Lauren Chan is a model, and Founder/CEO of Henning, the fashion-forward workwear company, selling clothes sizes 12 and up. Originally from Toronto, Lauren now lives in NYC, and was the fashion editor at Glamour before starting her business. When she isn’t working on gorgeous pieces for her line, Lauren enjoys collecting paintings of her adorable dog, Pepper. Wondering what this on-the-go entrepreneur packs in her bag when she’s traveling? She tells us all of her must-haves below.
How often do you travel? 
I travel at least monthly, sometimes a few times in the span of weeks. Mostly the trips are within the US for work and home to Canada for fun.
What type/brand of bag do you use as your carry-on? What do you like about the bag?
I currently use the Away Carry-On with Pocket. I was using the brand’s Carry-On before and didn’t like it at all—it drove me nuts to open my entire suitcase when I needed to pull my laptop out in the security line. The version with the front pocket is perfect for easy access.
What I put in it:

  1. Cabeau Classic Travel Pillow. This pillow is dense and sturdy enough to actually support my head while I sleep.
  2. Bose SoundSport Wireless Headphones. I used to always forget headphones for trips—now, I just keep this pair in my luggage. I like that they’re Bluetooth so I won’t get tangled in the wire, but I like that, unlike Air Pods, there’s no way they’ll fall out and have me crawling on the floor looking for one.
  3. Amazon Kindle Paperwhite. If a flight is longer than two movies, I prefer to read. Somehow, three movies seems like an unbearable amount of time! The books I’ve read recently and loved are Dietland and Dark Places.
  4. Mophie Powerstation Plus XL. I usually pre-download some series and movies that I’ve been meaning to watch on Netflix for my flights, but if the plane doesn’t have an outlet, my phone will be dead when I land (speaking from experience). So now I keep a Mophie in my bag.
  5. Henning Trench Coat. I hate having an uncomfortable jacket like a leather one or a too-big one like a parka. My Henning trench is perfect: warm but easy-wearing. And it can be worn backwards like a blanket!
  6. Danse Lente Margot Tote. This isn’t inside my carry-on, but I bring it on the plane with me. I like that it’s structured, so when it’s under the seat, it doesn’t collapse and things can’t fall out. In it are (typically) my wallet, keys, passport, and visa. You’d be surprised how many times I’ve forgotten one of those things…
  7. Visine Totally Eye Relief Drops. Contact lenses + recycled plane air = uncomfortably dry eyes. I always carry a bottle of Visine because my eyes can be unbearably irritated after flying—especially after a red-eye flight (there’s a red eyes joke in there somewhere).
  8. Glossier Balm Dotcom in Original. Planes also dry out my skin, so I usually apply a layer of Glossier’s Balm Dotcom in original before takeoff. Oddly, I’ve found that it’s a better moisturizer than any of the other flavors or tints.
  9. Amika Perk Up Dry Shampoo. Planes also make my hair pretty greasy, pretty fast. I often have a travel-sized bottle of dry shampoo in my carry-on. My favorite is by Amika because it smells incredible.
  10. Listerene Cool Mint Breath Strips. Safe to say: I have never not needed a breath strip post-flight!