Flight attendants and crew members are packing magicians. With hectic, unpredictable schedules that often times require flying around the world and back across the span of days, they have perfected what gives even the most seasoned travelers a headache: the art packing efficiently. "Airline crews also learn to pack QUICKLY," Patrick Smith, an airline pilot, blogger, and author ofCockpit Confidential,told INSIDER. "If Im headed out on a six-day assignment, I might not even begin packing until an hour or so before Im ready to leave the house."At 35,000 feet in the airall while tending to all sorts of characters, landing in unfamiliar places and having to deal with things like constantly changing weather and time zones, you can bet the flight crew is strategic and practical when it comes to what they bring on a flight.Curious about what exactly they can and cant travel without' INSIDER asked 10 crew members from various airlines what they keep on their carry-ons. Youll never pack the same way again.Patrick Smith, an airline pilot, blogger, and author of Cockpit Confidential is all about packing light.I pack light. That means synthetic, fast-drying materials. I virtually never travel with jeans, for example.Im not averse to doing some quick laundry in a hotel room sink or bathtub if I need to. I also travel with a zipper case of in-a-pinch items that include things like some clothes pins, a couple of small bungee cords, and a roll of tape. Youd be surprised, maybe, how often these things prove useful.Grace Antipala, a flight attendant with Hawaiian Airlines comes prepared with her iPad, chargers, and a book.I always travel with a 10-foot charging cord for my phone and an extra battery pack. It's essential. Sometimes outlets are not close to the bed in hotels, so it's convenient to have an extra-long charging cable so I can work on my phone or iPad while they charge. I usually bring a tote bag, where I carry my iPad mini, battery, charging cable, and book. I also leave plenty of room in it for travel documents and asmall essentials bag with hand lotion, lip balm, face hydrating spray, hand lotion, hand sanitizer, and an extratoothbrush and toothpaste.'I alwayspack snacks in my tote bag too ' acouple of protein bars and a baggie of trail mix in case I need a little something to eat.A flight attendant with Hawaiian Airlines, Theona Kapoi, brings plenty of chargers.I have a somewhat large purse as my carry-on.Chargers are separated in a Ziploc, while my wallet,passport, and plane ticket always go in the sameinsidezipped pocket so I don't have to frantically look for it when I need it.I always carry an extra pair of clothes in a Ziploc bag just in case I get delayed somewhere (workout clothes are easiest because they don't add too much weight and take up little space). Having the same bag when you travel gives you a routine for where you put things and having them in the same spot makes life easier. I always travel with my wallet, phone, charger, book, journal and a pen, and finally a mini toiletry kit.See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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