Must-haves for a long-distance flight

Earlier this year I wrote down my travel plans for 2017 without really thinking actively about it. I just wrote down what came to my mind no matter how many destinations or how far away they were. And if you believe it or not, most of them came true. There were so many coincidences that led to the fulfillment of my dreams. In my first blogpost of this year I wrote:

Until now, I haven’t planned any trips overseas but who knows… never say never. Things can always change.

 

This sentence came just from my inner self. I swear that I actually haven’t planned any long distance flights for this year. In 2015 I was in Los Angeles for the first time and it felt like a dream. It kind of made me feel sad because I didn’t know if it was the first and last time there because you know it’s far away, expensive etc. But at this time I didn’t know The Secret yet. In 2016 I came back according to the motto “You can take the girl out of California, but you can’t take California out of the girl”. It felt surreal but it felt right and I was happy. Last fall I started university and I was sure not to be able to travel that much. But my heart is always longing for new adventures and I saved all my money for my travels. I did some trips around Europe but I thought I wouldn’t leave the continent this year.
By now I know how powerful thoughts and words are, especially when you speak them out loud. I am a true believer of speaking things into existence. And that’s what I did (even though it was rather unconscious at the beginning of this year). But as it turned out: the Law of Attraction works and it was a kind of spontaneous idea of my father and me to book a trip to LA again. This city is pure magic and I always feel attracted to it.
But to put it straight: A long-distance flight needs preparation. You have to organize and pack more and that’s why I wrote this post today – I want to show you my essentials for my flight. Here we go!

To make it easier, I divided my essentials into five parts: important must-haves, comfort, leisure, toiletries and snacks.

1.Important must-haves

Important must-haves are basically items you cannot not board a flight with.
So always have your passport and your ID at your fingertips, as well as your phone (in the best case with a portable charger) and your purse with the currency of the country you travel to.

2. Items for your comfort

If you were sitting with your jeans straight in your seat, you would feel quite uncomfortable after a few hours. The best advice I can give to you is is to wear comfy clothes and do not forget soft socks. It’s the best to take a long scarf with you which you can use as a blanket as well. In case you want to sleep while others prefer to read or whatsoever, you should bring a sleeping mask and ear plugs. Besides, it’s already a bit louder in the plane due to engine noises and the air conditioner. Your ears will thank you if you reduce the existing noises. And it’s better to counteract a headache as well. Not to forget to mention is of course a neck pillow which supports your neck and head. I’ve got the Cabeau Neck Pillow. It’s not the cheapest one but the cost-benefit ratio is very good and it’s definitely worth it.

3. Leisure activities 

To be honest it takes a lot of effort to get me bored. I always have something to do. Actually I’m thankful for this but sometimes I really need to slow down so that I’m not constantly under stress. I could look out of the window for hours but I guess you can’t do this for twelve hours or more. I recommend you to take a book with you (or two or three) because reading is a good time killer, it’s so much fun and you are getting educated or entertained – depending on which kind of book you read. You can also study your travel guide or why not learning a new language. You have enough time for sure. If you don’t know what to do during your flight, read out my blogpost of “10 tips how to survive a long-distance flight“. What I always have in my bag – not just in my travel bag – is a notebook and a pen. Especially for the creatives out there who always have new ideas in their mind and who want to write down their inspirations this is a good idea. You can also use it for journaling. Another item that I can’t miss is my old but gold iPod nano. It’s the fifth generation but it still works perfectly and is always filled with good music.

4. Toiletries

The next category could be summarized as “toiletries”. A long distance-flight can make you feel exhausted and make you want to jump straight under a shower. That’s why you have to help out a little in order to stay fresh. So here are the things that belong in my hand luggage for a long-haul flight:

• tissues
• disinfection wipes (to clean your table and window)
• hand sanitizer
• a toothbrush and tooth paste (preferably to use it at the airport after you arrived or just in between e.g. after you slept for a while)
• eyedrops (to moisten your eyes – they can get very dry because of the air conditioner)
• coconut oil (this time I filled a bit of my coconut oil in a small box to moisturize my nose and my lips, I hope this will work out too – last time I bought a lip balm and nasal ointment)
• face cream and hand cream (I cannot repeat it often enough: the air in a plane is very dry!)
• chewing gum (although I’m not a big fan of chewing gum, it will help you to get a fresh breath)
• hair comb or brush
• if you want to feel fresher and not looking totally tired after your flight, I recommend to take some make-up accessories with you e.g. a mascara and/or an eyeliner

5. Snacks

I swear that you won’t starve on a long-haul flight. You will get some big meals and lots of snacks. Not everyone like this typical plane food though and that’s why I recommend you to bring some of your own snacks. You have the choice what to bring and it’s definitely cheaper than buying food at the airport or plane.

 

These were the tips for my part. If you have any further tips or recommendations, feel free to comment them below. Have a great day (and flight)!