With more than 4 years as full-time travelers and nearly a decade of full-time travel blogging under our belts, we have experienced more than our share of long flights–and as a result, weāve developed an extensive list of long haul flight essentials and air travel tips to keep our travel days running as smoothly as possible.
In the very first version of this blog post that I wrote shortly after beginning our full-time travels, hereās how I summarized the behind-the-scenes of the one-way ticket journey that started it all for us:
āThirty. Eight. Hours. From leaving the house at 4:30 AM to arriving at an Airbnb flat almost 2 days later, thatās the approximate amount of time that Jeremy and I spent traveling from San Antonio to Madrid.
Iām not going to sugarcoat it: it was brutal. In a few years, Iām sure weāll decide that a couple of 6-hour layovers and an additional 2-hour layover, 4 planes, and a day and a half worth of travel time are in no way worth saving hundreds of dollars on airfare. But right now, weāre young, crazy, and (sort of) frugal. So! The nightmarish layover battle began.ā
My prediction was right: these days, weāve been on enough uncomfortable, excessively long journeys that we try to limit them wherever possible, but long flights spent crisscrossing oceans and continents are still a fact of life for us.
Hereās what weāve learned along the way–and what you need to know about long haul flights, from how to choose your travel essentials for the plane to what to wear.
Table of Contents
What to Pack Your Long Haul Flight Essentials In
We donāt get too fancy with our personal item bags, and unless youāre a very heavy packer and need to fit lots of weight into a small space, we donāt think you need to, either.
We use this Pacsafe backpack as a personal bag and throw the bulk of our travel essentials for the plane in there, while a few others float around in my smaller Osprey day bag.
If youāre in the market for a new bag, we highly recommend our Pacsafe backpack if you’re looking for something more substantial and my Osprey bag if you’re looking for something that carries a laptop plus a handful of other flight essentials.
That being said, any school-sized backpack or messenger bag that comfortably fits under an airplane seat will do–we used my old Northface Jester backpack for years and loved that one as well!
As far as actual carry-on luggage, we rarely travel carry-on only (and packing for that is a bit beyond the scope of this blog post), but this simple suitcase serves me well when I do.
Long Haul Flight Essentials: What to Bring Onboard
Eye Mask
Iām a recent convert to using eye masks, but they make such a difference and have skyrocketed up the list to be one of my most important long haul flight essentials.
Itās amazing how much easier it is to sleep on planes with the light of the world firmly shut out–and as a bonus, they often come in handy once you land, too, as a frustrating number of hotels have some sort of bright and/or blinking light visible in the room at night.
This eye mask is my favorite in recent years, and comes with me on every trip.
Shop the eye mask I love today!
Compression Socks (or Cozy Socks)
Wearing your shoes for the entirety of a long plane ride can be incredibly uncomfortable, but touching the plane floor with your bare feet is also justā¦ ew, no.
The solution? Cozy, comfortable socks that can be easily washed after wrapping up your long travel day.
If youād prefer, you may want to swap typical cozy socks for compression socks for an extra layer of comfort and protection.
Personally, I swapped to wearing these compression socks on long flights when I was pregnant and will never go back.
Whichever you choose, just please donāt be one of those people that donāt put their shoes back on to go to the bathroom–I can think of few things less sanitary than an airplane bathroom floor.
Comfortable Jacket or Pullover
Jacket, pillow, blanket: a basic, cozy jacket or pullover can serve many purposes on a plane.
My Northface fleece pullover, which is an older version of this one has come with me on countless flights over the last 15 years or so, and it is one of my longest running long haul flight essentials.
Moisturizer + Hand Lotion
Nothing dries out my skin quite as fast as the dry, recycled air of an airplane–and a few hours into a long haul flight, Iām always so grateful to be able to slather some extra moisturizer on my skin.
You can always purchase travel-sized containers if you prefer, but I personally like to fill these reusable silicone containers with my products from home.
I’ve used them on everything from hand lotion to dish soap, and they have held up great!
Vaseline or Lip Balm
Your face and hands arenāt the only things to get dried out on long haul flights!
Throw a small container of Vaseline (Iāve carried this size when traveling for years) or lip balm into your bag of in flight essentials to ensure you donāt land in your destination with chapped lips.
Hand Sanitizer
Hereās the deal: airports and airplanes are kind of disgusting.
Add in close proximity to hundreds of people, sleep deprivation, completely stressing out your body by changing time zones, and hours and hours of breathing recycled air, and itās way too easy to end up sick after a long flight.
