document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); IndianaJo features some links (e.g. Buying tip: the Anker (below) comes in a range offunky colours. Packing tip: dont forget to pack the associated cable for charging your device. [Memory foam seat cushion for back, sciatica and tailbone pain]. A travel hairbrush and hair band can keep everything in place. In May 2016, I left my suburban life in the USA and became a full-time traveler. Its less bulky than a paper book, allows me to carry a whole library of books on board and the in-built light means I dont need to upset my neighbour by shining the light in his eyes. Sure, its expensive but unlike its much cheaper counterparts, it isnt designed to dry your lips, creating a long-term addiction to lip balm. Just please dont be one of those people that dont put their shoes back on to go to the bathroomI can think of few things less sanitary than an airplane bathroom floor. I have had the hand luggage only debate so many times! What are your long haul travel essentials? Mainly because the chances of your bag going missing are slim less than 1% so thats a lot of extra bulk for a small risk. Another item that used to be given out for free by airlines for good reason if youre facing a long flight with a stint of sleep in between, youre probably going to want to brush your teeth. There is no extra cost to you but what I earn means I can keep offering travel advice for free. We dont ever suggest traveling without travel insuranceanything can happen on the road, and traveling abroad is definitely a case of better safe than sorry. If you dont want to read the gory details, take it from me the answer is disgustingly filthy. Buying tip: You can obviously throw any old pen in your bag but at least make sure its got a retractable, leakproof ballpoint. Sure, maybe youll find time and inspiration somewhere between your 2nd and 3rd Bloody Mary to start scratching out your memoir but a pen is along haul flight essential for a different, far more dull reason. Did I miss anything? If youd prefer, you may want to swap typical cozy socks for, Your face and hands arent the only things to get dried out on long haul flights: throw a small container of Vaseline (Ive carried, It is not a good smell, and your travel companion(s) will thank you for adding a, A much better plan than relying on luck is to follow one of our favorite long flight tips and simply bring your own (backup). ). Regardless, compression socks do decrease your chance of DVT. Has your doctor suggested any solutions? I always leave out the socks and they are such a small, but significant item that adds to comfort. Hope youre able to find a solution. Buying tip:if Declor isnt in your budget, any essential oil will work. a difference and have skyrocketed up the list to be one of my most important long haul flight essentials. You can find these items in a handy list on myIndiana Jo Amazon Store. However, not all airlines have caught up and you wont always find a USB charging port at your seat. If you suffer from painful ears on flights (I do, thanks to an underlying ear and nose problem), pick up some EarPlanes. Snacks! it may be pressure on your tail bone that causes all sorts of pains around the hips. Rite in the Rain and Tombow Airpress Pens are my favourite. Beware the ultra cheap kits the masks will be so snug they irritate your face and the ear plugs are no better than cramming tissue paper in your ears. 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. My prediction was right: these days, weve been on enough uncomfortable, excessively long journeys that we try to limit them wherever possible, but long flights are still a fact of life for us. So, perhaps try putting the padding just under your bottom. I always take my kindle with me on long journeys, reading is one of my favourite ways to pass time! ), 15 Incredible Books About Iceland (To Read Before Visiting! Although I dont travel with expensive items, bit by bit my lost stuff totalled over $1500, most of which I was able to claim back. In which case, can you come back and let my dad know! If theres an emergency, I want to be alert enough to function. Bonus: the Elizabeth Arden lip balm contains SPF so you can keep your lips sun-safe if youre off to warm climes. I ask because there are definitely people spraying deodorants, perfumes and bathroom deodorisers on every flight. 