What to Pack – 115 Long-Haul Flight Must Have Items & Packing List! IPkjulesworld

Long-Haul Flight Must Haves 15 Carry-on Essentials – We Also share an Ultimate Packing List of 100+. Guess which is our favorite? Infograph!

Okay we confess, Paul and I started brainstorming this long-haul must haves and essentials post a while back. We started jotting down ideas over 4000 feet above the Atlantic, and 3 hours in to an 11 hour flight to the Caribbean. You might think that’s Pretty cool, huh?

Thing is long hauls can be brutal! Specially on little ones, infants. Yet they are also the perfect time to sketch out ideas…!

Over the past 17 years we’ve become quite global citizens! With family in Africa, USA, and all over Europe, we try our best to see as many as we can! Flying is something we’ve learnt to look forward to… Okay, we know most people hate long hauls. Call us crazy huh!  

Well the thing is we forgot this list until…

We were asked this question by Nikki: Are you Guys heading to Rio 2016 Olympics? And What are your Long-haul flight must haves?

We were kind of taken aback. And No we aren’t in Rio or Heading over to Rio De Janeiro, unless you rate avidly watching on telly as Being there! Mind you we do have Copa Cabana on our travel Bucket List for sure!

Anyway back to Nikki, She elaborated that we shared a heck of a long list of what to have in your travel first aid kit – a must read for any traveller by the way. She also pointed out that we had given a bit of a list on “What not to pack” for a flight. So she now wanted to know how heavy are our travel bags with all these whatnot’s we pack lol!

Long haul flights are in our view awesome adventures. Simply because it usually means we are off to somewhere exotic for a long break. The kids love them because to them its Movie date, yet they can watch whatever the heck they each like! Usually we travel in pairs or all of us, so we do have quite some storage space for our whatnot’s Nikki. 🙂 That being said….

There can be some gruesome uninvited guests on your long haul flight; the harshest ones on your skin! My skin is still suffering from our Caribbean jaunt! 

So to answer Nikki’s question, we’ve come up with our ultimate long-haul must have essentials, to get you through the longest flights.

First, “what is a ‘long haul flight?” 

In our view this is a flight longer than 10 hrs as in in-flight time minus transit. A flight that needs you to have a change of clothes for a decent arrival. One that goes into 2+ time zones and leaves you feeling sleep deprived for days after lol.

So forget that hop over to Spain for the weekend that lasted 4 hrs. You could go with your backpack and arrive in time for lunch looking fresh and cool!  

Let’s look at our annual trek to Africa usually over 10 hrs and you don’t want to forget anything that could have you in a panic when you land, shattered, upset and unkempt!

With our tips on flight experiences, you never have to be unkempt when you arrive anywhere by the way!

Here is our list of Long-haul flight must haves- #14 is our fav!

 Here is our list of Long-haul flight must haves #travelessentials #airtraveltips Click To Tweet

#1. A good Lotion or Base cream & Lip Balm.  

Over the years we came to notice how dry our skins felt from long haul flights. Our children also have sensitive skins. Airplane cabins get very dry because of the air-con on for hours. Drying out your skin and leaving you puffy for a few days after. I also get congested from any flight longer than 5 hrs. So its good to have your lil 100ml spray for your skin, a good moisturizing lotion is a must and for sensitive skin a base cream.

I also never go anywhere without my Chap stick or lip balm. See It can be used as the face cream if I had to check in the cream/moisturiser. And those luscious lips need to stay looking kissable so keep em moisturised too.

#2. Melatonin. Call it — sleep-on-demand.

Something that goes in my travel first aid kit too. I have it to grab some quality shut eye, so a long haul flight essential. Like I said we usually fly through multiple time zones and our sleep patterns are shattered, we gotta adjust. With my Travel pillow headphones, I get some Zen music going and as long as my feet are warm in a pair of travel socks. I’m good to go. Often times I also Spray my travel pillow with lavender pillow spray and I am out like a puppy You can get Lavender Sleep therapy pillow mist here!

#3. Toothbrush/toothpaste.

Well even if your flight is a short hop, you gotta have these in or kit. They are a long haul flight must have. So very important for oral hygiene and you don’t want to spew dog breath all over your loved ones after a 12 hr flight.  We don’t advise that you use the airplane’s tap water to brush your teeth. Seriously who checks them water tanks! Possibly another reason many people have upset tummy off a long haul! So always buy a bottle of water from duty free and use to or Ask for bottled water from the Air Stewards and use that to brush up and wash your face. 

Some airlines do offer a kit with a toothbrush and a tiny toothpaste. Virgin Atlantic does. It’s better to have one just in case.

