The Hand Luggage Checklist

I'll be honest here. I am way too tight to pay for a hold suitcase when I'm going away on a short trip and even when it's a week long holiday, I refuse to pay £50 each way each case for a hold case and will squeeze both my things and Karl's things into one case. I mean, paying so much more simply to put a suitcase on a plane hurts right, so over the past couple of years I have become the hand luggage packing master. I fit my liquids into those plastic bags like nobody's business and as someone with an extensive skincare routine and make-up collection, learning to fit bottles together like a jigsaw has become quite a talent!

I got back from Barcelona yesterday (cries) and there were a couple of things in my cabin friendly suitcase that I couldn't have done the trip without. Firstly, can we all just take a sec to appreciate my simply beautiful Aspinal of London Passport Cover? I mean, it even has my initials on it! I had a very, very old and very, very chavvy bright pink passport cover on my passport that I'd had since I was 14 so this was well overdue. It looks so luxurious and keeps your passport safe from spillages and what-not, which are extremely likely when you've crammed all of your liquids in and if you're an avid traveller, a high quality passport case like this is just an essential.

I'm a very organised person so I hate it when my bag is all over the place and I can't find anything so during our travels to and from Barcelona, I kept mine and Karl's passports and all of our documentation in my Aspinal of London Pouch which slides easily and neatly into my hand luggage. There's nothing worse than being in the security queue with the pressure on as you hold everyone up looking for your boarding pass! I also used this for my beauty bits like suncream and lip balm for while we were walking around Barcelona so it's definitely a handy thing to have with you!

Oh and a p.s. to all you North Easters that are reading right now - Aspinal of London are coming to House of Fraser at the Metro Centre! Super excited for this as I luuurve their bags so I know I'm going to enjoy swooning over them when I go shopping!

Obviously when it comes to the beauty side of things, you must pack wisely otherwise you risk having to throw away some very expensive products. Remember there's a 100ml limit on liquids, powders, pastes and anything else remotely liquid-like so that means lipsticks, suncream, mascara, moisturiser...the list is endless. Also, the bag they have to fit in is so small it really is like a puzzle getting bits and pieces in, especially when you need bulky things like suncream. This Benefit Dream Screen was a saviour for both me and Karl for the four days we were in the heat, especially as we're both fair skinned and it honestly saved my nose which turned me into Rudolph on our first day as silly me thought "oh I'll be okay walking down to the beach before I do my face." Well, I wasn't!

Another two Benefit products I squeezed in were the Watts Up Highlighter and the Ready, Set, Brow Clear Brow Gel, both of which are essentials for during the day on holiday for me. I don't wear much make-up on my jollies during the sunny days so bits like this are perfect for adding a little glow or taming your brows when you don't want to wear a full face. Also, like I said, you've got to think about the size and shape of bottles when you're trying to fit them in that tiny plastic bag. I try and take minis of products or long thin products like this rather than round palettes or boxes. It's much easier to slot them all in and get through security no problemo!

The two accessories I couldn't have lived without in Barcelona had to be my Elie Beaumont watch and my round sunglasses. These are both accessory essentials for holidaying in a warmer country and the best thing is that they don't even need to go in your hand luggage as you can wear them. That's another of my top tips for hand luggage packing - wear what you can. I always wear my bulkiest shoes for the flight so that they aren't taking up space in my case and will always wear whatever hat I'm taking too to free up space. I also put my camera around my neck to stop it from getting bashed and to free up a bit of space too!

What are your holiday hand luggage essentials?

Amy x

*post contains PR samples