How to Pick Personal Bags for Air Travel - Your Handy Guide!

The first thing that pops up, when you think of your best bags for air travel is — will it fit into the space I’m allowed on the airlines? Besides, it has to be something that would have enough space to accommodate everything you wish to have on your vacation. Most airlines allow two things they can bring onto the plane including— 1) a carry-on that can fit into the overhead compartment & 2) a personal bag that can be placed in front of the seat. The difference between the two is in their size, the personal bag must be comparatively smaller so it can be placed by the side of your seat without bothering other passengers. 

While on most airlines this restriction on the size of air travel bags might vary, the standard size of the personal air travel bag that the airlines allow onto the flight is around 7-9 inches deep, 16-18 inches tall, and 10-15 inches wide. And, you have plenty of options on choosing the personal air travel bag— it could be under seat rolling luggage, backpack, or a duffel bag. Let’s see what thought you must put into choosing the right personal travel bag and which of them you can choose from:

A personal item is a Size: The allowable size of personal items varies by airline, aircraft, and even individual seat. In general, the maximum dimensions are usually 16-18 inches tall, 10-15 inches wide, and 7-9 inches deep. If you’re concerned about the size of your personal item, just double-check with the airline’s website before your flight.

Personal item weight: Very few airlines place limits on the weight of personal items, as they are much more concerned with whether they fit underneath the seat.

Kinds of bags qualify as personal items: A personal item can be pretty much any type of bag, as long as it adheres to the size limitations. Many people carry their purses, laptop bag, or briefcase as their personal items, but shoulder bags, duffels, small backpacks, and even some rolling bags can also be used as personal items.

Things to Put Inside: Your personal item is the place to store anything you’ll want easy access to during your flight. These are a few things to consider packing in your carry-on:

Devices: Laptop, tablet & phone

Entertainment: Book, magazine &  journal

Sleeping Items: Eye mask, earplugs & neck pillow

Miscellaneous: Snacks & water bottle

How Your Personal Air Travel Bag will Help?

They can be reached anytime: So, when you have a long-haul flight of 15 hours, you’ll need a couple of things that you can easily reach out to. Every time you need your headphones or maybe the battery pack, or the neck pillow— it’s not feasible to stand at the aisle struggling to take off your carry-on from the overhead compartment. You can keep these items in your personal carry-on bag so whenever you need them, you can much easily grab them off. 

Top Airlines do not allow open the overhead compartment during flight hours: Most Top US Airlines do not allow to open the overhead compartment during the beginning or end of the flight. You cannot let the carry-on fall from the overhead while you are struggling to take it off and cause trouble to other passengers.

They let you Travel in Style: While you are running your way with those heavy luggage cases, waiting for the flight & placing your carry-on luggage inside the overhead compartment— your hair, lipstick or those chic pair of favorite travel shoes might look out of place. So when you have your tiny makeup kit (that you can keep inside the personal travel bag), you can correct those imperfections in no time and give yourself a fresh look. 

And, as long as your travel bag is small enough, it is categorized under your personal bag— a purse, shoulder bag, small backpacks, small briefcases, and any bag that does not exceed the size limit can be your personal air travel bag. Once you have decided what bag you are carrying along, make sure you have all the essentials placed into it that you might need during the flight. 

How to Choose the Perfect Personal Air Travel Bags?

Look for a Personal Air Travel bag that’s Fashionable & Professional.

You might often feel confused about how these celebrities are making style statements even when flying across— so the idea is they put a lot of thought into it. Whether you are on a leisure vacation or are going on a business trip, looking stylish and chic is one thing that not only gives the perfect impression on the person you meet but also makes you confident. For me, a silky black bag has always helped. If you want something that is durable and that has convenient exterior and interior pockets then a nylon fabric is water-repellent that would help. Look for a personal travel bag with a detachable strap, which is absolutely adjustable. Make sure there isn’t any lack of interior organization.