Pop over to the airport restrooms soon as you land and freshen up. A hair comb, deodorant and eye whitening drops should be added to your list of long haul flight must have kit too. Talking of freshening up…

#4. A change of clothes incl. underwear.

Following a 4-days detour our suitcases took one time, we have made it a point to have at least 2 fresh outfits in our carry-on luggage. We had to grab some tees and cheap underwear while the airline found and returned our suitcases, including a whole bridal outfit…Did I hear you say Stress? It was an 8 on the Richter scale!

Have you ever smelt a teenage lad after a long haul flight…Let’s just say it aint pretty!

Even you won’t be smelling like roses either. You need to use that teeny airplane toilet or do as suggested above, get to the airport restrooms and do the needful…bringing us to our next long haul flight must have.

#5. Moisturizing Wipes/anti-bacterial wipes.

These are a life saver on any flight. The anti bacs can be used to wipe away gunk, clean your tray table, entertainment controls, arm rests and seat back before you settle in or place on your food. You can also wipe your hands after using the lavatory.

Often times there is no hand wash soap after 8 hrs use on a long haul flight. You don’t want to know the bugs chilling out on an airplane. So be prepared. Plus, they aren’t a problem as a carry on item as opposed to that 200ml bottle of hand wash soap lol!  

These Moisturizing wipes are a Shower in a bag! They are individually wrapped, large luxury body wipes, great for when you don’t have a shower. We use them to wipe off flight odours and sweat without drying our faces out.

Super tip: Invest in Origin Moisturising facemask. This is a tip I learnt off a Daily Mail article years ago, wish I would find it!

Apply to your face in-flight and you don’t have to wash it, it does the work while you sleep enroute, keeps the moisture in and the drying air-con off. Your skin glows at the other end of your journey. You’ll look a million dollars on the beach. 🙂

#6. Pack own entertainment.

It’s easy for one to assume that in-flight ­entertainment is available or will work! Not always and God forbid you have some super excited little ones to keep occupied for 10+ hrs.

So in our long-haul must-have kit, We add a magazine, pack of cards, a book each. If you have a toddler, bring something to keep them occupied! Don’t forget your baby soothers for teething baby, doubles as as entertainment lol!

Pack your tablet with a couple of movies or take a portable DVD player, whatever works for you and your family.

As a Trainer, I find myself planning and cropping ideas for my clients and blogs! After watching a movie, I like to just put on my earphones and let my mind create ideas and draft posts like this! You can check out my Free training for Home based business owners and Internet marketers right here.  For Paul and I, flying is a great time to plan things, and how we can serve our pkjulesworld better. Brings us to the next item…

#7 Pen/Pencil and Paper.

Have you ever arrived at your destination and you need to fill out that Immigration form and Lord you can’t find that pen/pencil…you have to ask a random stranger for one?

Or you meet that someone you wish to keep in touch with, you want to write their details down and yup…No pen or paper. And your phone battery is flat lol! It has happened…! So always have that pencil/pen and paper. If only to jot down ideas for your projects, blogs, funnel or whatever!

Always have that pencil or pen and paper. If only to jot down ideas on a long haul #traveltips #whattopack Click To Tweet

#8. Yoga Pants & a free-form top or outfit. 

Our daughter’s favourite travel pants. And we agree with her. They are way more comfortable than skinny jeans, yet smarter than your normal joggers!  You can get away with wearing these from home to airport and in-flight. Change to your smart suit when you get to your destination!

#9. Ear plugs and Eye mask.

Airplane noise won’t let you grab some sleep esp. if unlucky enough to be sat by the engines. Most airlines simply don’t offer these anymore.

And imagine that dude next to you keeps that in-flight light on reading his book and keeps you updated of the “fun bits,” but you want to sleep some! Or he snores something terrible….

So make sure you take your own eye mask and ear plugs esp. on a red eye flight or if you woke up in the wee hours to grab that flight!

Almost all airlines turn the plane into a fridge box once in the air #traveltips #whattopack #traveltuesday Click To Tweet

#10. Pashmina or large scarf.

Almost all airlines turn the plane into a fridge box once in the air…So it’s essential to maintain your body warmth. You will also avoid the nose runs and congestion by taking an extra layer. This can be a thick scarf or jacket.

We’ve bought a few pashminas on and for our travels. We never go on a flight without our hoodies anyway. Our teenies ensure we have some “cool ones.” So they are our long-haul fight must have items!

If you have travel points saved up, absolutely use them to upgrade to business #travetips #airtravelhacks Click To Tweet

#11. If you can Grab a Lie-flat Seat. 

This isn’t always possible, but you can try. If you have travel points saved up, absolutely use them to upgrade to business. If you can pay for it, bravo.

