and one personal item (max 40x30x15 cm).
• SAS Plus to Asia/USA and SAS Business: Two pieces of hand luggage (same dimensions as above) and one personal item (same as above).

Eleven things to pack in your hand luggage

Here are 11 tips for 11 things that always go in our hand luggage.

1. Passports and tickets

The most important thing to pack in your hand luggage is of course pass and tickets (possibly digital); and boarding pass. If you've checked in your luggage, it's also good to keep track of that little baggage tag, just in case you're unlucky enough to have your luggage go astray.

2. Some items of clothing

In our hand luggage we might pack an extra jumperFor example, if it is warm outside but can get cold inside the aircraft. Otherwise, we try to travel in comfortable clothes, especially if it's a long flight and you may need to sleep on the plane. If you want, you can also pack something you can use on the first day at your destination - in case your luggage is delayed.

3. Hygiene products

We usually minimise emergencies, and we're not the kind of people who pack creams and stuff on the plane, but if you're flying really far it can be nice to have some toothbrush and toothpaste. Just remember that you have to choose travel packaging not exceeding 100 ml.

4. medicines

I (Helena) often get headaches and don't travel anywhere without it. headache tablets. If you may need other medicines, it is also good to pack these in your hand luggage so that you can access them during the flight.

5. Snacks or sweets

Flying makes you tired, and what is sold on board is often expensive and boring. It's also not always easy to call the flight attendants at the right time. We don't usually eat sweets, but we do have a sweet tooth. special rule that says we can buy a bag of sweets just when we are flying ... Sometimes we pack each one of the sandwich too, but sometimes we eat it even before we board.

6. (Empty) water bottle

Water is great to have available on board an aircraft! You are not allowed to take liquids through security, but you can bring an empty bottle of water with you. water bottleand some airports have stations where you can fill up with fresh water. If not, you can of course buy water at the airport, after the security check.

7. books

The best thing about flying is that you have time to read. The internet is often not available - or doesn't work well - and that's the perfect time to read. We always pack an exciting book or two, preferably a lightweight one. paperback.

8. Pen and paper

Sometimes you get ideas in the air that you want to write down. Perfect with pencil and paper! When travelling to certain destinations, you also have to fill in forms just before you land, so it's good to have your pen handy.

9. Computer with case

We don't travel anywhere without our computers. Since a computer is prone to theft, you want to have it in your hand luggage, and to protect it I always keep it in a soft case. Usually you can't use the internet on board, but you can do a lot of other things, like sorting and editing pictures.

At airports and similar places you can find public networks to connect to, but it can also be a good idea to bring your own WIFI router (or mobile phone that acts as a router). Together with a secure connection as a VPN you can surf safely wherever you are.

10. Camera, video cameras and mobile phones

Other technical equipment, such as camera, video cameras, drone and mobile phone we always pack in our hand luggage. This is, of course, equipment we care about and which is prone to theft, so we want to keep it in our hand luggage. There are also times when we want to take pictures of the view out the window, and we often want to switch on our phone as soon as we land.

11. Charger and power bank

If the charge in your mobile phone (or any other device) is running low, it's great to have a battery with you. power bank in my hand luggage. I also always pack the mobile phone charger and computer cord in your hand luggage. I've had the cord in my luggage when my luggage was delayed and suddenly I couldn't use my computer - I won't do that again.

More things to pack in your hand luggage

Here are some more suggestions for things you might want to pack in your hand luggage:

• Sleep mask
• Earplugs
• Naked cushion
• Headphones
• Support stockings
• Guidebooks on the destination

You will receive not packing in hand luggage

There are a lot of objects that you not are allowed to pack in their hand luggage. Many of the items seem quite unlikely to be considered. For example, who would think of packing something radioactive?

Listed below are some things you may want to know that you cannot take with you. You can find a more detailed description above unauthorised objects on the SAS website.

List of prohibited items to pack in hand luggage

• Liquid, cream or gel exceeding 100 ml/container
• Sharp objects such as scissors, razor blades or sharp tools
• Powder-like substances exceeding 350 ml (with some exceptions)

Electronic equipment containing lithium batteries (e.g. computer, camera, mobile phone) should be packed in hand luggage if they are 100-160 Wh lithium ion batteries. Batteries above 160 Wh may not be packed at all. Read more details on batteries at Transport Agency.

What do you usually pack in your hand luggage?

What do you usually pack in your hand luggage? What do you pack not? Please tell us!