Carry-on bags for long flights

Although I usually travel with as small a bag as possible, last year I had a three flight journey (23 hr total) to attend my son's wedding. Being terrified of luggage not arriving I bought a small wheeled carry-on case into which I managed to get, my dress, shoes, handbag, dress for the evening do, other handbag, all my cosmetics, all necessary undergarments, four tartan ties for the groomsmen, cake topper for the cake, pashmina for the evening, kilt hose for son, ghillie shirt for son to wear in evening, along with all the usual documents, phones, etc.

Never was a case so well guarded through three different airports etc. As it happened, my big case arrived exactly as it should.

Cari
The 'special dietary requirements' food on our last flight seemed to encompass everything - my gf meals seemed to be also dairy-free, vegetarian, salt-free, sugar-free, bland, you name it they left it out so I was served a tasteless tray of cardboard and cotton-wool.

Coming back from our recent trip to Estonia I didn’t bother with the usual stuff in my carry on bag - and regretted it. We were stuck in a hotel five miles outside Amsterdam in the middle of nowhere and I hadn’t bothered to pack my usual spare undies. Three days of washing out knickers and socks each night and sleeping in the nuddy. The hotel only provided a toothbrush and a tiny tube of toothpaste.

Usually my carry on bag contains:
A complete spare change of clothes,
Spare shoes (I wear the biggest shoes/hike boots and once arrived in Las Vegas wearing winter weight clothes and hike boots. Not really the best for hot weather)
Essential medicines for the whole holiday,
Make up (I don’t take much),
iPad,
Phone,
Camera,
A bag containing the chargers for all of them,
Book,
And anything else of value which I don’t want to go astray.

I don’t carry a handbag, just a bumbag or money belt for passport, cash, cards, etc. And we also divide our clothes between the hold bags in case one goes missing. I don’t travel light!

Oh, and I take a picture of our bags while we’re standing waiting to check in. It comes in handy if a bag doesn’t arrive and they ask what the bag looks like.

The photo idea is a good one will remember that, though we usually just have a carry on if our stay is a week or less. Awkward with the liquids but not impossible.