17 Things You Need To Survive a Long-Haul Flight
There are different opinions on what a long-haul flight is. For me, I think of a long-haul flight as 6 or more hours. Honestly, I would rather have a longer flight than have many shorter, connecting flights. They can be really trying on the body though. Especially if you, like me, fly economy. The dream would be to fly first class on a long flight one day! Until then, these are some of the things that I do and use to make my long-haul flights more comfortable! (P.S. - I’ll link some of my product picks below this post.)
1) Compression Socks
I am one of those people that by the end of the day, when it’s time to take my shoes and socks off, my feet are so swollen. Compression socks on a long flight help me with comfort and circulation. Who really wants to be on a flight barefoot? And who wants to have their shoes on for that long? Not I. I always take my shoes off on the plane. If I want to stretch or go to the lavatory then I’ll put my shoes on. Even if compression socks aren’t your thing, having some sort of comfy socks (maybe a nice, fuzzy pair) for the long plane ride is a must in my book.
2) Footrest
Where are my shorties at? I am 4 foot 11.5 inches tall - with short legs and back pain. If you’re built like me, you already know where this is headed. My feet do not touch the floor on most planes. And if they do, it’s because I’m not sitting up straight, and my lower back is being strained. I love when planes have the little footrest on the bottom of the seat in front of me to sit my feet up properly. Sadly, most of the planes that I’ve been on haven’t had these. I found a footrest made for air travel on Amazon that is great to have in those situations. It hangs on the tray table arms and allows you to rest your feet or legs.
3) Aisle Seat
I’ve found that most people that don’t fly a lot, prefer the window seat. I would prefer the window seat also if I wasn’t on a long flight, but if it’s a flight longer than 3 hours - I need the aisle. I want to be able to get up, go to the lavatory, and stretch my legs easily without having to ask people to move. The only exception for me here is if I’m traveling with someone else. I would sit next to someone that I was traveling with and let them have the aisle seat, but would prefer two aisle seats over this option also.
4) Sleep Mask
I don’t always use a sleep mask on flights, but when the airline provides one, I love it. When you’re traveling through different time zones they may turn on the lights when you still want to sleep and having that sleeping mask is very nice. It’s also just hard in general sometimes to get comfortable and fall asleep on a plane, but if you’re in the sky for a long time, trust me you’re going to want to get some shut eye.
5) Pillows
You cannot survive a long-haul flight without a pillow. Airlines usually give you a pillow for these longer flights, but they aren’t the best. I use them as extra cushion for what I bring myself. You know those donut travel pillows that go around your neck? Well, I usually travel with two of those for longer flights. I use one for my neck and one to sit on! Yes, I sit on one! I get tailbone pain pretty easily, and this really helps to alleviate that. If you have room, can swing it, or just always travel with your personal bed pillow, I would suggest that too. There may have been only one time that I traveled with one of my bed pillows, but it was a real comfort.
6) Blanket
Like with pillows, airlines often provide a small blanket for longer flights. Again, if you have room, bring your own. The airplane blankets are usually small and thin. Purchasing or bringing your own blanket from home would be worth it for a long-haul flight because we know how cold planes can get!
7) Layers
When in doubt, wear layers. If you don’t have room to bring a blanket (or even if you do), consider wearing layers. I usually travel in sweatpants and a hoodie or sweatshirt, but I either have clothes that I can change into in my bag or shorts and a tee underneath just in case I do get hot.
8) Entertainment
A long-haul flight without some entertainment is absolutely miserable. You will get bored quickly and exhausted if you’re just sleeping the whole time. The best thing for me about these flights is that they usually have the small screens on the seat in front of mine that has movies, games, flight status, etc. I can’t tell you how many movies that I’d wanted to see in the theater but never actually saw it until I traveled somewhere and watched it on the plane! It’s definitely my favorite part of traveling far. I just love watching movies. If movies and TV are not your jam, you may consider bringing a book, word puzzles, laptop, or tablet. It will help your time move by much quicker.
9) Your Own Headphones
The dreaded airplane headphones. Okay, I’m just being dramatic. These days they’re not that bad. I don’t like when they have the little ear buds without the soft, squishy part on them that goes into your ear. In recent years, I have seen many airlines switch to these. Nevertheless, it’s never a bad idea to bring your own just in case. You may want noise cancelling ones also.
10) WiFi
If you decide that you want to use your laptop, phone, or tablet while you’re traveling by air, I suggest that you pay for WiFi. I’ve paid for WiFi a few times in my years of travel. It is a nice-to-have on the really long flights. Like that one time I traveled 10 hours to Seoul directly followed by another 11 to Bali. It helps to pass some of the time being able to chat with friends and family via messenger or even scroll on social media. It’s not a need-to-have for me on shorter flights though.
11) Cleansing Wipes
Airplanes can be gross, and being on a flight for a long time can make you feel gross. I love traveling with cleansing wipes for when I need to wash my hands and there’s no bathroom. It also feels good to just freshen up while I’m on the plane or when connecting at a different airport.
12) Hand Lotion
A huge must-have for me when traveling via air is hand lotion. The plane and traveling for a long time will dehydrate you with a quickness. Every time I go to the lavatory, I need to lotion up or my hands will be so dry that it’s uncomfortable. Don’t skip this one!
13) Lip Balm
I don’t think I ever leave my house without lip balm, let alone try to survive a long-haul flight on the cold, dry plane without it. Just bring it.
14) Water
As mentioned above, you will get dehydrated on the plane and while traveling much easier than you would on any regular day. While you can’t pack water because it wouldn’t be allowed through security, you can bring a water bottle to fill up at the airport or buy a large water once you’ve made it through security to carry onto the plane with you. I usually do the latter.
15) Snacks
Bring your own snacks! You will get meals and small snacks on the longer flights included, but it’s honestly never enough for me. I like being able to have snacks easily available to me, that I actually picked out, to eat whenever I want. Most solid and sealed foods are accepted through security, but just be sure to double check on your country’s airport security website beforehand. If you don’t actually pack snacks from home, again, you can buy some at the airport.
16) A Pen
Yes, a pen. If you’re traveling on a long-haul flight, you’re more than likely traveling internationally. This means that you’re going to have to fill out immigration, customs, and arrival forms of some sort. It’s the worst when you forget a pen and have to ask and wait to use someone else’s. So, be sure to bring your own!
17) A Well-Packed and Organized Bag
This is probably the most overlooked must-have for a longer flight. Pack your carry-on bag and personal item with intention. While you pack, think about what things you will need to have easy access to. For example, I travel with my mini Away case at the top of my personal item because it hold my hand lotion, lip balm, hair ties, and any meds that I have. It’s the most annoying thing to me to have to get anything out of my larger bag because I’m so short. I don’t want to have to take my bag out of the overhead bin. Anything I think I’ll need throughout the flight, goes in my personal item (usually my Little America Herschel backpack which fits quite a bit). My little donut pillows that I talked about above also have a snap closure that allows me to snap them onto my backpack, saving me some space inside my bags.
These things have helped me survive many long-haul flights over the years. They’ve helped me not only survive the flight, but enjoy it with comfort and ease. I hope you found some helpful takeaways from this post!
Sending love as always,
Ellie
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