This free carry-on checklist helps you organize travel documents, comfort items, chargers, TSA toiletries, snacks, and spare essentials before your flight.
One rule makes carry-on packing easy: assume you and your checked bag might not arrive at the same time. Whatever you cannot replace, cannot wait a day for, or would ruin the trip to lose goes in the bag that never leaves your side. Everything else is negotiable.
Run that filter and most decisions make themselves. Passport and phone are obvious; the less obvious wins are a spare change of clothes, medication in its original packaging, and a portable charger. The one hard constraint is liquids: containers of 3.4 ounces or 100 ml or smaller, in a single quart-size clear bag, one per traveler. Newer scanners are easing that routine at some airports, but the container limit still applies nationwide, so check the current rules before you fly.
Pack so the essentials sit on top. What you want mid-flight or need at security should never be at the bottom under a folded blanket.
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01
Travel Documents
This is the one section you truly cannot replace mid-trip. Keep IDs and boarding passes somewhere consistent, a single zip pocket you always return them to, so you are never patting yourself down in the security line.
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Passport / ID
Check the expiry well before you fly; many countries require at least six months of validity beyond your travel dates.
Bring
Boarding Pass
Bring
Wallet & Credit Cards
Bring
Travel Insurance Info
Save the policy number and emergency line offline, not just in an email you would need signal to open.
FAA and airline rules put portable chargers and spare lithium batteries in the cabin, never in checked luggage, because a fire in the hold cannot be reached. Check your airline's current limits before you fly.
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Portable Charger (20,000 mAh)
Carry-on only under FAA and airline rules. This capacity sits under the 100 watt-hour limit that applies without airline approval; confirm your airline's current policy.
Everything liquid, gel, or aerosol here has to fit the 3-1-1 rule. Solid or stick versions, like bar soap, stick deodorant, and solid toothpaste tabs, are not liquids and skip the quart bag entirely.
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Clear TSA Toiletry Bag
A quart-size resealable bag is the size the rule specifies; keep it near the top so you can pull it fast if a scanner lane still asks.
1Wear your bulkiest jacket and heaviest shoes onto the plane rather than packing them; it frees the most space for the least effort.
2Keep one day of essentials in your personal item under the seat, not the overhead roller, so you're covered even if your bag gets gate-checked at the door.
3Download maps, boarding passes, movies, and podcasts before you leave; airport wifi is unreliable and roaming is worse. Check TSA's current What Can I Bring guidance the same evening, since liquid and electronics rules change.
4Add a bright tag or take a photo of your bag before you fly; it's faster to spot on a crowded shelf and simpler to describe if it goes missing.
Common questions
What are the TSA liquid rules for a carry-on?
The 3-1-1 rule: each liquid, gel, or aerosol container must hold 3.4 ounces or 100 ml or less, all of them must fit in a single quart-size clear bag, and each traveler gets one bag. Medications and baby formula are allowed in larger amounts if you declare them. Some airports with newer CT scanners are easing the routine, but the container-size limit still applies nationwide, so confirm current rules on TSA's official site before you travel.
Can I bring a portable charger on a plane?
Yes, in your carry-on rather than your checked bag. FAA and airline rules require spare lithium batteries and power banks to travel in the cabin, and packs up to 100 watt-hours are generally allowed without airline approval, with larger ones needing it. Limits and rules do change, so check your airline and the FAA's current guidance before you fly.
What should I never put in my checked bag?
Anything you cannot replace or afford to have delayed: passport and IDs, medication, phone and chargers, valuables, and a basic change of clothes. Checked bags are occasionally lost or delayed, so treat your carry-on as the bag that must carry you through the first day on its own.
How do I get through airport security faster?
Keep liquids in an accessible quart bag, wear layers you can remove easily, and have your ID and boarding pass ready before you reach the officer. Screenshotting your boarding pass means you are not fighting airport Wi-Fi at the worst possible moment.