Best thing you’ve bought for a long haul trip?

[Stuckinthemud88]

Either for the travelling itself or when you’re there and either for yourself or for your kids!

first class tickets

Incognito insect repellent shampoo. No hairline bites and it smelled great!

A little hammock thingy for my feet to rest in on the flight

Extension lead with ~4 sockets, means you only need one adapter and everything else can just plug in with 'normal' plugs/connections from home

Neck fan.

Warm Mexican shawl - just the right size and weight to wrap around shoulders to keep upper body warm while I snooze.

Permanent metal 'dog tags' for luggage with strong wire clasp.

My own earphones.

Diazepam so you can sleep on the overnight flight.

A neck pillow I actually slept through 3 long flights home using this.

cashmere travel wrap, wax ear plugs, soft eye mask and prescription sleeping tablets. I've done 30+ NZ-uk trips and they're my essentials.

Business class ticket, noise cancelling headphones and comfy loungewear that still looks smart.

Upgrade the tickets

Very nice handcream and lip balm, plane air is drying out the skin very fast

comfy socks and slippers. I take off my shoes but obviously don't want to walk in socks to the toilet. Only drawback, the feet can swell so whatever shoes you wear need to be comfortable as well, I found trainer the best instead of leather shoes.

I have a Trtl travel pillow, which I really like but nobody else in the family gets on with it at all. A sleep mask is a must, and either noise-canceling headphones or earplugs, if it's an overnight flight. This is from bitter experience of flying transatlantic with Norwegian where the video screens ran all night at maximum brightness and the crew discussed their lives in minute detail at the top of their voices all night in the galley. The very low fares just about made it worth while.

With kids, ipads. And travel sized paracetamol/ibuprofen - got caught with a teething 1yr old from Sydney to London once and no pain relief, was hell for us and everyone sitting near us.

hand luggage suitcase with wheels
booking the lounge before flying
comfy clothes & a poncho (basically a wearable blanket)

oh and travel kettle - amazing how many hotels don't have tea & coffee facilities in the room

A carry on bag that clips to the top of my wheelie suitcase, a suit carrier

A big pashmina I already had.

Yoga pants for travelling in
Neck pillow

Back up battery for when the devices run out of power

A bag that opens fully from the top, so your arent rummaging for ages to find stuff for the kids on the plane

Shoes that are easy to slip on and off for the kids on the plane for bathroom trips…and dressing them in clothes they can manage easily in the bathroom…including trousers with elasticated ankles so the hems dont drag on the floor when they pull them down

Disposable toilet seat covers and antibac hand wipes for toilet seats

An extra top each for when they vom/spill a drink/drop their snack down you and them

Secret mini toy surprises

Snacks that are like raisins and take ages to eat as they are lots of little bites

People who will look after the kids for you when you arrive so you can collapse for a bit and recover!

Put as much of your luggage in the hold as possible. All you need in your carry on is stuff for the flight and an emergency change of clothes. A backpack or similar will be easier to get stuff out of than a wheely case. Make sure you mix the contents of your checked bags so that everyone has something to wear if a bag does go missing. I hate dragging a wheely case round the airport and wrestling it into the locker. And, related to this, pack everything you need, then take half of it out and leave it at home. There are shops wherever you’re going if you need something.

First class ticket, a good book and a water bottle!

Zopiclone

kindle
never run out of good reading material again.

and when the kids were younger, those little tiny squirty bottles of very concentrated squash. squash seems to be a uniquely Uk thing, and the one thing they'd miss when away.

Packing cubes for all trips - not just flights.
No need to unpack/rummage for what you need if all clothes are in colour-coded packs.

I bought them for a multi-destination holiday - 8 places in 21 days I think. They were indispensable.

Boots Sleepeze tablets to conquer jet lag once I got there.

@Ratatoo

A little hammock thingy for my feet to rest in on the flight

Please tell me about this little hammock thingy!!