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Saturday, September 17, 2022

My 5 Must-Have Travel Items for Long Flights

I love going far away from home, but this also comes with the price of being on the plane for long periods of time. This means, the more comfortable you can get, the better you flight will be. I'm not talking about taking off your shoes and socks and stretching out an annoying your seatmates. 

Comfort is relative when you fly, and here are my 5 must-have travel items that help me fly better when going long distances.

Comfort is relative when you fly, and here are my 5 must-have travel items that help me fly better when going long distances.

A Good Travel Pillow

I can sleep anywhere, but the difference between sleep and good quality sleep is huge. There are a ton of travel pillows out there, 90% of which are all exactly the same. I have tried so many and and finally settled on my favorite one, but yours might be different. Three of the best, in my opinion are: 
If sleeping on the plane is hard for you, then maybe you just have the wrong pillow. You want to support your neck and make sure you aren't slouching, which can kill your back. You'll be surprised how much better you feel after hours of uninterrupted snoozing. I've been known to sleep for 5-6 hours straight on an overnight flight, and Eric only got up once to go to the restroom, which was a miracle for him, because he's such a light sleeper. 

Airplane Pocket

So, three things: 1 - the seatback pocket is very small. 2 - you can't see through it, so it's easy to forget things in there when you get off the plane. 3 - it's disgusting. Like, it almost never gets cleaned, so it may have just had a dirty diaper in it. 

There's a solution! And it's called Airplane Pockets. These antimicrobial pockets slip over the seatback tray, making it germ-free, and has a big pocket and three small pockets in front of it to keep everything you want right where you need it. No more stretching to be able to get to your bag under your seat. And when your flight is over, just slip it off, fold it over and shove it right in your carry-on. 

Travel Blanket or Wrap

You never know what the plane atmosphere will be. Sometimes it's hot, sometimes it's cold, but I always plan for it to be colder than expected, and a wrap or travel blanket can be a savior in a lot of situations. I prefer a shawl/wrap, because a large one can work the same as a blanket, but you can also use it for a multitude of other things at your destination: a wrap, a scarf, a sarong, a towel, a picnic blanket. My top 3 recommendations:
Honorable mention: I usually get comfortable on the plane by bringing either some soft, fuzzy socks (the kind with grippy bottoms that you wear around the house) or house shoes like moccasins. This allows my feet to not be confined in shoes and helps me relax a little more. **Please don't just take off your shoes and go barefoot in the plane.**

Reusable Water Bottle

The drink cart comes around a lot less in the middle of the night, but it's not always on your schedule anyway. We carry two reusable bottles when we travel and fill them with cold water before we get on the plane. This means your water is cold throughout the flight (longer if you put ice in there) and you can stay hydrated no matter the day or night. It's also a great thing to have on your trip. We bring along a water bottle tote, so we we aren't constantly buying drinks while we're out and about. It's a great money-saver. I like Laken (my personal favorite in 17oz) and S'well, but I know others prefer Hydroflask or other popular brands.

Honorable mention: If getting to sleep is an issue for you, then I highly recommend Dream Water. You can buy the little bottles at most Hudson News shops in the airport, or you can do what I do and get the packets that you add to your water. It's a tasty, natural sleep aid that helps you drift off normally. And I just saw that they have gummies now! I'm gonna try them and report back.

Here you can see my charging cord that I was just using

Portable Charger

Nothing's worse than trying to play a game or listen to music or watch a show or take notes and your phone dies. Not all airplanes have power sources and I've been on some that did, but the one at my seat was broken. I like to listen to podcasts to fall asleep or relax and being able to do so requires battery power. Keep your phone charged, even on a long flight, so you can chill out with your Calm App or whatever with a a good portable charger. I just bought this one and it's hefty, but will also charge your phone, like, 3-4 times over.

Add a bag of snacks to your carry-on and you're as ready as you're going to be for a comfortable long-haul flight. What are your must-have travel items for long plane rides?

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