Long Haul Flight Essentials

Flying internationally? If you are taking a longer flight (9 hours +), you are going to

need to come prepared.

Triple-check that you have your passport, visa (if needed), and wallet. You aren’t

going to go anywhere without those three things, literally.

However, you aren’t going to have a fun or bearable flight without the following five

things:

1. Disinfecting wipes

This might seem self-explanatory, but many people do not think to bring these. The last thing you want is to get sick as you are quite frankly starting your vacation. Disinfect the seat, headrest, armrests, table, and screen on your seat. These parts of the plane are never properly cleaned as flight attendants don’t have the time to disinfect them and they also aren’t getting paid when the plane is on the ground. 

2. Neck pouch/wallet

A lot of people suggest a blow-up neck pillow since you can store it easily in your suitcase. However, I don’t find a memory foam neck pillow to take up any space as many of them have button-up straps so you can attach them to your bookbag or even suitcase. TSA is not going to make you fit this pillow in your bag, so there is no need to get one that is compact. Any long flight is not comfortable without a high-quality pillow as you can not get any sleep, and the provided neck pillows on these flights just aren’t thick enough to keep you comfortable.

3. Memory foam neck pillow

A lot of people suggest a blow-up neck pillow since you can store it easily in your suitcase. However, I don’t find a memory foam neck pillow to take up any space as many of them have button-up straps so you can attach them to your bookbag or even suitcase. TSA is not going to make you fit this pillow in your bag, so there is no need to get one that is compact. Any long flight is not comfortable without a high-quality pillow as you can not get any sleep, and the provided neck pillows on these flights just aren’t thick enough to keep you comfortable.

4. Dual charger and headphone jack

If you don’t have Bluetooth earphones or don’t want to risk losing your expensive earphones in a foreign country, then bring a cheap pair of wired earbuds. Doing this, though, you will have to plug it into your charger port if you have an iPhone or similar phone. Eventually, your phone will die and you will have to decide between charging your phone or using your earbuds, but not both. An adaptor like this is compact and allows you to do both. Trust me, you will go crazy without some type of sound on the plane.

5. American snacks

Lastly, airplane food is not always good, especially if you are on a budget airline. Food tastes different at such a high elevation, and it can mess with your taste buds and stomach. The smell of the food on my flights is what made me not want to eat it. It probably would have smelled okay on the ground, but those noodles or whatever United Airlines cooked were not going in my body without puking because of what it smelled like. Yes, I had to plug my nose. However, I had some snacks from home that never let me down and were processed enough that they could not smell much different at this elevation – I am talking about you Pringles, Reeses, and Welches. Just remember to bring a variety of snacks because chocolate, for example, during a 15-hour flight is not very good either.