Carry On Essentials for Long Flights

People always ask us how we survive long international flights. And while we’ve been traveling frequently for awhile now, its taken us a while to be fully prepared for long flights. We are firm believers in traveling “light” and packing as much in your carry-on (or backpack if you’re backpacking in Southeast Asia) as possible. Preparing for a long-haul flight can be rather intimidating. If you’re preparing for a international flight, make sure to pack these essentials in your carry on.  Being in the air for a long time can make you uneasy, but having these items in your carry-on will make your flight that much more enjoyable. If you have a long flight coming up, we’ve put together a list of our favorite carry on essentials for long flights easier.  If you’re not sure what to pack for a long flight, this list will help!

Carry On Essentials for Long Flights

What to Pack in your Carry On for Long Flights

Carry On Luggage

• Roller Bag
  We take our small carry-on luggage all the time. IFly luggage is our favorite roller bag.  Small and compact but enough space for all your carry-on essentials, including laptop or tablet. We have the whole set, the carry-on and two checked bags.

• Backpack
  If you want more of a backpack, we love our knack bag expandable backpack because it fits in the overhead compartment, but has plenty of room and storage to fit all our electronics and other fun carry on essentials! The knack bag is the best carry on bag for long haul flights, because of its versatility and expandable compartment.

• Purse/Tote
  For women, a nice big purse is ideal as well. The best handbag for long haul flights is this bag because I can stuff lots of things in there, but can still find them easily. It’s nice to have separate pockets for everything, like laptop, passport, and other things youll be bringing in your carry on.

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Electronics

• Wireless headphones
  I love these headphones for the airplane because the charge lasts forever, plus they are great sound-cancelling headphones! Easy to take with you on the plane, but also super stylish!

• Chargers and Electronic organizer
  With a long flight and a lot of electronics, it’s important to have all the charging cords in one place so you can charge your electronics while on the plane. Because we have so many electronics, we bring this organizer with us to keep everything in its spot. Even if you only have a few cords, it is still super handy!
• Laptop
  We obvisiously work while we travel, so the laptop is important. You may not need it, but it does help pass the time, with movies, work, or offline games.
• Powerbank
  If you have a long flight, having a power bank will keep all your electronics charged. That way you don’t run out of things to do. This power bank is awesome because it’s lightweight, has a fast charge, and can charge our MacBook.

In-flight entertainment

• Podcasts and Music
  Find some good things to listen to. It helps if its something you enjoy and calms you, it takes your mind off the long flight.
• Phone or Tablet with offline games
  Having a tablet or iPad while you travel is great for podcasts, audiobooks or offline games like sudoku or crossword puzzles.
• Journal or coloring book
  A journal or an adult coloring book will both help speed up the time and also help your stress! We carry a journal when we travel anyways to write down places we visit or things we want to remember on our trips. Adult coloring books are the new craze and are great for managing stress!

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Sleep

• Neck Pillow
  Having a great neck pillow can really make a difference for sleep on a plane. This pillow is a super soft pillow that also supports your head as you sleep! Super light and attaches easily to your luggage.
• Sleep mask
  Obviously it can be hard to sleep on the plane with the lights on, so a good sleep mask is key to getting a good night sleep. The manta sleep masks are awesome because they are so light you can’t even feel them and they come with ear plugs too!

• Magnesium
  Most people should be taking magnesium anyways, but magnesium is a great relaxer. It works better than melatonin as it’s a naturally occurring mineral in the body. Taking some magnesium packets with you can be so beneficial for sleeping on the plane, or even at your next destination. This is also good if youre traveling through lots of time zones, to help regulate the body’s normal sleep pattern.

[easyazon_link keywords=”neck pillow” locale=”US” tag=”fittwotrave03-20″ type=”link” link_id=”1615″]neck pillow[/easyazon_link] + [easyazon_link keywords=”sleep mask” locale=”US” tag=”fittwotrave03-20″ type=”link” link_id=”1616″]sleep mask[/easyazon_link]

Wear

• Light scarf
  We all know it can be a little cold on the plane, so bring a scarf that you can use as an extra layer. This one has hidden pockets for things like your passport or cards, plus it converts into a blanket. Plus it won’t weigh much but it’s always super useful!

