Essentials for a long haul flight.

[WilmaFlintstone1]

What are your essentials when flying long haul,

im off to Costa Rica in a few weeks, I’ve never flown long haul before and I have a 14hr flight.

so far I have

noise cancelling ear buds
compression socks
playlists downloaded onto the phone
a neck cushion/beanbag thing,
I will also have a CPAP machine for sleep as I have OSA. So have a new mask.

abything else that would be good?

Eye mask, I can't sleep without it on planes. Take a proper light blocking mask, the flimsy ones airlines sometimes hand out do nothing.
I also have a wool poncho, it's more comfortable than airline blankets.

Moisturiser. My skin gets really dry on long flights.

Toothpaste and toothbrush

Lip balm, hand wipes, hand cream, foldable slippers, toothbrush and paste but check if they offer amenity kits, plain biscuits, do they know you are taking cpap, is it battery powered.

Kindle with loads of downloaded books. Remember to put your meds in your hand luggage.

Painkillers, ipad with lots of downloads, kindle, snacks, sweets

clean knickers & tshirt
a warm jumper
warm socks

toothbrush & toothpaste
hairbrush
wet wipes
deodorant

book
ipad with films / series downloaded
headphones

ear plugs & eye mask

water bottle - take it through security empty and most airports have a water fountain you can refill at airside
snacks

reserve your choice of seat in advance

Agree on decent moisturiser and lip balm. I always take an extra pair of socks so I can take my shoes off without my feet getting cold.

Make sure you have the right charging cables/plugs/adapters as different planes will have different setups. I always make sure I have standard USB cables with plugs and adapters for both the home and destination countries. You can never be sure what the setup on the plane will be, if a particular port/socket is broken do you have an alternative, etc.

Also take an empty water bottle and some snacks, though check customs at the other end on whether you might need to ditch them.

Also make sure that you have in your hand luggage anything you would need for the first 24 hours in-country including paperwork, a change of clothes, sufficient toiletries/contact lenses/medication whatever, ideally enough to see you through the trip. Luggage getting lost does happen even though it's rare, and the idea of having to get replacement contact lenses abroad is one of my nightmares!

Lip balm! My lips get so dry on flights.

Flown to Australia a few times my essentials list is;

Clean knickers plus freezer bag for dirty pants.
Toothbrush and toothpaste
Baby wipes and deodorant
Moisturiser and lip balm
Neck pillow
Phone with downloaded audiobook / playlists and charger
Fluffy socks
Book
Magazine
Mints
Passport and money
Long cardigan over comfy clothes

Sanitiser gel - gel your whole area as planes are never really cleaned.

Big scarf to use as a blanket, pillow etc

Wear clothes that can adapt to the new weather. So I wear a long summer skirt and thick leggings and just take off the leggings when we land.

Sunglasses! You may have to walk off the plane into the airport.

Always bring a pen in case of some customs firm to complete or sign.

As someone else mentioned all
contacts and medicine. Airlines lost my bag for 156 days once and I had to find an optometrist and sources glasses and lenses. Not what I wanted to be doing.

Have a wonderful time.

Thanks all, some great stuff here I hadn’t considered.

Moisturiser and lip balm are a great idea.

i can apparently book my seat 24hrs before

I always took toilet wipes as well as baby wipes on long haul plus some fold up shoes to go to the bathroom in.

Good earphones. You may end up watching a lot of films and the free earbuds aren't always very good.

A big wrap or poncho. It can get very chilly.

A very easy to read novel.

Moisturiser, hand cream and lip balm. The air is very dry.

First defence nasal spray to ward off in flight viruses circulating the air.
Hand gel or wipes.
Tissues.
Sugar free mints to freshen your breath and to suck on take off and landing.

Water. Lots of water. I can't be doing with the thimbles you get served.

Where do you change your pants? In the toilet? Are you a contortionist?

i don’t bother with changes of clothes as there’s nowhere to change. Just wear something loose and comfortable. Plenty of layers as flights are freezing.

yy to noise cancelling headphones. Have a look at the onboard entertainment and see if there’s anything interesting, otherwise download shows etc before you go. If you want to use your own headphones you’ll need an audio cable.

is the cpap machine noisy? Will it keep neighbours awake?

Do you have to apply for permission to use the CPAP machine before you fly?

A trip to Costa Rica sounds amazing😀

Oooooh, we are off to Costa Rica in 3 weeks on our honeymoon. Very excited, but nervous as leaving the kids.

I need to start thinking about packing so this thread is v useful!

Get a really good neck pillow, a structured one that holds your head up and really allows you to sleep sitting upright in a seat

She would be changing at the layover- the Aus flights are about 14 hours first leg, 9 hours second.

OP as someone who also travels regularly long haul-

Soft jersey clothing including a cardigan
A full change of clothes and undies for unexpected spills (or if a child vomits on you!)
Warm socks
Slip on slides to wear on plane (I wear trainers through the airport then switch)
A lovely moisturiser
Some gripping but light crime fiction- think Richard Osman
An empty drink bottle and some hydralite sachets- this means you can properly re-hydrate on the plane but won't be up and down to wee every twenty seconds
That's it really- don't pack heavy as you won't touch 90% of it, it's just a matter of getting comfortable enough then enduring a day.

When my friend went to Oz she had to and had quite a palava when she first asked, almost cancelled the flight but it did get sorted eventually.

Thanks @FishPie2 I thought it may be difficult with the security regulations.

Anti bacterial and antiviral hand wipes are essential to clean down. Your area and after using the toilet as things get really dirty.
Chargers
Warm socks
Comfy clothing
Headphones
Good book who are you flying with?

All the stuff everyone else has mentioned and Circadin slow release melatonin pills so you can get some proper sleep over the night bit. I’m useless at sleeping sitting up and these are a game changer.

I don’t take much but I do take Bose noise cancelling headphones which are the absolute bollocks. Can’t fly without them.

I also take eyedrops (contact lenses get dry) and lip balm. Oh and those under eye patches, to my husband’s mortification 😂

Add my kindle, and that’s it.