Sitting on an airplane can be extremely rough on your body, but with these travel essentials and a little pre-flight and in-flight self-care, you can touch down in the arrival halls feeling refreshed and ready for your next adventure.
Make domestic, long-haul, or international flights a breeze with this travel essentials kit designed to promote a restful, relaxed, and DEEPLY HYDRATED travel experience.
In this post, you will learn all about the travel essentials kit that I always kept stocked in my carry-on as a flight attendant.
1. Travel Essential # 1 – Hydro Flask Wide Mouth Bottle
If you pack one thing, let it be an EMPTY water bottle. Most airports have a water bottle-specific fountain that you can use to fill yours up once you are clear of security. This will save you from overpaying for it at the airport. I have encountered so many people who are worried about waking up their seatmates but staying hydrated is so important. If it is a very long flight, book the aisle seat if you can, but do not hesitate to wake up your seatmates to get up if you can’t.
Additionally, as a solo female traveler, I love having this metal one. It makes me feel a little safer knowing this could be used in self-defense if needed.
2. Travel Hydration and Muscle Support – Nuun Rest: Rest and Recovery Drink Tablets, Magnesium Citrate
Most commercial planes pressurize to 8,000 feet which means your body is still going to feel the effects of altitude. Consequently, your body can lose water twice as fast on an airplane than when at sea level. These hydration tabs can help replenish essential vitamins and minerals that become depleted at altitude. For best results, begin taking them 12 hours before your flight departs.
3. Travel Hand Sanitizer – Dr. Bronner’s Organic Hand Sanitizer Spray
Trust me. Planes are not clean. I will not scare you with stories of the repulsive things I have seen my fellow humans do on board an aircraft. Just remember, a minor cold can ruin even the best-planned trip. Keeping a sanitizer in your carry-on is such a small step you can take to ensure you arrive feeling your best.
4. Travel Moisturizing Balm – Air Repair Rescue Balm
Keeping your skin and lips hydrated is equally important while traveling. This toiletry brand was developed with aircrew and air travel in mind. I got this about 6 years ago in Birchbox, and my carry-on hasn’t been without it since. You will love how great your skin and lips feel post-flight, and the squeeze tube will prevent you from having to touch your lips unnecessarily with your fingers.
5. Plane Eye Mask – Silk Eye Mask
Giving yourself the opportunity to catch up on some sleep while traveling is so important. I hate how often the lights turn on and off during the flight. However, Flight attendants are legally required to turn the lights on during certain phases of the flight. Due to this, you will always find a sleep mask in my bag. I like this one because it is easy to clean, soft on my skin, and doesn’t put too much pressure on my eyelids.
6. Travel Battery Bank – Solar Power Bank
I like sleeping on a plane with a sound-machine app playing on my phone, but I also like arriving with a battery fully charged. Given that, I need access to my GPS, my email, and my camera, so I never trust that my seat will have a spot to charge my phone and headphones. Remember, just because the last plane had one doesn’t mean the next one will, or that if it does have one that it will work. This is also solar, which makes it a great choice to bring on the hiking days of your trip!
7. Plane Eye Drops- Refresh Optive Gel Drops Lubricant Eye Gel
Waking up mid-flight dehydrated in the dry cabin of the aircraft with your vision blurry and your eyes feeling like sandpaper is one of the worst feelings. For this reason, Your eyes will thank you if you use these before settling in for a nap or staring at your Kindle for a few hours. This is ESPECIALLY important if you wear contacts or sleep with an eye mask.
8. The Only Travel Pen You Need – Multicolor Ballpoint Pen
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy claims the “most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have is a towel,” but for earthly travelers, I believe it to be a pen. When I saw someone reach in their bag and grab a pen without fumbling, as I passed out custom forms as a flight attendant, I always thought, “There’s a frood who really knows where his towel is.” If someone had to ask for a pen during this phase of the flight, I also assumed they forgot to pack underwear.
Having a pen on your travel essentials list will allow you to jot down recommendations from locals and fellow travelers on a napkin in a pub, send postcards, and journal while on the road. Having this pen will not only allow you to fill out even the strictest BLACK INK ONLY form but also add variety to your postcards and travel journal. Don’t get the Douglas Adam’s references? That’s fine, just bring a pen.
9. Tavel Journal – Small Moleskin Pocket Journal
A travel journal comes in handy in many ways while on the road. Let’s face it travel days can be taxing. The influx of new sites, new sounds sprinkled with advanced problem-solving before coffee, and the TSA is enough to get even the most seasoned traveler stressed. It is important not to let a rough travel day impact a well-planned and highly anticipated trip.
Maybe it is the glass of wine, or maybe it is the altitude, but I find 33,000ft a very inspiring place to get into my journal. (Long haul flight journal prompt: How will I respond when things don’t go as planned or The Poem Ithaka by Constantine Cavafy.)
10. Travel Ear Protection
A. Ear Plugs –Loop Quiet Ear Plugs for Noise Reduction
You are at the Airport. There is a random door alarm going off, the man crowding the gate is about to take home an Oscar for his passionate performance of “Important Business Call“, a woman is on Facetime, on speaker, at max volume, “IF YOU SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING.”, there are no less than 2 children screaming, and one more on his iPad, of course, no headphones.
Nope. No, thank you. I simply shall not. Can’t. Won’t. THE LADY SAID, “NO.”
These earplugs will soften the intensity of it all while still allowing you to hear important gate announcements. Also, they come in gold, so, super cute.
B. Wired Headphones – Skullcandy Ink’d+ Wired Earbuds
A lot of people miss the opportunity of in-seat entertainment because they didn’t bring wired headphones. Sometimes the crew has some to sell, and sometimes they don’t. Regardless, airplane headphones are garbage, DO NOT PAY FOR THEM. This set never comes out of my travel backpack. They live at the bottom of my front pocket, always there if I need them.
c. Noise Canceling Headphones – Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Generation) Wireless Earbuds
Noise-canceling headphones are the way to go while onboard. The baby next to you having trouble equalizing its ears? Or what about the person in front of you who doesn’t believe that cohabitating in a small metal tube with 250 strangers is a good enough reason for headphones? Not a problem if you have noise-canceling headphones.
11. Travel Wallet – Slim Minimalist Bifold Wallet for Men & Women with RFID
While in the airport and on the plane, I like to have a small wallet accessible near my passport. In it, I will keep a single credit card, my id, my SIM card tool, and my global entry card. Theif is very common in busy airports. By having this little wallet handy, I can protect my debit card, my passport card, and my cash by keeping them in a more secure place in my carry-on.
This post was all about long-haul flights and international travel essentials. What do you never leave home without? Let me know in the comments.
