MUST HAVE LONG HAUL FLIGHT ESSENTIALS
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This post is about must have things to take on a long haul flight
Long-haul flights can be rough! The prospect of countless hours confined to a cramped seat at high altitudes can be daunting.
There are strategies and essentials that can transform your journey from a grueling endurance test to a comfortable and even enjoyable experience.
In this comprehensive guide, I’ll let you in on all the secrets of the must-have essentials for long-haul flights, ranging from practical items to ensure physical comfort to ingenious gadgets designed to alleviate boredom and make the hours fly by.
So sit back, relax, and prepare to discover the essential tools and techniques that will turn your next long-haul flight into a smooth and stress-free experience.
If you want to see my favourite travel resources that I use whenever I plan a solo trip to help me save money and get the most from my solo travels you can find them here.
Planning your trip? Use my favourite resources!
🏨 Accommodation : I recommend Booking.com
✈️ Flights : for the cheapest flights, I use Skyscanner
🚗 Rental Car : I recommend Rental Cars
🛡️ Travel Insurance : for the best deals I rely on HeyMondo
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Long-Haul Flight Essentials
I’ve found that the best way to enjoy a long haul flight is to get a business class seat!! I’ve done it once on a flight from New York to London on a Boeing 747 as a birthday present for my son (he’s plane obsessed and wanted to travel on a 747 so I saved for ages and figured we’d do it in style). Let me tell you that flight was a dream - all the food and drink I wanted, a fully reclining seat (it’s basically a bed), pillows, blankets… it was great! That’s not my usual style though and I’m usually an extreme budget traveller.
I’ve clocked up many 8 hour plus international flights in my time in economy and I’ve narrowed down my long haul flight essentials into this easy-to-shop blog post. If anyone ever asks me for advice on what to take on a long haul flight these are the carry-on items I recommend for every traveller embarking on a long-haul flight.
Staying Cozy Travel Essentials
I just love getting comfy and settled into a long plane journey and these products really hepl me to get comfy in my teeny little airplane seat
This classic travel wrap is the perfect item to take on the plane to keep you warm and cozy. It’s made from quality merino wool that keeps you just the right temperature and it’s great to use as a blanket across your body, a snug wrap around your neck and shoulders or you can even fold it up into a pillow. It’s also really lightweight and a great item to have with you when travelling to keep you warm on a chilly night out.
A travel pillow is an absolute essential on a long haul flight especially if you’re travelling through the night or you know you want to try and get at least some sleep on the flight. These days there are so many different designs of travel pillows but really love the Huzi Infinity pillow. You can get travel pillows that are inflatable, memory foam ones, ones that have hooks to attach to your bag. It’s all down to personal preference what you prefer. Below are some of the ones I’ve spoken to with fellow travellers about and have been recommended to me. Click the blue buttons to shop travel pillows.
A sleeping eye mask is great for shutting out any light on a long haul flight and allows you to really get some relaxation. Some airlines will give you an eye mask but I always prefer to take my own just in case.
Compression socks are a must when sitting in your economy seat for hours and hours. It’s important to always get up and move about the cabin a little on a long haul flight, but if you are stuck at a window seat, you should use these compression socks to keep blood flowing without disturbing your neighbours.
Staying Entertained Travel Essentials
Favourite entertainment items : iPad, Noise Cancelling Headphones, portable battery charger, small camera
It’s so important to bring things to keep you occupided on a long haul flight but remember it’s also a great time to just sit and be. It’s something we don’t do enough of these days and I love just sitting on a plane, staring out of the window and being with my own thoughts.
That being said I do also take (and recommend) lots of things to keep me entertained on the flight.
I always take my iPad on a flight. I use it for many different things - watching movies, writing this blog, playing games, drawing and so much more. More and more planes are eliminating seatback screens in favor of streaming services only viewed on personal devices. With over 8 hours in the air, watching an enjoyable movie is a fantastic way to pass the time.
Portable battery charger : If you’re taking electronics on the plane (and let’s be honest, who isn’t these days) it’s a good idea to take a portable battery charger. I really like this one as it’s 26800mAh which means it can charge your phone up to 7 times and it has multiple ports so I can charge both my phone and my iPad if needed.
Charging wires : Don’t forget your electronic charging cords! It will be a really long flight if all your devices run out of charge half way through.
Travel games : If you’re travelling with someone or fancy trying to get your plane neighbour to play UNO is a travel classic. I’ve played UNO all over the world with many different people from all cultures - I love it! This IQ-Puzzler is great if you’re travelling solo.
If you’re a reader taking your Kindle on a long haul flight is a no brainer. If you get KindleUnlimited you can access to millions of books for free. You can find out more about KindleUnlimited here.
Audible is great if you love listening to audio books. You can download them and listen to them on your phone to make your long haul flight go faster.
It’s a great idea to download some playlists and podcasts. You could download whatever you fancy but I’d recommend a few different things - maybe some upbeat sing-along tunes, as well as a calming, meditative playlist to help you stay relaxed if you get a bit anxious during long haul flights.
We all take our phone away with us so I love to make sure I have an offline game or two that I can play. My go tos are Idle Miner and Threes. I also love to use my flight as a time to edit my photos. If you’re photo obsessed like me you’ll have tons of photos on your phone. It’s a great thing to do on a long haul flight to organise and edit your photos. You’ll honestly wonder where the time has gone!
Staying Healthy Travel Essentials
Toiletries bag : I love packing a little toiletries bag on a long haul flight with a few essentials in including face wash, mosituriser, toothbrush, toothpaste, body/deodrant wipes and lipbalm.
Taking a reusable water bottle is vital so you can fill up at water fountains in the airport before you board the plane for your long flight. I like this foldable one that hardly takes up any space.
Electrolyte tablets to help with potential dehydration as we all get a little more dehydrated on planes than we do on land.
Collapsible cup which makes it easier to use said tablets as I can dissolve them in a little water in this cup.
Antibacterial wipes are great to take on a flight that can be used for a variety of reasons such as to give your space a bit of a clean down, use for any spills or wiping your hands.
In addition to these items that I’ve recommended, don’t forget your passport, ATM card, money belt and copies of essential travel papers and documents.
It’s a good idea to also throw a change of clothes into your hand luggage just in case your checked luggage is delayed or worse - lost!
I hope these flight essentials help you stay comfortable on your next long haul flight! To help you out the next time you’re packing for a long haul flight make sure you check out my carry on packing list here and download your FREE printable PDF packing list with a click below.
TRAVEL ESSENTIALS
Planning a trip? Here are some of the resources and tools I personally use to organise my travel plans to anywhere in world.
FLIGHTS : Find the best deals on flights using Skyscanner.
VISAS : Use iVisa to check if you need a tourist visa for wherever you’re going to and apply for an expedited visa online. Use OneWayFly to obtain proof of onward travel/hotel reservation for your visa application if needed.
TRAVEL INSURANCE : Insure your trip with my preferred insurance for single trip and annual cover HeyMondo
AIRPORT TRANSFER : Pre-book your hotel transfers from the airport.
ACCOMMODATION : Find the best hotel deals on Booking.com.
DAY TRIPS : Find the best city tours and day excursions on your travels on Viator or Get Your Guide.
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