Vacations can be an exciting time, as you are traveling to a new destination that likely has a lot in store for you. However, traveling to those far-away exotic locations requires a long flight, something most people aren’t too keen on. Long flights can be a huge mood killer, as you could be crammed in a tight space and in the air for several long hours at a time. What many people don’t know however is that there are several things that you can pack to make your time in the air much more bearable. So what should you pack for a smooth trip? Here are five essentials to pack for a long flight.
Entertainment
The first thing you should pack with you on long flights is some form of entertainment. Everyone that’s been on a flight before knows how boring they can be, as you’re just sitting on the plane for hours. Factor in the time you may have to wait at the gate or during layovers, and you’ll have a lot of time to kill. If you don’t bring any form of entertainment to keep you occupied, then you’re in for a long and boring trip. You can bring a wide variety of entertainment options, ranging from a thrilling novel to a portable game console. Having entertainment to keep you occupied can make your flight feel much shorter, so it is strongly recommended that you pack some form of entertainment.
Eye Mask and Pillow
Some other essential things to pack for a long flight include an eye mask and a pillow to help you sleep. The benefits of these items are obvious, as they will make sleeping on the plane much easier than if you had nothing. Everyone knows the benefits of getting an adequate amount of sleep and failing to get enough sleep can be detrimental to your health. When you’re on a long flight, you could be stuck there for over a dozen hours, a long period of time to go without sleeping. In addition, you’ll likely still have several hours to go even after your flight, as you’ll have to ride to your lodging and check into your hotel. You want to be as rested as possible when you get to your destination, so sleeping on your plane ride is extremely important. With this in mind, you should definitely bring an eye mask and pillow on your flight just to ensure that sleep comes a little easier to you.
Earplugs
Everyone has been on a plane ride before with some annoying people sitting around you. Whether it’s a child screaming and crying in front of you or an annoying couple loudly chatting about the Calgary real estate they toured, you’ll likely want to drown out some noise. That’s why packing earplugs is essential to any type of long flight. Not only will the earplugs help you keep your sanity and prevent a headache from too much noise, but they will also help with sleeping and relaxing on the plane. You don’t want to be stuck for hours on a flight with lots of noise surrounding you and no way to block it out, so you better check to ensure that you packed some way to block out noise.
Toiletries
We’ve all gotten off a long flight or car ride and felt gross and dirty before. You’re sitting in a cramped space for a considerable period of time, and you usually have no way of freshening up. The feeling can be even worse if you take a redeye flight and spend the entire night in the air. Due to this, you may want to pack some toiletries and other supplies in order to freshen up. For example, you might want to bring something to wash your face with or something to brush your teeth with just so you can feel a little bit better. Every plane has a bathroom that you can use to freshen up, so you may want to take advantage of them and clean up a little on your flight.
Food and Drink
One of the most important things to pack on an extremely long flight is some food and drinks. If you’re going to spend a long time on a plane, chances are you’re going to get hungry and thirsty. Yes, there are food and drink options offered by airlines, but these options are usually low quality and provide little sustenance. In addition, they are often way overpriced and are almost never worth the purchase. As a result, if you want to satisfy your hunger or thirst then you should definitely pack your own food and drink for your long flight.