• Light jacket
  With the ever-changing temperatures on the planes, we always bring a light jacket just in case. It’s easy to carry around and will keep you warm during the flight.
• Compression socks
  Wearing compression socks are a great way to decrease pain and swelling that can happen on long flights. Where these on any long flights to help circulation.

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[easyazon_link keywords=”scarf travel” locale=”US” tag=”fittwotrave03-20″ type=”link” link_id=”1622″]travel scarf[/easyazon_link] + [easyazon_link keywords=”lightweight hoodie” locale=”US” tag=”fittwotrave03-20″ type=”link” link_id=”1623″]lightweight  hoodie[/easyazon_link]

Snacks and Drinks

• Snacks
  Sometimes you get hungry, at the airport or on the plane, so bring some snacks. Travel can be a real pain when you’re hungry!  Some of our favorites are Aloha protein bars and the RX bars.
• Water bottle
  We don’t go anywhere without our refillable water bottles. Having a water bottle is the best for traveling. You can fill it up before you get on the plane, and you’ll have plenty of water to keep you hydrated. Plus, it’s the best to carry when you are at your final destination, as you don’t have to buy tons of plastic water bottles.

Toiletries

• Toothbrush and toothpaste
  Some airlines will give out toothbrushes (thank you Singapore Air), but not all of them. After a 12 hour redeye flight, there’s nothing I want more than to brush my teeth. We bring these collapsible tooth brushes with us because it folds up and is easy to use!
• Face cleansing wipes
  A quick and easy way to feel refreshed and rejuvenated after a long flight, is to clean your face. Having some face wipes are easy to pack and so refreshing on a long flight. Use them right before you arrive at your destination to feel refeshed and ready to explore.
• Chapstick
  Since it’s easy to get dehydrated on the plane, lips tend to get chapped easier. We love the Burt bees chapsticks, and always have them in our carry on!
• Deodorant
  If you don’t have time to shower when you get to your destination, these wipes and a travel deodorant like this one is key to reapplying before you get to your destination.
• Hand sanitizer
  You must have some sanitizer on the plane! This sanitizer is the best because it’s small enough to carry on, it’s made with essential oils and it’s a spray.

**For all your small toiletries, pack them in a ziploc bag. Remember to carry on liquids, they must be 3.4 ounces or smaller, and fit in a quart sized, resealable bag**

Travel Documents

Everything above is replaceable and can be purchased almost anywhere you are going. These are the things that mean the most and cannot be replaced so don’t forget these

• Passport/ID
  Obviously you won’t be getting anywhere if you dont have your passport or even ID, so don’t forget this!
• Cash and Credit Card
  Always better to bring all of this with you on the plane. Never put anything valuable in your checked bag
• Copies of Important documents
  Make sure you make and bring copies of any documents you made need, such as car rental, hotel reservations, itinerary, travel insurance and so on.
• Medications
  If you have any medications, make sure you bring those in your carry-on. It’s also safest to bring them in their normal containers with the names on them.
• Travel wallet
  Having all your cards, cash, and passport in one spot makes traveling much easier. We like to bring a passport holder, so it keeps everything organized plus it has RFID blocking pockets to protect against thieves.

SaveSaveSo there you have everything you need to pack in your carry on for long haul flights. This is everything we pack in our carry on. We find it easiest to just keep these in one spot to make it easy to pack it all at once before our trip. Getting ready for a long international flight can be stressful, so having all your carry on essentials in one place makes it so mcuh easier.

What are some carry on essentials that you make sure to pack on your longer flights? Let us know if we’ve missed anything that we should be packing in our carry on

If you enjoyed this carry on packing list, check out our other packing lists:

• Ultimate Cruise Packing List – all the cruise essentials and cruise packing tips
• Southeast Asia Packing List – how to pack for a month in a carryon

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