The last time I took a flight was July 22, 2019. The wheels of our Boeing 737 touched down at 11:23 that morning, and I didn't give it a second thought! After all, there was more travel to be had. Our 2020 itinerary included an April trip for a friend's wedding, a May flight to meet our newborn nephew, and an early fall flight to San Francisco for a weekend with friends (and yes, I was planning on doing an Infinite Loop/Apple Park Visitor Center swag run). But then… you know… COVID happened… still is happening! The most heartbreaking part was seeing trip after trip after trip cancelled, not for the flight itself, but because each cancellation represented the loss of a significant milestone, some that we would not experience again.

It's been nearly two years to the day since my last flight, and I couldn't be more thrilled at the opportunity to fly again, be with family, and finally meet our now 1.5-year-old nephew for the very first time. With flights booked, the most important question becomes: What's inside my travel bag?

The Physical Goods

I've broken this entry into two parts: the hardware and the software. As you might've guessed, this hardware part covers all the physical goods (the bags, cables, and tech) I will be taking along with me. The software section will cover some of the apps, shows, and content I like to prep ahead of this trip! The visit is all about seeing family, so the tech I am taking along with me is pretty minimal. Work, social media, and graphic design will be swapped out for with campfires, late nights, and BBQs!

The Bag: Kånken Re-Wool Backpack from Fjällräven

*Made out of recycled wool, the Kånken backpack is spacious & durable.*

These bags have exploded in popularity in recent years. Appearing in a wide range of colourful designs, the minimal, comfortable, and spacious Kånken backpacks feature an all-around zipper and can store a ton of stuff inside their single large compartment. A smaller pocket at the front of the back is perfect for storing a few smaller items (keys, AirPods, mints), while the two side pouches are sized to fit a small water bottle, sunglasses, etc. I've also added the Kånken Organizer inside the pack, creating a few more pockets to organize the few cables, knickknacks, and mask I am packing.

iPad Air 4 (Sky Blue)

*My iPad Pro will serve as my companion device & has been stuffed with movies, TV Shows, music, magazines, workouts, games and more.*

For this 10-day trip to eastern Canada, I'll be taking along an iPad Air with the Magic Keyboard. More portable than my M1 MacBook, the tiny 10.9" tablet makes the perfect sidekick for a trip. My primary uses for the device on this trip consists of daily journaling, watching a movie or two on the flight, doing a few Fitness+ workouts, listening to music, light photo editing, and limited reading/social media. For all these use cases, the iPad Air is ideally suited for the task! And because significant portions of the trip will be spent in a cabin without WiFi (😱!), I'm glad that I opted for a cellular iPad Air. Forget 5G; I'll be in a cabin that barely gets enough reception for 3G; far beyond my definition of roughing it.

Sleeve: SleeveCase from WaterField Designs

*The WaterField SleeveCase consists of a durable waxed canvas exterior and a soft, cushioned neoprene interior lining.*

I'm taking along the waxed canvas and grizzly leather SleeveCase from WaterField Designs to keep the iPad generously protected. The particular backpack I am taking doesn't have any laptop padding (the 15" & 17" Kånken backpacks do, however), so a sleeve with ample padding provides extra assurance from any drops, jostles and other travel-related folly.

I've owned a SleeveCase for over half a decade, and it continues to hold up exceptionally well. The only reason I replaced it in the last year was that I wanted to size up to accommodate the Magic Keyboard, although I still keep the older sleeve for when I'm travelling with just the Smart Keyboard Folio.

The Phone/Camera/Plane Ticket: iPhone 12 Pro

From takeoff to landing, the most used device on this entire journey will be the iPhone. I use my iPhone to carry my flight tickets and check my flight status for delays or gate changes at the airport. After landing, it's used to show proof of COVID vaccination and for navigation. And day-to-day, it'll also serve as the only camera I'll be bringing along on the trip. I rely on the iPhone at every point along the day; it's become an indispensable tool for travel.

Kindle Paperwhite

*I’m an absolute sucker the grizzled, distressed leather look of the Kindle’s leathers case.*

For moments when I'll have the chance to dive into a book, I am bringing along the Kindle Paperwhite as a companion device to the iPad Air. Lighter & smaller than the iPad mini, the kindle's battery lasts weeks, while the e-ink makes reading outdoors or for prolonged periods very enjoyable. Protecting the Kindle is Amazon's Premium Leather Cover - a distressed leather that looks remarkable as it ages.

AirPods Pro

I purchased the AirPods Pro shortly after their release with the specific intention of using them as a go-to pair of headphones while travelling. Light, good battery life, excellent ANC, and exceptional airflow to minimize that plugged-up feeling I've gotten from other in-ear headphones. But as these were released in late 2019, I've never actually had a chance to take them on a flight and break them in.

