Being a New Zealand based travel blogger, long haul international flights are hard to avoid – unless I only want to visit Australia or a Pacific island.
So given that we’re usually 10-12 hours from anywhere (or 17 hours if I want to fly on Air New Zealand direct to New York!), it’s a long journey anywhere for us. Over 24+ hours door to door to Europe.
Incidentally, the longest flight in the world is JFK to Singapore, taking a whopping 18 hours and 40 minutes.
Not all of us are lucky enough to turn left and lie down in Business Class, and while we wish we could slip up top for a little nap in crew rest like the flight attendants do, most of us are stuck in Economy Class.
But don’t worry, here are my tried and true, never fail, essential items that I take to handle a long haul flight like a boss!
My long-haul flight essentials
Generally speaking, depending on what type of ticket you’ve bought, you’ll be allowed one carry-on bag and one personal item. Of course this varies if you hold a good airpoints rank, or what type of seat you’ve bought.
I take a beach bag (a large tote bag) as a carry-on bag to fit all the below in, plus my lap top. I usually push it under the seat in front of me too for easy access throughout the flight. And it’s a great way to sneak through with a rolling cabin bag too, as it can double as my personal item with my handbag inside!
And here’s a pro tip: don’t sit in the front row where you don’t have a pocket in the back of the seat in front of you. You’ll want to be able to grab some of these things easily from your hand luggage.
Here are my carry-on essentials
1 Neck pillow
The travel neck pillow is a must-have, but here’s a tip: make sure it has a fastener in the front to ensure it doesn’t fall off mid-sleep, mid-flight. The fastener is also handy for clipping it around your bag handle for easy transport without taking up space inside.
My favourite type of travel pillow is a memory foam one and after years of using a micro bead and then a memory ring-shape, I’m now hooked on the neck-brace-like Cabeau pillow. It takes a plane ride to get used to, but the reason I like it so much is because it sits quite high up the cheeks so your neck can easily relax and you can sleep.
And if you’re worried about falling sideways on to the person next to you, the new version has straps to attach the pillow to the headrest if you want to – and you’re tall enough!
You can buy it on Amazon, or if you’re in New Zealand, I have them in my Travel Store.
2 Slippers or thick, warm socks
I whip my shoes off the minute I get into my seat and pop my slide slippers on (just ones from hotels are a good idea here). If you just wear socks make sure you have an extra layer for walking into potentially icky bathrooms!
3 Compression Socks
A pair of compression socks are an absolute essential for a long trip, especially if you might be prone to blod clots with hours of inactivity. They’re useful for pregnant women, those who’ve had surgery and if you get swollen ankles or legs due to the altitude and cabin pressure. They help to gently keep the blood flow nice and steady.
4 Ear Buds
I only use my noise cancelling headphones for the in-flight entertainment while I’m wide awake and watching a movie because I find they don’t stay on well with my travel pillow.
With ear buds (wired or wireless) you can pop them in and they are pretty uncomfortable to sleep in. Just use your ear buds from your cell phone and they usually fit in the plug hole.
5 Noise-Canceling Headphones
These are really great for blocking out the loud engine noise, although I don’t mind that so much as it’s consistent white noise. But for the screaming baby or the man two rows behind who sneezes the whole cabin awake, these are game-changers. I’m using Panasonic, my husband uses Bose. They’re all good, I find.
6 Sleep Mask
I use a satin eye mask that is super soft and great for blocking out the light. My routine is once I’ve eaten, been to the bathroom, fastened my neck pillow, I pop it on so I am not disturbed by people’s screens or cabin lights.
7 Ear Plugs
As opposed to Ear Buds (above), once I’m ready for a sleep, I use the squishy, putty kind of ones that I can mold in my hand and then poke into my ear canal. The best way to get near total silence is to squish the rest in for a good seal. I use them at home too when the husband snores!
These are not only essential for a long haul flight, but handy for hotels too when you might have a noisy air conditioning unit, or a busy street below.