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 intenseand 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. Airplanes smell of course they do, all those humans excreting their breath, body odours and worse, all locked in a compressed, confined space for hours. Try something herbal like Kalms. Lids and ink go wild in packed bags. Thanks for the wet wipes tip! However, in all my years of carrying my non-prescription pills in a carrying case, Ive never been questioned or stopped. Tofind a list and read reviews of the top-rated compression socks on Amazon, click here. Today, along with my husband Jeremy and dog Ranger, Im working toward my eventual goal of splitting my life between Europe and the USA. I tried it on my last few trips, sceptical, but it worked. Some links throughout this site are affiliate links. Jeremy has used these headphones for years and swears by themtheyve held up amazingly well considering how much travel weve put them through. Keep it empty until after security, of course, lest it end up in a pile of trash as you go through the line. 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 USB charger. If you click through a link on Our Escape Clause, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. So now I wear the waist pack under my clothes at all times. Freshen your face and hands when feeling jaded Also a pack of mints. We mentioned bringing a reusable water bottle above, but seriously: if you make sure its full before you board your plane and make a point to drink it all while onboard, your body will thank you. You can take a standard toothbrush on board but I havent yet found a cover that keeps the toothbrush head covered enough that it doesnt leave gunk inside my beauty bag. Carrying a Kindle has made taking long-haul flights so much more enjoyable. As with your travel wallet, steer clear of black if your handbag interior is black. Theres a reason airlines used to include a pair in the amenities kit back in the day. The chanceof getting a pen back on a flight is less than 10%. I can consume a few hours sleeping, but realistically, the rest of the time Im awake and twiddling my thumbs. Buying tip:I love my B&O cans but they dont leave the house but not only are they wireless and therefore unlikely to connect to the movies on the plane, theyre too expensive to break or lose and I dont want to carry them around for my whole trip. 33 Weirdly Specific Things Weve Learned in 3 Years of Traveling the World, 75+ Essential Europe Travel Tips You Need to Hear, The Ultimate Packing List for Europe: Summer Edition, 21 International Travel Checklist Items To Make Your Life Easier, How to Plan an Epic 2 Week Europe Trip (+ Europe Itinerary Ideas! I bought a blue energy light box from Philips. So far Ive been lucky but if I had your experience, Id only take carry on ;p Smart tip on the luggage photo and shawl. Just pick a wired pair for the wi-fi reason I mention above. Theyre great when you go from home to car to office but I find mine too heavy to take around on day trips. What about sleeping pills? The other things my dad does are: stand frequently, drink beer and try to sleep. I can use this product once every few days meaning is lasts much longer. Most modern airlines now have the standard jack instead of the weird 2-pin thing. Subscribe to our newsletter to follow along with our travels and to receive tips and new content via email! I didnt think of essential oil but lovely idea. Hi Maggie, I usually have a handbag (essential) and a small backpack. As an Amazon Associate, Our Escape Clause earns from qualifying purchases. What about travel pillows? Speaking ofdehydration, another of my beauty long haul flight essentials is a stick of lip balm. You dont want to spent a long haul flight with your boots/trainers/high-heels on; trust me. My bag has only gone missing once in all my years of travel and even then it went missing from secure storage with a yacht company, not an airline. I fly long haul a lot, so its a good job Im one of those people who loves flying. Sure, you can find a prettier beauty-bag than this one but you cant beat it for being ultra lightweight, which is vital when youre packing your long haul travel essentials. Your lists are invaluable and your writing is terrific! Dehydration can leave you with a headache, cabin pressure can trigger sinus problems, the lack of proper cleaning can set off dust allergies and strange food might give you stomach issues. Youll have a near heart attack every time you look inside and think, just for a second, that its not there. This moisturizer and this hand lotion come in tiny, airport-approved containers. I got one of these and notices an immediate difference. Wrap yourself in your jacket, put on your eye mask, maybe take melatonin if thats your style, and do everything you can to rest. Ill keep adding to this list. I have had my checked luggage part company with me three times now I now also take a photo of my checked luggage on my phone. Toilets, despite the best efforts of the cabin crew, quickly become scented and sometimes, even the smell of the plane food can leave me wanting to gag. Lets face it, airline headphones are usually poor qualityand if youre going to endure a long haul flight, where youre probably going to spend several hours glued to the in-flight entertainment system, its best done with yourown headphones. If theres one thing a long haul flight is guaranteed to do (apart from get you to your destination), its dehydrate you and those tiny bottles and cups of water they hand out on flights just dont cut it. We wont send you spam. There are some great, low cost technical pens out there that are leakproof, write at any angle and can usually write on damp paperin case your Bloody Mary ends up on the page. