Save your trip with these long-haul flight essentials! Let’s face it – long flights and international travel sucks. Staying on a plane for an extended period can leave you tired, dehydrated, uncomfortable, and even hungry. You can do things to cope with a long-haul flight on the way to your next international destination. The long-haul flight essentials listed below will help you enjoy smooth sailing while on the flight.
Don’t fear the distance between the departure and arrival signs anymore. Come to the airport prepared with these fundamental travel products. There are a lot of ways to stay fresh on a long flight. It’s time to fly smart.
Long Haul Flight Essentials
Fresh Underwear
The real secret to remaining fresh and comfortable on a long flight starts with undergarments. Carrying an extra pair of underwear is a great idea. While restrooms on planes may not be the best place to change, it’s nice to have one if you have lounge access on a layover or as a backup once you land (lost luggage).
Bombas makes it easy to nail a timeless style with its classic selection of wardrobe staples at an affordable price. They have a huge selection of styles and cuts to suit your preferences. We love Icebreaker for their wool underwear if you’re after a more technical piece of undergarments.
Underwear
Compression Socks
Sitting down is terrible for your circulation, so try standing up several times on a flight. A nice, tight-fitting pair of socks helps push the blood out of your feet to aid circulation. This is particularly important as you age and your circulation declines.
We’ve learned to love our feet with a good pair of socks. Bombas offers a great selection of travel staples; we love their socks! The high-quality socks are super comfortable and come in a fun selection of colorways and patterns. The most fantastic thing about Bombas is that essential items like socks are donated for every item you purchase. So your feet and bodies thank you, and your purchase gives back, too.
Socks
Sleep Essentials
An eye mask is beneficial for catching some sleep on a plane! We often find they’re slow to turn off lights, and there can be a lot of distractions between other screens and reading lights. Many airlines provide them free, especially if you’re flying business class. However, if you don’t want a cheap one from the airline, consider a nicer one to make your long flight just a little more enjoyable.
Earplugs are a small but useful long-haul flight essential. Airplanes are pretty noisy whether you’re flying in business class or economy. A good pair of earplugs will help you catch some important shut-eye. As a bonus, eye masks and earplugs are great for your destination in case of any pesky lights or noises in the bedroom.
Eye Mask
Earplugs
Travel Pillow
Many travelers consider the travel pillow essential for any long-haul flight. We’re mixed on the pillows. While we’ve certainly found some winning products, no miracle pillow will guarantee shut-eye on a flight. The biggest negative is that you’re stuck with the burdensome pillow once you arrive at your destination.
If you want the comforts of a travel pillow, we love the Everlasting Comfort travel pillow. The memory foam pillow has an orthopedic raised lobe that contours both sides for a comfortable rest. The high-density memory foam allows the travel pillow to conform to your neck for optimal comfort. Are you ready for the best part about this airline pillow? It has a cell phone pocket, so you can always listen to your music while walking through the terminal.
See Our Recommendations
Toothbrush
This should be a no-brainer, but don’t forget your toothbrush, as it’s essential for long-haul flights. We suggest you pack two toothbrushes: our electric toothbrushes and a backup travel toothbrush when you travel. It’s great to have the travel toothbrush in our carry-on for the plane. This way, we can brush our teeth on the plane.
Once we arrive at the destination, we always have a backup. You never know if you’ll be separated from your checked baggage. You can opt for a toothbrush cover or a nifty travel toothbrush that folds in half. We don’t recommend those disposable mini-toothbrushes, as they’re wasteful and not as effective.
Travel Toothbrush
Small toiletry Kit
It’s great to have a small toiletry kit in your bag for the flight with all your in-flight essentials. Peak Design makes an excellent small wash pouch with a hook to hang in an airplane bathroom. Items like deodorant, facial wipes, and toothpaste are a welcome way to refresh yourself. Then, you’ll want items to nourish, such as chapstick, lotion, and eye drops, as planes are notoriously dry environments.
Lastly, consider some items like cough drops, under-eye cream, or your favorite product. The little things can make a long flight much more enjoyable. Plus, you won’t feel, smell, or look like the Walking Dead when you finally reach your destination.
Toiletry Kit
Glasses & Contacts
If you wear glasses or contacts, make sure to carry backups. It’s good to have spare contacts and glasses should your eyes tire. In your toiletry kit for the plane, don’t forget to add a contact case prefilled with some fluid. It lets you remove your contacts without sticking to your eyelids for some shut-eye.