8 Your Face!
I find the dry air on an airplane is really harsh, so I will make sure I have a flavorless lip balm on me, and even poke it into the seat pocket in front of me for quick application. Eye drops are also a good idea, and a little tube of hand moisturiser. Some people like to pack some face wash. I’ve even done a face mask (to kill some time), but I found it got really cold!
9 Water bottle
Another thing in my seat pocket is a reusable water bottle. I like a slim insulated bottle to keep my water chilled (fill it up air side or on the plane when the meal service comes along). I just sip on it throughout the night without having to bing-bong the hosties when I get thirsty for a cup of water – that I then must finish before I can go back to sleep lest it spills!
10 Take a sleeping tablet!
This is a tip for both the flight, and also to avoid jet lag when I get to my destination as I come to grip with the change in time zones.
I used to use a doctor-prescribed sleeping tablet. But these days I’m in the US often enough, so I just pick up Advil PM or Melatonin (10mg if I can get it) from CVS stores, Walgreens, etc.
Assuming I’m on a night flight, I take one after my dinner, which is about two hours in, and that usually gives me around 4-6 hours of good sleep.
Another pro tip is to take another tablet the first night in your hotel room – even if you’re feeling tired – because that way you will get a good few hours sleep and not spring awake at 3am and not be able to get back to sleep.
Make sure you try it out at home first. It might not agree with you and there’s nothing worse on a long flight than the restless leg thing!
11 Power Bank
I’ve listed the power bank here, becasue it’s not allowed to be in checked in luggage. It must be in hand luggage. I don’t use it on the plane, but you’ll want it in your bag.
12 Document Travel Wallet
All my important documents: passort, travel insurance, print out of vaccincations (just in case I need to show it), plus my boarding pass and baggage tag receipt, is in a lovely Letter-size travel documents wallet. I love it. It has my initials on it 😀
13 Change of Clothes
This is a helpful tip in case your luggage doesn’t arrive when you do. It can happen! (Apple Air Tags are helpful here). I don’t usually pack a full change of clothes, but I will throw in a spare pair of knickers and a top, in case I’m caught out.
You might like to read my list of travel accessories here, not just for the flight but the whole trip.
Two cheeky long haul flight tips
So now you know what to take on your long flight to make yourself as comfy as is possible cooped up in Economy, here are two quick tips…
How to Get a Great Seat On A Plane
Assuming upgrading isn’t an option, the first thing to do is get the best seat you can. I have a few of tips for getting the best seat on a plane in this post, but here are two:
1. When you check in online, if you have the chance to reserve your seat and you are travelling with a companion, book the window and aisle and leave the middle free. If the flight is not full no one in the right mind will choose a middle seat.
2. Choose a seat down the back of the plane. That way your chances of having someone sit in the middle are more remote and also they tend to fill from the front first. Of course if someone does get assigned to sit in between you, you can always offer them the window or aisle if you want to sit together.
I personally like a window seat so I can make a little “nest” and lean against the wall sometimes.
Check out Seat Guru to see what the seat configuration is on your flight.
Loosen Your Seatbelt
I wrote this post about 17 Things To Do on a 17 Hour Flight, but one more comfy tip: I make sure my seatbelt is loosened to its full extent for sleeping, and if I have the blanket out I put the seatbelt over the top so crew can see it in case of turbulence and not wake me to check.
This enables me to be safe from being jettisoned out of my seat in a sudden descent and also allows me freedom to wiggle from side to side while keeping the belt on.
And for my best travel hacks with a load more tips than this post, you can read that here…
If you’re heading off on a cruise, you will want to read my post on these 22 things NOT to do on a cruise before you go!
My favourite quick resource links
- Booking.com for hotels
- Get Your Guide for tours
- Skyscanner for flights across multiple airlines
- Expedia for flights and hotels
- Discover Cars for car rentals across multiple companies
- RentalCars.com for more car rentals and to compare above
- Amazon for my curated list of best travel items (or anything else!)
- CityPass for discounts on attractions in several US cities