I travel a lot; sometimes for work, sometimes for fun.  Some trips last just a few hours, others up to a month.  Regardless of where I’m going or for how long, I always take my favorite backpack as a carry-on...  

...I keep all of the necessities in it at all times.  This saves me tons of time packing and wondering if I might have forgotten something.  For this picture and list, all I did was empty my backpack.  Seriously, everything in this picture was in my backpack, nothing was added or staged.  And, all of this fits in the smallish front pocket leaving plenty of room for my laptop, charger, iPad, etc.  Also, one more thing that I always include ever since my luggage was lost in Africa for 31 hours, is a full change of clothes.  But, I add this just before I go depending on the location.

1. Southwest Drink Coupons – I fly Southwest enough to be on their A-List, so I seem to get way more of these than I could ever use.  I usually share with my neighbors, so if you see me on a Southwest flight, you might want to sit next to me!
2. Toothpaste and toothbrush – Nothing is quite as refreshing as brushing your teeth after (or during) a long flight.
3. Business Cards – People always seem to ask, so it’s a good idea to keep these on hand.
4. A few napkins and wipes – You never know when you might spill something, or put down the tray table to find that the passenger before you decided to clean a fish on it.
5. Airline Club Cards – I never need these unless I’m flying, so what better place to keep them than in my carry-on.  A number of credit cards include a Priority Pass membership that gives you access to over 900 lounges around the world.  Be sure to sign up if you have a card that offers this benefit.
6. Hand sanitizer – Nice to have on hand (no pun intended) also see #4
7. Chapstick – The dry air in the plane can really dry out your lips.
8. Bandaids – Just in case.
9. Neosporin – Just in case #2.
10. Pad of paper – Always comes in handy.
11. Pens – What good is the paper without a pen.  I always have more than one, seems like my seatmates always need one for the customs forms.  The Sharpie comes in really handy to mark room keys when traveling with friends or family so you don’t accidentally end up with the wrong key.  Never put the room number on the key, we usually just do our initials.
12. A couple of energy bars – You never know when an unexpected delay will leave you feeling hungry.
13. Mints – I always have a few in my bag, especially useful after waking up from a nap on the plane.
14. Gum – I like gum :)
15. USB Flash Drive – This one actually works on my phone and any computer, great way to save and/or transfer files.
16. Network adapter – When the Wi-Fi is just too slow, this lets me connect my laptop to a wired connection for much better speed.
17. Powerbank – You never know when your phone might die from trying to find a signal in an area with bad coverage.  Did you know that if you can’t power up your phone, the TSA might not let you take it on the plane with you?  This assures that you will always have power to turn on your phone.
18. Noise cancelling headphones – These are my absolute favorite travel item.  I use them on every flight.  If you’ve never tried them before, you might be surprised at how much more comfortable a flight is when you can’t hear any of the ambient noise.
19. Flashlight – I know, we all have these on our cell phones now, but it’s been in my pack for years, and I have used it a number of times.
20. Earbuds – I carry an extra set in case my wife or kids forget theirs.  I also use this one at the gym instead of the noise cancelling ones.
21. Headphone Adapter – This allows me to use my noise cancelling headphones on any plane, even those where they want you to use the basic headphones they pass out onboard.