Food Accessories
Admittedly, this isn’t for everyone, but having some food accessories is a great idea for eco-friendly, budget-conscious, health-conscious, hungry, or family travelers. Humangear makes the small GoBite Kit great, providing a lightweight cutlery set. You can finish your set with a collapsible water GoCup to help reduce waste.
Humangear Food Accessories
Water Bottle
Dehydration is one of travelers’ most common challenges on long-haul flights. Airplanes are dry environments, and it is very easy to get dehydrated, which compounds the effects of jet lag. We suggest you carry a travel water bottle with you on flights. It’s a no-brainer long-haul flight essential.
A water bottle also helps reduce plastic waste, unlike the disposable plastic cups airlines use on their flights. Ask the flight attendant to fill your water bottle if you need a refill. Another great flight tip is to pick an aisle seat to make frequent bathroom trips without fear of drinking too much.
See Our Recommendations
Travel Sneakers
The perfect airport outfit exists, and it’s always essential to think about your shoe choice on top of everything. Your shoe choice depends upon your destination. It’s best to pick a comfortable shoe that is easy to slip on and off. We’ve come to love Allbirds TreeRunners as they’re easy to slip on and off for security and on the plane.
Some may shun it, but taking your shoes off on a long-haul flight is more comfortable and, like the socks, aids in circulation. We post about our favorite shoes for travel if you’re shopping.
See Our Recommendations
Noise Canceling Headphones
Almost all international flights have entertainment systems, but the headphones are often lackluster. Traveling with decent noise-canceling headphones is best to save your ears. They’re great for entertainment with long layovers. These headphones by Sennheiser may not be the best in the pack, but they’re affordable and will sound great to the average ear. For a bit more, the Sony WH-1000X are some of the best headphones available and will leave you grinning from ear to ear.
Headphones
Entertainment
It’s a great idea to bring your entertainment even though almost all long-haul flights have in-flight entertainment. The systems often have limited shows and movies, so your entertainment is excellent. A digital tablet like an iPad or Amazon Kindle Fire is a great way to bring your favorite shows on board. If you’re tired of a digital screen, carry on a book or e-reader to finally spend time reading. At the same time, you’re covering your entertainment, downloading podcasts and music so you can rest your eyes.
Journal & Pen
Keeping a journal of your travels is timeless. It helps one digest daily information and has proven mental health benefits. Moleskin’s line of journals is classic, well-made, and stylish. Sometimes, the flight gives you time to think and is the perfect time to write down your thoughts. Most importantly, don’t forget a pen to write in your journal and fill out custom declaration forms before arrival. Even if you don’t have a journal, you should have something to write with on the plane.
Moleskin Journals
Snacks
Unless you’re flying business class, airplane food is disappointing. It also lacks calories and nutrition, so we suggest you board the plane with some food. Good snacks for the plane include fresh fruit or vegetables, protein bars, dried fruit, and nuts. If it’s a really long flight, order take-away in the terminal.
More Tips For Long-Haul Flights
Travel Adaptor
When you travel internationally on most long-haul flights, you will likely need an adaptor for your electronics. We always keep one handy in our carry-on bags. That way, we can charge electronics on arrival or at the airport. (Or even worse, we cannot get our checked bags.) We recommend one that can handle a multitude of ports, as you never know if you get stuck on a connection. Check out this adapter, which is good for most of the world.
Travel Adapter
Power Bank
Travel with a power bank to ensure your phone never dies. It’s less necessary nowadays as most airlines provide entertainment systems with USB ports to charge small devices. Anker makes reliable power banks and is a great backup for charging your device.
It’s a good idea to ensure your phone remains charged before you land at your destination. As we store almost all of our reservations on the phone these days, you’ll likely need the device when you land. Our phone is our GPS, which is super important if you plan to rent a car.
Power Bank
Charging Accessories
Not everything can be charged from a power bank, which is limited to the number of charges it can hold. Anytime you check your bag, it’s a good idea to carry any necessary charging cables or USB ports to charge your electronics.
Hand Sanitizer & wipes
After the pandemic, everyone is a lot more conscious of sanitization. While the virus does not spread on surfaces, it’s still nice to have hand sanitizer. There are a ton of shared surfaces when you travel, so it’s nice to clean your hands. While at it, wipe down your armrest and anywhere else you’ll be touching on your flight.