We consider hand sanitizer one of our most important long haul flight essentials–and it comes in handy once you reach your destination(s), too.
(In 2024, it seems almost quaint to highlight this… but the original version of this blog post long predates 2020).
Mouthwash
I promise, brushing your teeth in an airplane bathroom is justā¦ not worth it. On a layover, maybe.
But before you land, well. Nothing smells quite like travel breath after a solid 12+ hours in transit, some of that including sleep.
It is not a good smell, and your travel companion(s) will thank you for adding a small bottle of mouthwash to your list of travel essentials for the plane.
Reusable Water Bottle
Having your own water is absolutely a long haul flight essential!
Even if youāre flying with an airline that provides complimentary drinks and the attendants are liberal with the refills, those tiny plastic cups of water are not nearly enough to keep you going, and nothing says dehydration like hours out of your normal routine at 30,000 feet.
Keep it empty until after security, of course, lest it end up in a pile of trash as you go through the line.
Weāre partial to metal water bottles for travel as theyāre durable and easy to clean (this is mine, and I love it), but some light packers prefer to bring a collapsible water bottle instead.
Hair Ties
If you have long hair, extra hair ties are an absolute must as far as in flight essentials go.
Theyāre inexpensive, take up basically no space, and there are few things more aggravating than your one-and-only hair tie rolling away in the first couple hours of a 10-hour long flight (ask me how I know).
I bought a pack of these satin hair ties a couple of years ago and am still working through them–they’re gentle, durable, and comfortable all at the same time.
Entertainment
While wifi is generally available on flights now, itās still often both slow and/or expensive.
Even as a full-time travel blogger, I basically never work online during flights for those reasons.
Offline entertainment is the way to go: in-flight movies are a decent option, but usually not enough to keep you entertained for 8+ hours.
While you can certainly download some movies and shows to your phone before boarding, this is also an excellent excuse to read to a book, solve some puzzles (I personally love Sudoku), or play other offline phone games.
If youāve never tried out Kindle Unlimited or Audible, this may also be the perfect time to start a free trial!
Chewing Gum
Jeremy swears by chewing gum to help relieve pressure in his ears and counts it among his personal travel essentials for the plane.
It also serves a second purpose: mildly improving your breath for the benefit of those locked in a very small space with you.
A Pen
On a long haul flight abroad, it’s very possible that youāll be handed a landing card to fill out with essential details like why youāre visiting the country, where youāre staying, and personal information.
Itās much easier to handle this on the plane with your own pen than having to wait until you deplane or try to borrow someone elseās!
Plus, if youāre anything like me, you may want to doodle or write notes during your long flight anyway.
Travel Insurance
We donāt ever suggest traveling without travel insuranceāanything can happen on the road, and traveling abroad is a case of better safe than sorry.
If your flight gets dramatically delayed, your luggage is delayed (it has happened to us three times and counting) or, worst-case scenario, lost, you’ll be so glad you have travel insurance to save the day.
You can check travel insurance policy inclusions and prices for your trip here.
External Battery Charger
While more and more planes (and airports) have USB ports to charge your electronics these days, theyāre still far from a guarantee–and thereās no telling what your long haul flight situation will be like until you board.
A much better plan than relying on luck is to follow one of our favorite long flight tips and simply bring your own (backup) portable charger.
Theyāre relatively cheap and easy to pack, and can be a lifesaver while you are on the road and need to turn on your phone that has the only copy of your boarding pass.
This one is an excellent option.
Snacks
Take it from the woman who once, in complete desperation, paid something like 11 Euro for the worldās worst microwaved pizza on a transatlantic flight: put decent snacks on your long haul flight essentials list and be sure you bring enough.
This is especially important for budget fliers, because on those flights?
Even crossing an ocean doesnāt entitle you to a meal as part of your ticket.
Headphones
Thereās something incredibly peaceful about slipping on a pair of comfortable headphones and disappearing into your own world while on a long plane ride.
Flights are inevitably quite loud, even just from an ambient noise perspective, and when you can put that behind you, the entire journey becomes much more peaceful.
Jeremy and I both use these wireless headphones when traveling, and we love them enough that we’ve even paid to replace them a couple of times (Ranger got his teeth on a pair as a puppy, and one set was left in a hotel room in South Dakota).
Want something cheap and not at all stressful to travel with?
