What Author Emily Henry Brings on Vacation

Henry wants to be the kind of person who checks a bag and glides through the airport with her hands free. But in reality, “I’m a carry-on girl,” she said. She’s been scorned by lost luggage one too many times, so she avoids checking her bags if she can.

“You have to take a carry-on,” she said with conviction, “even if it means that you’re schlepping that [bag] around the airport drenched in sweat.”

And in that bag, you should pack all of the essentials. For Henry, that includes a few outfits, socks and underwear, toiletries, makeup, and at least one hair tool. She also packs a pair of cute shoes to change into after she lands. “If I’m going somewhere where I need a bathing suit, that’s not getting checked,” she said. “That’s coming with me, just in case.”

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This resilient piece of hard-sided luggage has the same top-of-the-line components as the classic Away Carry On we recommend, and it also has an expandable zipper.

Henry is a self-proclaimed overpacker (we can commiserate). For her, carry-on luggage with an expandable zipper is a must. Her go-to is Away’s The Carry-On Flex, a hardshell bag that, with the zipper closed, abides by most airline carry-on sizing guidelines.

While some overpackers fear the constraints of hardshell luggage (this reporter included), Henry welcomes them. “[Soft luggage] is more forgiving,” she explained. “Very often I’ll end up having to gate check because I have crammed it way too full.”

Henry said she is no stranger to sitting on her bag to get it closed after overstuffing it. The trick, she said, is utilizing the Flex’s expandable zipper: “You have to unzip the extender to pack [the bag] full, then sit on it [to help zip it shut].” Once the bag is shut, she sits on it again to zip the extender closed. “That’s the way to do it.”

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When Henry is traveling, this no-fuss bag fits everything she needs easy access to, like her wallet and headphones. It’s made of water-repellent material and comes in eight colors.

When she’s traveling, Henry swaps her purse for a Carhartt Classic Waist Pack. This roomy fanny pack is big enough to fit the essentials, including her wallet, headphones, earplugs, a notebook, and a travel pill case. She especially likes that she can fit the fanny pack into her backpack when it is time to board her flight.

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This rather inexpensive portable pill organizer is Henry’s go-to case.

A pill organizer is a non-negotiable essential that Henry always has on her person, whether she’s at home or abroad. This little pill case folds open to reveal 14 compartments that hold a few pills each. And it comes with blank stickers, so you can label your meds.

“It’s one of the best presents I’ve ever been given,” she said, adding that she loves being the friend who’s always prepared. “Every time I’m out with someone who’s like, ‘I wish I had Tums’ or whatever, I pull out my portable little pharmacy.”