On the plane, it needs to be fully zip-up-able, so you can toss it under the seat in front of you without being remotely worried about anything falling out. It needs to be small enough to count as a handbag, so you can still have a full 7kg carry-on luggage. It needs to be secure enough that, when juggling your carry-on and the duty free booze and your passport and customs forms, you're not worried about it falling off your shoulder.
The stuff I will need on the plane
- Passport, tickets, boarding pass, with absolutely no risk of falling out
- Wallet, phone, change purse (for switching between currencies en route)
- iPad (note that bluetooth devices, like a keyboard, can't be used in-flight)
- Light reading material (no electronic devices during take-off and landing) and crossword book
- Couple of pens (not gel - they don't cope with the low atmospheric pressure on board), notebook
- Earplugs, earphones, inflatable travel pillow
- Daily medicines (it's a bloody long flight), antihistamines, eyedrops
- Water bottle, lip balm, tissues, mints
While out and about each day, it needs to do much the same as a handbag, but also carry a camera and feel secure when wandering around crowded streets in an unfamiliar town. It should not make it toooo easy for pickpockets.
The stuff I expect to need each day in NYC:
- Camera - I bought a lovely DSLR on my last trip to the States, but the camera bag I got is a bloody pain in the arse, which means it doesn't get used very much. This bag will have to carry the camera assembled (I'll likely only carry the standard lens) and protected, but accessible
- Wallet, phone and keys - inside a zippered compartment, but without having to rummage to find them
- Guide book (maybe) and map
- Water bottle, lip balm, tissues, mints
- Pen, small notebook
- One of those doovy spork things (see Shopping list)
- Room to carry smaller purchases made through the day
So it's not really that much to ask of a bag, is it?
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