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Initially I bought it to deal with winter blues but when I looked at the manual I found it had tips on shifting your body clock for a trip. I love the Sea to Summit range of storage bags. Hi Vlad, its really difficult to account for everybodys sensitivities. A tip on sleep and jet-lag: I get horrific jet-lag. The trouble is, people who recommend this say they fly long haul and maybe they do, but I fly twice a year and it is 4 flights each time, back to back. Hi Jo Been reading all these messages, I have found this very useful, I am going to Grenada next month on my own which I am finding daunting as I havent been abroad alone before. Thank you for supporting me. I am always on the lookout for travel tips, This article is a huge help. Heres the deal: airports and airplanes are kind of disgusting. While wifi is increasingly available on flights now, its generally both slow and expensiveand even as a full-time travel blogger, I basically never work online during flights for those reasons. Itll dry out your skin and make it hard to moisturize, possibly make you break out, and by the halfway point in your flight, itll be a mess anyway. Im absolutely militant about this long flight tip, especially after reading one too many horror stories about. And dont forget, you can find this list of all these products on my the Indiana Jo Amazon Store. Dont find yourself stuck in the air with a raging headache and no way to alleviate it! I would also recommend bringing a range of snacks, sometimes the meals they serve onboard either dont cut it or taste horrible! You dont want to transfer those straight to your lips. Have already tried car seat cushions. Great list! In all my travels Ive never packed as much as a change of underwear on the off chance my bag might go missing. In the very first version of this post that I wrote shortly after beginning our full-time travels, heres how I summarized the behind-the-scenes of the one-way ticket journey that started it all for us: Thirty. These ear plugs are specially designed for flights and stop your ears from popping during take off and landing. Flights are inevitably quite loud, and when you can put that behind you, the entire journey becomes much more peaceful. This is especially important for budget fliers, because on those flights? The solution: a cheap pair of comfortable socks. And in a survival scenario, I wouldnt count on others tohelped a drugged, semi-conscious person off a plane. For me, reading is my favourite way to kill time, making my Kindle one of my long haul flight essentials. This is an excellent time to break out a Kindle, bring a book of puzzles (I personally love Sudoku), or play offline phone games. Ideally, go for breathable fabrics that are easy to layer, so you can add and subtract warmth as necessary. If youd prefer something truly noise-canceling. However, if youre committed to buying a travel pillow, these travel pillows get the highest star reviews on Amazon. I always throw some basic pain medication like ibuprofen or acetaminophen into my long haul flight essentials bag. The Nomader, above, is by far the most popular bottle with a sturdy, leak-proof design while being BPA-free, food grade. Obviously, youre going to be packing your essential medication but its wise to take a few just-in-case items on board too. This is a personal preference, of course, but long haul flights are the absolute perfect time to forego makeup. As of September 2019, Im about to hit the road of full-time travel again so Im sure Im going to stumble into new suggestions. I admit, Ive never used one the reality of carrying it around for the rest of my trip usually puts me off. 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. However, ask the cabin crew nicely and they will usually fill up a bottlefor you. If you have long hair, extra hair ties are an absolute must as far as in flight essentials go. Tip: fluffy socks or not, Id still recommend popping your shoes on to use the bathroom. Have you anymore tips? Its nothing excessive. Looking like youre 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. That is 4 sets of landings and takeoffs..and of course 4 sets of security! My favourite is the 8-hour lip balm by Elizabeth Arden. That sounds horrible and Im sorry that you have such a bad experience with scents on a plane. Not only that, I find it far easier to pull out the whole organiser than fish around in my bag for that small piece of paper with my hotel booking on it thats decided to form a strong bond with a squashed banana. A fold up backpack is a good alternative. Even crossing an ocean doesnt entitle you to a meal as part of your ticket. 