Look for Supreme Quality Sturdy Personal Air Travel Bags.

Another important thing you have to take into consideration when you are choosing your personal bag for your next air travel is making sure that — you are choosing only high-quality sturdy bags. This will keep your confidence up adding to your style+fashion statement, accentuating your overall look. Leisure.com travel experts suggest looking for bags with plastic pockets and zippered mesh to help yourself with fitting in any messy item or liquids. And, double-check the dimension of the bag and your airline’s limit for personal bags inside the flight. 

Look for a small Bag that you can be easily placed under the Plane seat.

The size of your bag is an essential consideration— or you might have to seat uncomfortably all through the flight hours. You can go for shoulder bags that are small but still have enough space to fit into everything that you would need during your flight. Look for something that can fit into everything that you might need on a typical weekend trip. There are plenty of options that would have enough space that you do not have to carry any other bad onto the flight. So, there are options you can go with one that comes with an interior and exterior pockets and are super easy to carry. Multipurpose Personal travel bags that you can use — at the beach, on a picnic, or on the flight are the best. 

Look for a Personal Air Travel bag that is Lightweight.

Most of our readers have been talking about air travel bags that are lightweight and easy to carry all through until you reach your destination. The bags that can be folded up to make them into tiny pouches are super COOL. It’s like they will take up almost no space in your master travel bag. Duffel bags are the best options in that respect and they are not only easy to carry along but they are also budget-friendly. And, if you are up for a destination where rain is normal, a water-resistant fabric that is lightweight would serve the purpose. But in any case, make sure not to overpack. 

Go with an Air Travel bag that can be comfortably carried.

If you are traveling all alone, you would know the stress of carrying that uncomfortable shoulder bag— it won’t let you walk even across the stairs peacefully. If you don’t hate carrying your personal bags on the back, a  lightweight multipurpose backpack is the best option. They are not only comfortable to wear but a good brand back also looks stylish.  You can choose a nice-looking bag that is also the water-resistant fabric that would protect your stuff from getting wet when you have to walk across the streets on a rainy day. There are plenty of backpacks available that include built-in USB ports & cables to help you with charging your device easily. 

Look for Air Travel Bags with a lot of Dividers.

In addition to your personal air travel bag being lightweight, it has to have a lot of dividers & pockets. While you can always use your own dividers but that would only add to the overall weight of your bag making you feel uncomfortable while you are sitting on your flight seat. With no or just one zipper, you would not be able to fit in everything you wanted and moreover, it might be frustrating looking for anything you need when all you have to do is to put everything in one single space. It might also damage some of your expensive makeup items and take a lot of your time every time you plan to take something out.  

Look for an Air Travel Bag that Accentuates Your Style. 

While the utility is the most essential aspect to start with, you cannot ignore the look! Your air travel bag should be something that keeps you ahead in the fashion game. Go for a nice-looking compact bag that would make you even more comfortable when you are walking across the airport. You might be interested in looking at our article on How to Choose the Best Travel Bags. Once you have checked on the weight, size, a number of zippers & other utility properties, check out the look and feel of the travel bag. Make sure nothing looks strange — there are backpacks with unusually designed handles and when they are placed over the back, the handles would stick up behind you— make sure there isn’t anything like that happening with the bag you have selected. 

Keep it Small, Stylish & Sober!

The idea is to keep it small, stylish & sober! To start with, make your mind clear on what type of bags you generally like to carry— do you prefer backpacks over shoulder bags? Do you like rolling cubes over duffel bags? That is how you can feel more comfortable! You have to consider the items you want to fit into your personal air travel bag. Choose a shoulder bag for a dressier look, go with a duffel for a more casual look. And, if you want to be able to use the same personal air travel bag for a variety of purposes, make sure it can be folded and unfolded to make more space when you need it. While every other air travel bag will have pros and cons, by looking at the aspects that matter most, you can make sure that’s the right way for a hassle-free flight & trip.