These will be much more comfortable for watching in flight movies than the uncomfortable pairs that the airlines tend to pass out (if they even do anymore–we’ve been on some flights that have headphones available for purchase instead).
Basic Medication
Donāt find yourself stuck in the air with a raging headache and no way to alleviate it!
I always throw some basic pain medication like ibuprofen or acetaminophen into my in flight essentials bag.
Keep in mind that as far as long flight tips go, technically speaking youāre not allowed to carry medication through security not in its original packaging.
In my experience, itās essentially never a problem, but be aware that there is always the risk the meds will have to be thrown out if theyāre not in their original containers (so maybe donāt take important prescription meds out of their bottles).
Long Flight Tips + Tricks
Sleep if you can.
Without a doubt, the most comfortable way to deal with a long haul flight is simply to sleep through it.
Wrap yourself in your jacket, put on your eye mask, maybe take melatonin if thatās your style, and do everything you can to rest.
Skip the makeup.
This is a personal preference, of course, but long haul flights are the absolute perfect time to forego makeup.
Itāll dry out your skin and make it hard to moisturize, possibly make you break out, and by the halfway point in your flight, itāll be a mess anyway.
Looking like youāre a half-delirious zombie after finishing a long haul flight is practically inevitable, so make the whole process easier on yourself by rolling with it from the beginning.
Stick with comfortable clothes on long flights.
Think leggings or your most comfortable pants, shoes that are well-broken in, and loose, comfortable tops.
What might be perfectly comfortable to wear on a normal day can become insanely aggravating by the end of a long flight where you could easily be in the same clothes for 20-40 hours at a time, so stick with your most tried-and-true basics.
Ideally, go for breathable fabrics that are easy to layer, so you can add and subtract warmth as necessary.
These days, Iāve been wearing these leggings and a casual, 100% cotton t-shirt like this on long flights.
Donāt get dehydrated.
Itās so, so easy to end up dehydrated on planes: no matter how generous the flight attendants are with refilling the tiny plastic cups offered onboard, itās not enough to stay hydrated on a long haul flightā¦ and thatās assuming youāre choosing to drink water from those cups to begin with.
We mentioned bringing a reusable water bottle above, but seriously: if you make sure itās full before you board your plane and make a point to drink it all while onboard, your body will thank you.
Stretch as often as you can.
Sitting for hours on end in a cramped airplane seat is terrible for your body, so make use of extra bathroom breaks and stretch as often as you can.
Iām absolutely militant about this long flight tip, especially after reading one too many horror stories about pulmonary embolisms, and it definitely helps with flight soreness and fatigue.
Take long walks during your layovers.
Once you deplane and walk, bleary-eyed and exhausted, into an unfamiliar airport for a (potentially long) layover, the temptation to book it right to a lounge or to a meal can be intense.
And, while those are both excellent ideas for how to spend a long layover, your body will thank you for taking a long walk and letting your body stretch out first.
Have a plan for when you land.
Metro, bus, taxi, rental car?
Know exactly how youāll be getting from the airport to the hotel before you arrive, and your long travel day will be much easier for it.
The sad fact is that when youāre exhausted, jetlagged, and coming off of an exhausting day of long haul flights, thatās exactly when youāre most vulnerable to things like taxi scams, especially if youāre in a new destination.
Before leaving on your trip, make one of your long haul flight essentials a plan.
If you know what to expect upon landing and exactly what fair prices for different services are, your travel day will be much less stressful–and after all, the whole point of voluntarily suffering through long haul flights is to reach the other end and have the stress-free trip of a lifetime!
Read More About Traveling the World
With more than 500 blog posts covering 50 countries and counting, Our Escape Clause has quite the archive to peruse!
You can browse our destinations page to seek out blog posts about where you’re headed, or use the search bar (top right of the screen on desktop, or as part of the pop-out menu if you’re using your phone) to see if we’ve written about somewhere specific.
You also might like to check out these guides:
- How to Budget for a Trip: The Easiest Travel Budgeting Method (+ Tips!)
- 13 Minimalist Traveling Tips for Living Out of a Backpack
- 35 Best Cities to Visit in Europe (Bucket List for City Lovers!)
- 9 Ways Long Term Travel is Cheaper Than You Think
- How Choosing a Life of Travel Changed Everything
Great information and can be chosen out one of helpful article specially for travelling for a long time, Included all the important things to carry and explained well, Thanks so much for the great advice. Iā am always on the lookout for travel tips, This article is a huge help.