Are you gearing up for your next long haul plane flight? Worried about being squished into an economy seat for 10 hours with nothing but the airplane food trolley coming round every few hours to have something to break up the journey?
After many years of travel, and plenty of long haul plane flights under my belt I have figured out how to make flying that much more comfortable by packing my carry on wisely and bringing all the essential entertainment, comfort and recharging items I need so that I don’t get bored!
In this guide I share all the things you need in your hand luggage to make your long haul flight more enjoyable.
Best Carry-On Backpacks
First things first, you need to select a great backpack for your flight that will make pulling out your items when you need them easy and stress free. Believe me, you don’t want to be digging to the bottom of your backpack to find your lip salve or mints when all the lights are off and everyone is sleeping. We will get onto organization within your backpack, but the first thing to select is a great pack that can fit under your seat or in the overhead and these are my faves!
Best Hardshell Carry-On Suitcases
But what if you need more than just the backpack? Ok big packer, here are a few great hardshell carry on suitcases to bring your extras in!
Remember to always check the weight and dimensions permitted on your specific airline and route. The maximum sizes can vary, so make sure to check this if you are thinking of buying any of my recommended bags! These all have dimensions 22 x 14 x 9.
Carry-On Organisation
Say goodbye to tangled cables and digging in your bag to find your charger, keep all your tech accessories organised in one bag and all your other essentials such as your beauty items in another. This will make it so much easier to find what you are looking for quickly in your carry on.
Airplane Comfort
Sleeping against an airplane window isn’t really comfortable, is it? Luckily there are so many solutions out there to help you get a good night’s rest on the plane, from a variety of neck pillows, through to foot hammocks – there are plenty of options to choose from!
Documents & Passports
Keep all your documents and passports together with a simple document organiser so you don’t have dig around in your bag as you board the flight. You can also use this to store different currencies, credit cards and a pen – you always need one so keep it handy in your organiser!
Airplane Skincare
When you plan for your trip, an inflight skincare regime might not be the first thing that comes to mind – but it should be. We lose roughly 1.6 litres of water on a 10 hr flight so keeping your body and your skin hydrated is essential. You can read my full inflight skincare recommendations in my Travel Beauty Essentials guide.
Reusable Items
Carrying reusable items on a plane will help you to avoid single use plastics. Think of all those little plastic cups that get used when water and juice is handed out – bring along you own water bottle and ask the stewardess to refill this for you instead. And you could even use your reusable cup for your gin & tonics!
Socks & Slippers
The minute I get on a plane it’s shoes off and slippers on! You don’t want to be walking to the bathroom in your socks so here are my favourites that I always carry in my hand luggage!
Sleep Tight
Whether you are travelling in the day or night, chances are you will want to block out the light and noise at some point to help you sleep better. Make sure you bring your own comfortable eye mask and earplugs. This also helps to save wasting the single use eye mask given to you by the airline.
Entertain Yourself
Unless you want to watch 10 movies in a row, most of them being the Hunger Games or another one the Marvel movies you might want to plan on bringing your own entertainment. A Kindle, iPad of even a Nintendo Switch are great ways to make the hours fly by!
Keep It Clean
Germs are everywhere, and airplanes are no exception, so make sure to bring along a few essentials to clean up your space when you sit down. Give the tray table and the seat rests a bit of a wipe down and make sure to read 15 Airlines Secrets You Need To Know Before Your Next Flight to see why!
Block Out The Noise!
Noise-cancelling headphones are a must especially on a long haul flights. Here are my tried and tested favourites!
Don’t Run Out Of Juice
There is nothing worse than running out of battery on your iPad when you are on the last episode of the season of Game of Thrones so make sure to bring a portable charger. Most airplanes on long haul flights have chargers in the seats but I often find it easier to use my portable since I will have this in my hand luggage anyway (note – you are not permitted to check any power banks in your checked luggage and these must be in carry on).
We hope that this article has helped you discover all the essential gear you need for your next long haul flight. If you have any questions or have your own recommendations please leave these in the comments below.
We Are Travel Girls Founder Becky van Dijk of BeckyvanDijk.com
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