5 Things You Should Never Store In Your Carry-On Luggage

Not to start off on a negative, but there is an awful lot to stress about when flying. First of all, there's actually getting to the airport on time, accounting for traffic, roadworks, and being prepared enough to leave the house with all your luggage on time. Then, there are delays which might disrupt connection flights, weight limits on your luggage, and keeping your passport safe during the whole process. For frequent flyers, it's no bother, surely, but if jumping on a plane is still a novelty, it can all be a little daunting.

We've posted before about which gadgets can make long-haul flights easier, but to expand on that a little bit, here we're going to be zeroing in on gadgets, accessories, and whatever else you might need or want on a vacation or work trip that you absolutely do not want to be packing into your carry-on luggage. To clarify, this isn't just a list of items you can't take on a flight with you; airlines are usually pretty clear about that themselves. Instead, we're looking at items that aren't advised to be part of your carry-on. 

There can be multiple reasons as to why they are best packaged elsewhere or left at home, whether they're susceptible to damage or maybe just an unwise use of space. From creature comforts to beauty products and day-to-day objects you might not even think twice about, these items are best left out of your carry-on. 

Being able to zone out and listen to your favorite tunes, or check in with an engaging podcast, is pretty much considered an essential when traveling these days. There are some fabulous Bluetooth headphones that audiophiles will love out on the market right now, and while they might be perfect for gym sessions and dull commutes, packing them in your carry-on isn't advised.

First, there's the obvious potential for damage. Headphones aren't necessarily cheap, especially when you're shopping around for quality items, and the last thing you want to find when you're able to unpack is that they've been battered about and broken during transit. This is easily done on a flight, such as when cramming your just-right-sized bag into the overhead bins, or rather, when someone else is forcing their bag into the tiniest amount of available free space next to yours.

Secondly, it's just not a wise use of the small amount of luggage space available to you. Sure, the quality might be better from a set of headphones, but a tiny set of earphones will still be able to feed you with entertainment during the flight; the only difference is that these will easily stash away in your pocket. There are also plenty of great wireless earbuds, should you need to buy some prior to a long trip.

In the same vein as the entry above, packing a plethora of beauty essentials is more often than not a waste of time. Not so much in terms of your essential makeup pieces, but more in relation to hair products like dryers, curlers, straighteners and so on. If you are going on a trip where looking your best is essential, then sure, perhaps these items do need to come with you, but if it's just a quick family vacation or simple work trip, then consider saving that luggage space for something else if possible.

After all, the huge majority of hotels and other vacation spots will provide such equipment anyway. Yes, it might not be as high quality or immediately familiar to you, but if luggage space is at a premium, this is a great place to begin creating yourself a bit of room in your bags.

It's also worth remembering that, while items like hair dryers and straighteners are fine to take with you in carry-on luggage, TSA does ban some hair appliances from checked luggage. It's also worth noting that you may be asked to separate such appliances when going through security. So, if you are packing them, ensure they are easily accessible at the top of your bag, just to save yourself some time. It can also be pretty stressful and possibly embarrassing to have to unload a heap of luggage in the security line, so it's definitely best to plan ahead here.

Regardless of whether you're away for work or leisure, a good selection of ever-popular gadgets is usually high up on the must-pack list. Be it your laptop for work, or your iPad for watching films on, you do need to be careful about how and where you pack them. The immediate risk is that they could very easily get damaged when stuffed into the overhead bins — iPads are already known for bending – so you don't want to encourage this with forceful behaviour, but that's not where the potential problems finish either.

Electronics such as these are typically powered by lithium-ion batteries, and unfortunately, these can leak, swell, and even explode – the latter of which can quite easily cause a fire to break out. It's a dangerous situation when a device's battery erupts into flames on a plane, namely because of the confined space, but also because this particular type of fire can be quite tricky to combat. It's wise to complete a quick visual check on your battery if possible beforehand; check for leaks and swelling, and if anything untoward is present, just don't bring it, or at least get a second opinion on its condition from someone who knows what they're looking for.

Finally, the same goes for many items on this list, but electronics like laptops, phones, and tablets make for particularly appealing targets for thieves. If you are bringing them, be sure to keep them concealed at all times if possible, and perhaps even wrapped in cling film, or in a bright case, to make them more distinctive, and therefore possibly a less desirable target.

Everyone wants to look nice on vacation, but consider leaving your grandmother's gold necklace at home, rather than risk it going missing in your luggage. This doesn't mean you need to forego looking your best when out and about abroad, just consider going away with some cheaper items of jewelry instead.

Unless you're really looking to impress someone, cheaper plated items of jewelry will more than likely do for your work trip or vacation. Not only do you run the risk of having your bag go missing or even being stolen, but it can also get thrown around a fair bit by handlers and turbulence, too. Should your favorite bracelet or watch get bashed about and damaged during the process, you're really going to wish you hadn't bothered bringing it with you.

If taking something special away with you is a must — perhaps you buy a loved one something on the trip itself, and need to fly it back home with you — then there are some tips and tricks to keeping it safe that you should follow. Consider keeping it on your person, for peace of mind, but also concealed for security. A small, separate pouch for a valuable item of jewelry keeps it hidden from prying eyes, but also means you can be sure it's still with you during the flight. If it is to be buried deeper in your luggage, wrap items individually, store them in hard cases like pill organizers to avoid them being crushed, and maybe even look at threading complex pieces like necklaces through a straw, to avoid the frustration of detangling them when back home.

This is a strange one, but if you haven't noticed, airports are like breeding grounds for strange folk, so why not include it? While soft cheeses such as brie and cream cheese need to follow the 100ml/3.4oz rule in your carry-on luggage, you can take as much hard cheese with you as you like. So, if you've got a particular taste for Parmesan, cheddar, or Gouda, it's good news for you.

However, consider that you'll be packed into that plane with your cheeses and hundreds of other passengers for hours, and we'll bet that cheese will start to get a little pungent after a while, crammed into those hot overhead bins. If you want to avoid upsetting your fellow passengers, it's probably best to avoid bringing hard cheeses home as souvenirs from your vacation — especially pungent cheeses, like gorgonzola, raclette, or the aptly named stinking bishop. Chances are, you won't get a single inch of the armrest, the kid behind will be kicking your seat the entire trip, and the guy in front will be fully reclined for the duration, too, if you don't heed this advice.