A simple breakdown of what goes under your seat vs. overhead—and the essentials you should never risk packing wrong. Kyley Warren July 10, 2026, 2:36 p.m. ET No matter how often I travel, packing used to trip me up every time. I’d either overpack (hello, overweight baggage fees) or under-pack and wind up panic-buying essentials the second I landed. It’s a frustrating—and expensive—cycle that a lot of travelers know all too well. But once I finally understood the difference between a personal item vs.