TOP 5 FRIDAY: Carry on.

TOP 5 FRIDAY is when we each list five of our favorite things, depending on the topic. Feel free to join in via the comments or by posting on your own blog and linking back here. Play along. It’s Friday.

When I went to Scotland in January, I was super-dee-duper prepared to lose my luggage. [It happens.] My carry-on had a full change of clothes- long and short sleeves, and the incidentals one might need [I’m being ladylike and not saying “undies,” but you knew what I meant, didn’t you?], my makeup, an apple, my computer, a spare tote bag so that I could pull it out in the Amsterdam airport, and many other things. Pretty much, it was a not-so-mini-suitcase.

Every.single.thing in that bag was strategically placed there as an item that would serve me better in my own hands than checked under the plane.

Just to remind you, my flight went like this–>

Nashville –> Atlanta –> Amsterdam –> Edinburgh

Then. THEN.

The Delta lady behind the counter in Nashville, from now on known as Donna Delta, looks at my carry-on and says “Yeah, we’re going to have to check that to your final destination.”

EX. CUSE. ME!?!? I immediately teared up. [Because Dear Internet, I strategically packed that bag. Don’t mess with my strategies, Donna Delta.]

I said, through teary eyes, “I’m traveling to Edinburgh. That is SCOTLAND. Could someone just traveling to Atlanta check their bag and mine fly with me?” Because doesn’t that make a ton of sense? Me thinks so.

Her response?

“No ma’am. [Fake politeness is actually rude, Donna Delta, I thought.] You have 5 minutes to pull out what you need and then I’m checking the bag all the way to Edinburgh.”

And then I pooped my pants.

Not really. But a little.

Grateful for that spare tote, I pulled it out and picked just a few items that were TOP priority and then shook my head in disgust as I watched Donna Delta send my bag to Edinburgh.

What items did I actually consider a NECESSITY?

Not counting my purse [wallet, passport, cell phone, etc.], here are the TOP 5 things I wanted to carry on my flights:

1. LAPTOP : I know that seems a bit obvious, but true none the less. I knew I’d be feeling internet-deprived by the time I got to Amsterdam. [Issues. I have them.]

2. REAL SIMPLE MAGAZINE FOR JANUARY : See, I have this weird thing about only reading a Real Simple in the month that it is for [January in January even though it is delivered in December] and it had taken all the willpower I could muster to hold off reading it until January 15 and Donna Delta wasn’t going to ruin THAT for me.

3. BIBLE/JOURNAL : I don’t even remember if I used my journal, but trust me when I say that no one deserves to lose their journal to a TSA representative. Good reading? Maybe. Major embarrassment for the rest of my days? Definitely. So this was more of a self-defense thing than a I-am-quite-holy thing.

4. TOILETRIES : You don’t want to know what happens to my skin when I fly. Fine. I’ll tell you. Greasy McGreaserson. It is nothing short of unattractive. So having some face help with me is necessary. Also, I saw my parents in Atlanta and cried my makeup off, so that was awesome and mature. I was glad I had my facewash. Amen.

5. DECK OF CARDS : I didn’t touch them one time. It was a mistake. A regret made in the heat of the moment. I thought, “what if I get bored and have finished my magazine and just want to do something mindless and how do I feel this strongly against Donna Delta?” and so I grabbed them. Dumb dumb dumb. Were I do to it over again, I would have left them in the carry-on that got checked to Edinburgh against my wishes.

Forgive me for choice #5. But at least I was honest. That should count for something, right?

. . . . .

YOUR TURN!

When you pack a carry-on for your flight to anywhere [local or international], what five things do you HAVE to have with you?

. . . . .

**shout out and thanks to my bestie Betsy for helping me choose the TOP 5 FRIDAY topic for today. Now she has to comment… we wait patiently, Bets. You are the Queen of the Carry-On.**

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