And out of an abundance of neurotic caution, I am also taking along a pair of wired EarPods because, god forbid, the AirPods run out of juice, and I was required to read in silence, sit amongst my thoughts, or talk to my wife while on the flight.

Cables

I haven't gotten around to getting a GaN charger for travelling, so I'll be taking along a couple of Apple's stock chargers and cables for the trip out East. Here's a breakdown of the few cables I'll be carrying along.

2, 20W Apple USB-C wall chargers
1, 0.3m USB-C to Apple Watch charger
1, USB-C cable (for iPad Air)
1, USB-C to Lightning (for iPhone)
1, Lightning to 3.5mm adapter (for EarPods)

Other Tchotchke

*Mask, sunglasses, cables, and all manner of do-dads & dongles for this 10-day trip.*

Water Bottle: Klunken water bottle from Primus.
AirTag: Do I think I will lose the backpack that I will have attached to me at all times? No. Do I still feel like hooking an AirTag to it? Absolutely!
Whoosh: I always pack a small bottle of cleaning solution and a small cloth to remove any smudges from my devices whenever I travel.
Nap Pillow: I never liked any of the neck or travel pillows that are available - foam or styrofoam pellets alike. So a few years ago, I picked up a small pillow to use on the flights & as an additional pillow while staying with guests. It's not the best, but it'll do.
Other Miscellaneous Crap: Lozenges & lip chap (because planes are flying dehydrators!), hand sanitizer, mask, vaccination documentation, keys & wallet.

The Software

Below is a small curated collection of some of my favourite software to use while travelling.

Flighty

I've been like a kid at Christmas anxiously waiting for the day that I could finally use Flighty for my travels. And already, long ahead of my flight, it's proven its usefulness when it notified me that one of the legs of my flight had been cancelled and rescheduled to an entirely different day long before the airline reached out to notify me!

I've fallen for Flighty's minimal design & robust tracking features often not seen in other flight tracking apps, including tracking inbound flights & the aircraft's arrival performance, in addition to the beautifully designed templates for sharing your flight status with friends or family.

Fitness+

Since its debut in December, I've leaned on Fitness+ to help reinvigorate my fitness routine and help keep me in fighting form while the gyms (and everything else) were on lockdown during the second and third waves of the pandemic. As I won't have access to a gym/weights, I've downloaded a few 10-30 minute HITT classes to keep up a bit of cardio during my trip. No better feeling than starting the day getting the blood pumping & knowing you've burned enough calories to earn yourself an extra campfire S'more (or two... or 10)

News+

I've loaded up the iPad Air with a few additional magazines to serve as casual reading on the flights and at the cabin.

Photo Editing Apps

My 'suite' of photo apps includes the stock Camera App, Halide, Darkroom, and Pixelmator Photo. Don't be surprised if you see an over-processed photo of clouds framed by the airplane's window in my Twitter feed; I can't help myself.

Day One

Day One is the first, second, and third best Journalling app available! I have nearly 5,500 entries across a decade and a half, & I relish the time spent every evening to capture the moments, highlights, challenges, and ideas arising from each day.

CARROT Weather

*CARROT is a highly detailed, infinitely customizable weather app.*

CARROT Weather is the best weather app available on iOS. Also, it’s an excellent goto app to make sure I never start feeling too good about me. One of CARROT Weather's recent messages to me was: "This beautiful day is wasted on your ugly face."

Endel

Endel is a fantastic app for generating an endless stream of ambient soundscapes. I still like to turn this on in the last half-hour of my day to wind down or have it playing in the background while reading or doing any writing.

Reeder

Any web articles that I planned to read but haven't gotten around to yet, I shuffle into Reeder.

Misc. Games

Super light gamer. Currently, the only games on my iPad/iPhone are Mini Metro, Infinite Flight, SpellTower, & Mini Motorways.

Media

Whenever I travel, I have the horrible predilection of vastly overpacking for what I need! Three-day trips require six pairs of socks and a half dozen pairs of underwear. Why exactly?! Just in case. In case of what? Dunno, but just in case. This rule also extends to me jam-packing my iPhone and iPad with an abundance of music, movies, TV shows, and Podcasts.

Podcasts: I've stocked up on a half dozen back episodes from some of my favourites, including Dateline & Stuff You Should Know, in addition to grabbing a few new series to start binge-listening to, including Day X, The Vaping Fix, Unraveled, & Land of the Giants. All of this on top of my usual circuit of Apple-focused podcasts.
Music: In addition to downloading my favourite artists' albums, I also added a few Apple Music playlists across many moods and situations. These include favourites like Acoustic R&B, Ambient Chill, Chill House, Easy Rock, Relaxed/Remixed, and Summer BBQ.
TV: There are still a few AppleTV originals that I have meant to watch, including Dickinson's second season, Mythic Quest, and Defending Jacob, in addition to finally starting the much acclaimed Canadian comedy Schitt's Creek!

All the Places You'll Go