Welcome to "Traveling With The 99%," our new guide to getting the most out of your holiday travel—whether you're going by plane, train, boat, or automobile. Today's topic: essential gear.

As you may have read this week, beloved actor and Ted Kennedy fetishist Alec Baldwin made news when he was kicked off an American Airlines flight Tuesday. No, it wasn't a Kevin Smith situation (Alec's actually looking pretty trim these days), but instead because he supposedly couldn't stop playing Words With Friends on his iPhone.

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Was he being "extremely rude and offensive," as AA claims, or does he merely know the same thing we do: that there are certain essential travel items that are worth getting kicked off a plane for? Here, now, are our choices for eight such items that we wouldn't travel without.

[Go HERE to see "Traveling With The 99%": A Handy Guide To Onboard Drinking!]

[Alec Baldwin photo via]