For a long haul flight to Asia, Australia, Of the other side of USA, get a seat upgrade if you can! It is so worth it. Better service you get to sleep, you get to ask the Air Stewards to wake you up for a meal after x hrs and they will. Not in economy though…!  

#12. A pack of Bubble Gum.

Let me tell you; my ears hurt something terrible on most flight take-off and landings. And they don’t always pop quick, it can be absolute torture. So I always have a pack of chewing gum and travel sweets to help “pop them.”

#13 Dental floss toothpicks are one of our long-haul flight must haves!

Yes, you heard. One time a piece of beef stuck in our daughter’s tooth and gum. She was real uncomfortable, and if we didn’t have a packet she would have had a real uncomfortable time.

Plus, it’s good to remove all that airline gunk from between your teeth before you give em a good brush at disembarking! They are good for several other things as well. But we ain’t going there lol!

#14. Your Travel Apps  are Long Haul Flight Must haves

These days we don’t need to travel with a pack of Travel Maps and Guides in our Carry on luggage. Technology has made life so much easier and fun. So these days we have an App for everything. And we use Apps to make our trips and vacations much more fun.

We shared a definitive List of the most useful Travel Apps and Tools we use, you can access them here! 

Talking of Apps, OUR WEBSITE IS AN APP. So Download Your PKJULESWORLD Google Chrome App/Extension Here.  Add it to your Favorites, So you never miss a Hot Travel Tip or Bargain. Share with your family too. 

Can We ask you a Massive Favour? Please Give us a Review/Rating. 5* would be amazing. If we can get 40 5* Reviews, our App will be among the Top Chrome Travel Apps!

Download Your PKJULESWORLD Google Chrome App/Extension for ease of access #travelapps #traveltech Click To Tweet

Long-Haul flight must haves – Bonus.

In our opinion The most important essential for a long-haul is the Right Mindset. Pre-flight, get ready mentally for it. Meditate if you do. Get your skin into super form so the long flight doesn’t affect it too much. Drink lots of water aka hydrate. Focus on the good times you are gonna have and be grateful that you can travel to new shores. Many simply dream of it and hope Some day..maybe…etc.

Avoid any confrontations prior to or during the flight!  Don’t mind that crying baby, she could have colic. The mom may be up the wall with stress. Don’t add to it with giving her the evils!

So what if you can’t sleep…That crappy economy food is a gourmet meal to a Starving kid in Sudan!

That crappy economy food is a gourmet meal to a Starving kid in Sudan! #travelmindset #traveltips Click To Tweet

And a Souk goat heard in Abu Dhabi would kill for that air-con! 

Don’t mind that grumpy man, he could be terrified of flying…seriously! 

You will be on that beach for 14 super days…You will catch up, It is well. 🙂

Just focus your mind on the good, there is always some. In the next 10+ hours you will have the best time ever, relaxed sipping a Bloody Mary, Watching the waves lap on your feet, or Scuba diving off Bora Bora beaches. Relax as best you can, take a deep breath and just enjoy your long haul flight! 

AND NOW FOR THAT DEFINITIVE ULTIMATE PACKING LIST FOR ANY TRIP, ROAD TRIP, CAMPING, VACATION, FLIGHT ETC. Infographic

We always go above and beyond, so we are sharing not just our Long Haul Flight Must Haves 15 Essentials. We are Sharing The Ultimate Packing List Over 100+ Items broken down for every Conceivable trip you can ever take. This Resource was Created for us by Wout. We encourage you to Visit & Connect with him at His Website at OutDoorWeper

Please Click on the Image to Download 100% FREE No Opt-in Needed; for your future use. Or simply Bookmark this Post OR Add Pkjulesworld as a Chrome Desktop App for ease of access. 

Well you now know some of what we pack in our carry-ons as Long-haul flight must haves. Obviously everyone has their own list. So would you like to share your travel essentials with out audience?  We would love to hear about them. Share in comments below.

Before you do, Did you get value? We would love it if you Pin this post And Share on social media… #SeeDoBemore 

By the way every image  and text is socially shareable too, simply highlight and you can share away!   Try It Now… Have Your Say Below…

After you’ve left a comment, let’s CONNECT and bond some more on Facebook or on Twitter,  Instagram and Google. We alsoPodcast on iTunes and you’ll definitely want to check out our amazingly helpful Travel Club to help you plan your next life changing 5 Star trip like a VIP.

See, Do, and Be more!

Julie Syl Kalungi

Find and Follow Us on:

Facebook: Pkjulesworld-Travelswag

Twitter: @pkjulesworld

Instagram: @pkjulesworld

Email: support[at]Juleskalpauli.com

Need Help with your Bucket List Or Question on a Destination? Check out our Travel Club Tab where we Help People Everyday.