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.

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: 

• FaceCradle (my personal fave)
• Trtl Pillow
• Travelon Somniwrap

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:

• The Wayfarer Wrap from Happyluxe
• Travelon Packable Travel Blanket
• Pangwangle Essential Wrap

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?

Ghost Hunting On Vacation

I've been known to go on ghost tours and visit supposed haunted sites when on vacation, and even when I'm at home. It doesn't have to be Halloween. I love hearing stories from the past and how those that have passed on have stuck around as echoes of themselves to spend their afterlife in the company of the living. If you are looking for some of the most haunted places to visit on your travels, here's a whole list for you.

Photo credit

I've been to 4 of the 15 listed (Catacombs, Mary King's Close, Tower of London, Queen Mary) and have been open to seeing/feeling ghosts, but didn't have the fortune of an encounter.  It may be a matter of there always being too many people around, or maybe they were shy on the day I visited, or maybe I just didn't notice them there. Whatever it was, I won't stop visiting haunted places, if nothing else, but for the history and tragic stories.

Do you like to visit spooky and/or haunted places? Have you ever had a ghost encounter?

Affordable Dining On Vacation

We're all trying to get back into the world, but with fuel and airfare costs soaring, it's really important for us budget travelers to figure out how to save on other parts of our vacations. I love trying new food, but all those meals out can really add up. 

Dining can be a big chunk of your budget, so here are 8 ways to save on food:

1. Bring Snacks 
   Trick your stomach by bringing snacks with you in your bag each day. This way, if you’re tempted to nibble on something, you know you have them on you and are less likely to spend money on food you don’t really need.
2. Eat Where the Locals Eat
   

   Just by avoiding touristy areas, you can save a lot on your meals. When you’re out, ask a few people where they recommend. They aren’t going to tell you they prefer a chain restaurant over their favorite local pub. The food is likely more authentic than those that you can find right near tourist attractions, making it cheaper, because it’s local and not shipped in from a different country. 
3. Make Lunch Your Main Meal
If you really want to try one of the “hip” restaurants by a celebrity chef, make reservations for lunch. The food will be just as good, but it’s usually much cheaper at lunch than at dinner.


4. Hit Up the Food Carts
Food carts can have a huge variety of different local and international foods, but can be half the price of (or less) than dining at a sit-down restaurant. With this kind of savings, you can try fare from several carts with no regrets.


5. Rent a Vacation Home Or Stay In a Hotel With a Kitchen(ette)
This is a great way to stretch a food budget, because there are so many options. Renting can be a great value over hotel stays if you’ll be visiting for a week or more, plus it gives you the chance to check out the local grocery store. If you aren’t a big breakfast person, instead of eating out for that meal, shop for new cereals and pastries that you can’t get at home. There’s never a better time to try new foods!


6. Sign Up for Groupon
Groupon is an amazing little site that offers daily deals on a wide assortment of things, not least of which is dining. Each day a new offer goes up at a big discount off the regular price. Dining certificates can be purchased quite often and many times you can grab a half-off gift certificate to a new local restaurant or one just trying to bring in new customers. It works! Sign up at Groupon for the destination of your next vacation (they cover many international locations as well as the United States) and eat for less!


7. Don't Order Off the Kids' Menu
If you travel with children, you’ll notice that all kids' menus seem to have the same small rotation of foods. Obviously, little ones don’t just live on hot dogs, pizza, chicken nuggets and PB&J sandwiches. Not only do they charge an outrageous amount for these “staples” that cost hardly anything to make, but they offer hardly any nutritional value and your kids are likely to eat only half of it before declaring they’re full. Instead, order a meal that you both will eat and share. This saves you money and might get them to eat a vegetable or two.


8. Stay At a Hotel That Offers Free Breakfast
You don’t realize how much dining out can cost until you go on vacation. A reasonable breakfast can cost between $8-15 per person. If you multiply that by the number of people you’re traveling with and the number of days you’ll be staying, that number can be huge. If you find a hotel in your price range that offers free breakfast, you’ve hit a jackpot of savings.

Hopefully, this helps you scale back on your food budget on your next trip and then you can find other ways to save as well. Give us some of your favorite food tips in the comments.