These are my favourite pajamas of all time. The only others that come close are the polka dot nighties my mom made for me when I was a kid – she had to make a second one when I grew out of the first one – that were nearly identical to this adult version. They are light, elegant and modest enough to wear when travelling with friends of the opposite gender. And the best part is, I got them on sale for only $8! Of course I knew I had to pack them for a girl’s week in Panama with my mom to celebrate her 50th birthday.

It was my second ever airplane trip and my first since the year 2000. I was clueless when it came to packing my carry-on bag and the contents read like a list of my favourite things:

• snacks for the plane (beef jerky and blueberry Greek yogurt granola bars)
• one DSLR camera (Nikon D5100)
• one waterproof disposable camera (Fujifilm QuickSnap Waterproof)
• two books (Philip Hoare’s The Whale: In Search of the Giants of the Sea and Alice Munro’s Lives of Girls and Women)
• one pair of sunglasses
• two pairs of pajamas (including these)
• one blouse

I would have been in a whole lot of trouble if the airline had lost my suitcase, but I would have saved my most cherished possessions from a life in The Land of Lost Luggage.

Pajamas ModCloth (old)
Velcro Rollers Shoppers Drug Mart (Pink & Blue)

All photos by me.