10 Long-haul Flight Carry-on Essentials to Relax

There’s no way to sugarcoat it; long-haul flights are awful. Unless you’re a high-roller with a business-class cabin and fold-down bed, you’ll likely spend hours upon hours shifting around in your seat trying to get comfortable and catch some shut-eye. Take it from me, a frequent traveler and a very sensitive sleeper who can’t ever seem to relax on flights; it’s almost impossible for me to sleep, so I do everything possible to get comfy and keep my mind off of the clock (and maybe even snooze a bit). 

While some travelers swear by neck pillows or a pillow-blanket combo, I use neither. Instead, my focus is on cozy clothing (like super-soft leggings and a warm hoodie), noise-canceling earbuds, and a blackout eye mask. I recently spent three weeks hiking, biking, and kayaking in Sri Lanka, which required a 23-hour flight there and back (including a lengthy layover in Qatar). While I definitely would have preferred to be in business class, I flew coach, and these 10 products helped me stay comfortable during the flight.

Lululemon Align High-Rise Pant With Pockets

I have way too many pairs of Lululemon leggings, and while I love them all, these high-rise pants with pockets are perfect for flying because they’re soft and stretchy. The warm, buttery fabric feels great on my skin and offers enough give that the pants move with me as I shift around to find the elusive, perfect position to sleep upright. You can get these pants with or without pockets, but I love the pockets when I travel because I can store my phone, passport, and boarding pass in them for security and easy access.

Matador Blackout Sleep Mask and Ear Plugs

I can rarely sleep more than 20 minutes at a time on a flight, which is brutal for 23-hour itineraries. However, I’ve learned that I can’t sleep without an eye mask because, even when the cabin lights are dimmed, there is still light coming at me from the TV screens, phones, and windows of other passengers. I also get distracted by people stretching their legs in the aisle and walking to and from the bathrooms. This sleep mask from Matador is awesome because it comes with a handy pocket for your ear plugs and it folds up into itself so you can stash it in a backpack pocket without it getting dirty.

OluKai Ohana Women’s Beach Sandals

I don’t always fly in sandals, but I do enjoy them on long-haul flights when I want to easily slip my footwear on and off on the plane. I love these OluKai sandals because their anatomical footbed makes them extremely comfortable and far more supportive than your average summer flip-flops. I wore them to pools and beaches in Sri Lanka and then I wore them for the 23-hour flight home. I also get up a lot to stretch my legs on long flights and it’s too much work to tie and untie shoes every time, so sandals are a quick solution to protect my feet from walkway carpet junk and bathroom floor stickiness. 

Vim & Vigr Compression Socks

I’ve been wearing Vim & Vigr compression socks for years because they’re comfortable, versatile, and available in a variety of lengths, fabrics, weights, colors, and patterns. They’re great for working out, post-workout recovery, standing all day, and sitting for many hours (especially when flying) because they help the blood circulate. I started off wearing the brand’s traditional compression socks (in adorable patterns, thank you very much) but recently switched to compression leg sleeves and open-toe compression socks on flights when I wear sandals. They cover your lower legs, heels, and mid-foot area to boost circulation, but they leave the toes open. Yes, I assure you that it’s okay to wear socks with sandals (on a long flight, at least).

Hydro Flask Wide-mouth Vacuum Water Bottle

This has been my main water bottle for the last two years because it’s super sturdy, rugged, lightweight, and insulated. I used it throughout my three-week trip in Sri Lanka, filling it with ice water that stayed cold all day and kept me cool while hiking, biking, and swimming in 90-degree Fahrenheit weather. For flying, however, I like to travel with hot tea because I find it soothing and satisfying in cold airplane cabins. For both legs of my flights, I filled the insulated bottle with hot water at the airport and it stayed warm for hours. 

I travel with my own bags of tea, but you could certainly buy tea at the airport or get a bag from the flight attendant. I also usually ask flight attendants to pour hot water directly into my bottle when I need to top it up. This way, my tea stays warm throughout the flight, and the leakproof bottle prevents it from spilling all over my lap and electronics, which is always a possibility when drinking out of the flimsy airline-provided cups.

Arc’Teryx Kyanite Hoodie 

Airplane cabins are notoriously cold and the thin, flimsy blankets they pass out simply aren’t enough. That’s why I always travel with a hoodie on long flights, and this Kyanite Hoodie from Arc’Teryx is my favorite. Yes, it’s a really expensive hoodie, but it is astoundingly soft and well-made, so it will basically last forever. I’ve had it nearly two years and it is in just as good of shape as it was on day one — something that can’t be said for fast fashion brands. 

What’s more, this sweatshirt has smooth-sliding zippers, cozy hand pockets, and a snug-fitting hood, and is made with bluesign-certified sustainable materials that are super soft and cozy. Not only is this my go-to hoodie for flying, but it’s also my top choice for cold-weather hiking and lounging around at home in the winter months.

Sony Wireless Noise-canceling Headphones

Anybody who has ever relied on airline-provided headphones knows how horrible they are. Sure, they’re free, but they’re also uncomfortable and ineffective. Typically, they’re made with cheap, flimsy plastic and the speaker doesn’t actually get close enough to your eardrum to block out surrounding noises. As such, you wind up having to crank up the volume to a dangerously high level and you can still hear whatever nonsense is going on in the row behind you. 

That’s why I always travel with my headphones, and I love these Sony noise-canceling earbuds because they are comfy, easy to use, and they fit right inside my hip pouch or leggings pocket. While they don’t cancel out as much noise as the over-the-head version, (which I also have and love), they do block out some ambient noise and you can quickly adjust the volume by tapping on the headphones. 

Avantree Relay Bluetooth Transmitter

Though you can easily pair your wireless headphones to your laptop or phone via Bluetooth, it can be harder to pair them with an airplane’s TV, which is where a transmitter adapter comes in. I’m a fan of the Avantree Relay Bluetooth Transmitter, which comes with a dual prong. Why is this important? Most transmitters have single-prong designs, but many international flights have dual-prong, not single-prong, ports. While you could get away with a single-prong adapter (and I certainly have in the past), you get the best sound quality when using an adapter that actually fits the port the way it was intended to.

Matador ReFraction Packable Sling

Though I love stashing my boarding pass and random items in the pockets of my leggings, I always travel with a hip pouch or fanny pack. Actually, I’ve been wearing a belt bag (what the cool kids — and grandparents — are calling fanny packs these days) every single day for over a decade as it’s a practical accessory that helps you safely store your essentials and access them easily. I love the Matador hip pouch because it’s super thin, water-resistant, made with recycled materials, and equipped with an external pocket for small items.

While this is not the fanny pack that will fit most of the contents of your purse, it will have just enough room for the essentials. For flights, I usually store my phone, passport, keys, hand sanitizer, and some tissues in mine; it also comes in handy while hiking or just walking around town and sightseeing.

Travelpro Platinum Elite Carry-on Hardside Spinner

Like my travel writer colleagues, I own way too many backpacks and suitcases because they all have their own sets of pros and cons, and they are designed for different types of trips. My new favorite carry-on suitcase is this smooth-sliding one from Travelpro because, unlike other roller boards on the market, this one has a genius external zipper pocket for a laptop. Gone are the days of having to fight with a suitcase onboard to yank my laptop out of the overhead bin.

With the Travelpro Platinum Elite Carry-on, I simply roll the bag onboard, unzip the pocket, snatch my laptop out, and store the suitcase in the bin. Considering how long my flights were, I knew I’d get bored watching TV the entire time, so I wanted to have the option to work on my laptop and read magazines (which were also easily accessible from the front pocket).

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