No matter the occasion, there are some things you should always have in your carry-on, especially on long flights.

The first indispensable carry-on item: a cell phone. Although obvious, the need to travel with a carry-on that is already packed to the gills may lead travelers to ditch their phone with their checked luggage. In the off chance the airline loses your luggage, you have a lifeline. Your smartphone also doubles as an entertainment center, allowing travelers to listen to music and podcasts in flight.

Looking past the seemingly obvious, headphones are essential. While often provided on longer flights, if the aircraft is equipped with TV, movies or music, headphones also connect you to the media you carried on — a must-have on any flight.

Traveling for business or on short notice? It can be difficult to grab everything you need for your travel. Instead of carrying a laptop with you, grab a tablet. Tablets have all of the versatility of a laptop at about one third of the size. Many tablets have attachable keyboards, making working on the go that much simpler.

Combat the pressure of flying with a pack of gum. The pack will likely not take up a lot of room and will still give you something to help relieve the pressure that builds as the plane ascends and descends.

Traveling light has its benefits. The luggage you do have is physically lighter and you have fewer pieces of luggage to keep track of.