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My Island Hopping Carry-On Essentials
15
items Everything that fits under the seat and keeps me sane on budget European airlines, ferry crossings, and island-to-island hops.
Sections
4
THE BAG ITSELF & ORGANISATION
POWER & TECH
SLEEP & COMFORT
ISLAND-SPECIFIC ESSENTIALS
THE BAG ITSELF & ORGANISATION
The foundation of carry-on-only travel. Get this wrong and nothing else matters. I've tested more bags than I'd like to admit across budget airlines, ferry terminals, and cobblestone streets. These are that actually survived. Island hopping means unp...
Survived 3 Greek island trips, two Ryanair flights and a very rocky Aegean ferry. Fits a change of clothes, laptop, snacks and my whole life.
Daylite™ Plus - Versatile Comfortable Large Daypack - Everyday Travel Hiking
Lost luggage is a special kind of island nightmare. Have your info on your bag. Always.
Luggage Tags & Charms - Travel Identification
When you need to genuinely compress a week's worth of linen dresses into one carry-on section, these are the ones. Roll the air out and watch your bag gain space you didn't think existed. I used these for an entire month in Europe with one carry-on. ...
Compression Packing Cubes for Travel
Every cable, adapter, SD card, battery, and charging brick in one flat, organised pouch that lies perfectly inside the top of my bag. Before this I was fishing around for cables like a raccoon. Never again.
Tech Pouch | Peak Design Official Site
Soft leather, magnetic toothbrush sleeve so your brush isn't floating in a pool of someone else's conditioner, and buttery mesh pockets. The most elegant toiletry bag I've owned and it fits comfortably inside any carry-on.
Toiletry Kit | Toiletry bag with easy-clean lining and organization
POWER & TECH
Ferry terminals in the Cyclades, cliffside villages in Crete, remote calas in Menorca — none of them care that your phone is at 4%. Carry your own power and you're never stuck.
Greek ferry terminals, Sicilian hilltop towns, Amalfi villages — charging ports don't exist where I want to be. This keeps my phone and camera alive.
10000mAh Power Bank
One EU plug, charge your Sony camera battery, GoPro, drone remote, phone, and laptop at the same time. I plug this in the moment I check into a room and everything is full by morning.
Anker USB-C Hub (6-in-1, For Handheld Game Console)
Specifically for planes. You want to use your noise-cancelling headphones with the seat-back entertainment system — you need this little adapter. It plugs into the aircraft's seat-back audio jack and lets you connect wireless or noise-cancelling head...
USB C to 3.5mm Headphone & Charger Adapter
SLEEP & COMFORT
A bad night on an overnight ferry or a 5am budget flight ruins the next day completely. These are the small investments that mean I arrive somewhere ready to actually be there, not recovering.
Looks strange in the airport. Works better than anything I've tried on planes or ferries. Slept through a 4-hour overnight ferry crossing in it. The internal brace holds your head from dropping sideways — regular U-shaped pillows don't actually do th...
Trtl Travel Neck Pillow
For the 6am budget flights out of Athens where every light on the plane is inexplicably on. Satin doesn't crease your skin the way regular fabric does. This one has a gentle nose bridge that blocks out every sliver of light.
LULUSILK Mulberry Silk Sleep Eye Mask & Strap
For rough ferry crossings in the Aegean — and they can get genuinely rough between islands in shoulder season. You wear them three finger-widths below the wrist joint, with the plastic stud pressing on your pressure point. They're snug on purpose and...
Sea-Band Anti-Nausea Acupressure Wristband
ISLAND-SPECIFIC ESSENTIALS
The things that only make sense when you're actually island hopping — not just travelling. Water taxis, rocky coves, salty hair, and boats that don't have railings. This category exists because I learned most of it the hard way.
Half the weight of a beach towel, dries in 20 minutes, doesn't smell after repeated use the way cheap microfiber does. I haven't brought a regular towel abroad in three years. The XL size doubles as a blanket on cold overnight ferry crossings.
PackTowl Personal Quick Dry Microfiber Towel
No liquids, no leaks, no 100ml drama at security. Works on salt-heavy hair — important because by day four of island hopping your hair is essentially seaweed. Lasts as long as two or three bottles of regular shampoo.
Shampoo Bars | Zero Waste and Eco-Friendly ...
Folds completely flat when empty — takes up zero space in your bag. Fill it past security, fill it at your hotel, clip it to your bag with the carabiner. Mediterranean heat is serious and you will not always find a shop when you need one.
Collapsible Water Bottles
Slim, top-quality, and holds two passports if you travel with a partner. I keep boarding passes, cards, SIM cards, and a small amount of local cash in here. Everything I need for an airport or ferry terminal in one flat, beautiful wallet that's never...
Passport Wallet