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. Instead, I travel with a slim sonic toothbrush, which keeps my bag (and teeth!) Yes, its the 21st century and most of us travel with more electronic devices than we do changes of underwear. We use and recommendWorld Nomads and have been customers of theirs for years. 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 just ew, no. I carry 2nd hand disposable books, and discard them as I go. I also wont get on a plane without an eye mask. But before you land, well. And part of that is adding any new tips Ive got for you. Think leggings or your most comfortable pants, shoes that are well-broken in, and loose, comfortable tops. I get an asthma attack when someone sprays deodorant in another room with 2 Doors inbetween closed. I only carry a handbag, with only what I absolutely need. These will be much more comfortable for watching in flight movies than the uncomfortable pairs that the airlines tend to pass out. Im not going to sugar coat it: it was brutal. Also: shops. Madrid on a Budget: What Does a Trip to Madrid Cost? With food, snacks, socks, underwear, travel chargers and cables, kindle, hair brush, toothbrush, toothpaste, cleansing wipes, soft shoes, hand cleanser, essential oil, decoleur cream or similar, water bottle, sleep kit, pill box, shawl or neck gaitor, ear plugs, phone, light box, and probably a few more things Ive missed, thats one heck of a big handbag Id need and would be pretty weighty. On a long haul flight abroad, odds are that youll be handed a landing card to fill out with essential details like why youre visiting the country, where youre staying, and personal information. 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. Theres a huge market for compression socks because, well, DVT is a scary idea. I love my Butterfly Twist ballerina shoes. Were full-time travel bloggers who have been exploring the world since 2016, visiting 50+ countries across 5 continents along the way. Buying tip:if you geta collapsible one, you wont be stuck with a bulky bottle to carry around post-flight. 15 Long Haul Flight Essentials: What to Take Onboard, The 10 Travel GadgetsIWouldnt Travel Without, The 10 Travel Essentials IWouldnt Travel Without, Travel Insurance: Dont Get Screwed by the Small Print, The Best Carry On Luggage For Every Trip Type, The Best Travel Backpacks Tried & Tested. So! Your face and hands arent the only things to get dried out on long haul flights: throw a small container of Vaseline (Ive carried this size for years) or lip balm into your bag of in flight essentials to ensure you dont land in your destination with chapped lips. Heres my list of long haul flight essentials. By 3-4 hours, they start hurting. The sad fact is that when youre exhausted, jetlagged, and coming off of an exhausting day of long haul flights, thats exactly when youre most vulnerable to things like taxi scams, especially if youre in a new destination. Cue: eye mask and ear plugs. Have you any idea how filthy an airplane is? The nightmarish layover battle began.. Saying you know people with astma is easy, experiencing how an astma attack feels when someone dabs oil on their hand is another thing. Home Blog Posts Planning Packing 15 Long Haul Flight Essentials: What to Take Onboard. ), The Ultimate Mexico & Central America Packing List, 10 Things We've Learned About Love As A Full-Time Travel Couple, If youre in the market for a new bag, we highly recommend our backpack, but any school-sized backpack or messenger bag that comfortably fits under an airplane seat will dowe used a, Im a recent convert to using eye masks, but they make. Planes and travel generally will bring your hands into contact with a lot of germs. Rather thin or non existent ones as my friends tease me. Heres what weve learned along the wayand what you need to know about long haul flights, from how to choose your travel essentials for the plane to what to wear. The solution? Eight. All was good and we were alowed to deplane normally, but I had to consider being without anything (including no money or passport) in Bangkok, as all my stuff was in my handbag! Advice: if you lend your pen to a stranger on your flight, keep a beady eye on them. Its amazing how much easier it is to sleep on planes with the light of the world shut outand 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.