Long haul - what to take on flight?

[Pixilicious1]

I’m travelling long haul (14hrs) early next year with my teen DD and have no idea what we should take with us on the flight. Previously only flown max 4 hrs.
all suggestions welcome for both entertainment and comfort.
thanks!!

Lip balm. Your toothbrush to feel fresher. Travel pillow. Book. Look at meal options in advance if you have specific dietary requirements.

Pillow spray or essential oil so you drop off.

We fly long haul a few times a year. I don’t take much. Lip balm, eye drops, noise cancelling headphones, kindle.

Noise cancelling headphones, a neck pillow and plenty of snacks!

Definitely not pillow spray or essential oils as suggested by PP - that's so rude to be spraying around smelly stuff in a confined space.

Neck pillow. I have a trtl and a British Pillow Company one. The latter has the edge but is bulkier.

Scarf, and eye mask if you like that kind of thing. Wear layers.

Comfortable shoes that won’t be too tight if your feet swell, and can be easily slipped off while you’re in your seat and back on for going to the toilet.

Water bottle to refill after security.

Noise cancelling headphones.

Charging cables.

Change of clothes in case your luggage goes missing.

Hand cream, lip balm, toothpaste and brush.

Tissues

I also take a my Kindle and some crochet.

My advice is to take as little as possible. Neck pillow, book/kindle, water bottle. If you have a connection then a change of clothes. I’ve never had luggage get lost on a direct flight, but our last longhaul trip our bags were still in Dublin when we reached the US. Aer Lingus could not have been less interested in this or less helpful!

Oh gosh - how long til you were reunited? I’m flying with them in a couple of weeks.

I always take loads of hand luggage because of previous experiences with BA (annoying but received lots of information) and Lufthansa (not so great).

If overnight then an eye mask and earplugs.

Change of clothes just in case
Medication
Charging cable
Airfly twelve south (or similar) Bluetooth transmitter if you want to use wireless headphones and inflight entertainment
Wipes
Neck support for dozing
Loose jersey trousers/top for comfort
Cosy jumper - it's always freezing
Slip on footwear
Warm comfy socks - ditto
Book/kindle

We got them the next evening. Only because I had an AirTag in my golf clubs and could tell them they were in Dublin. Even when they got to the US they didn’t tell us and wouldn’t deliver them that day, we had to go and collect them. Our bags were in a room with loads of others and they just let us choose them and take them away. Absolutely shocking customer service.

all of the above plus snacks! The food isn’t always great or served when you’re hungry.

I take a very small bag alongside my cabin bag that has the bits I’ll need to access during the flight, so lipbalm, antibac wipes, hand cream, headphones, phone charging cable (no books as I have the kindle app), toothbrush and paste (I take the little toothpaste tablets), flight socks.

Dont borher with a toothbrush, you can get Oral B teeth wipes on Amazon. Its a yes to eyemask/ earplugs / noise cancelling headphones/neck pillow /anti bac handwipes.
Put all the plane comfort stuff in a nylon fold up bag, and keep it with you so you aren't constantly having to rummage through your hand luggage once its been stowed in the overhead bins.
Request a vegetarian meal, you always get served first.
Have a fantastic time!

I’d recommend not ordering a vegetarian meal unless you are strictly vegetarian.

In my recent experience (BA, Virgin, Aer Lingus and Air Canada)
a) you actually get a tasteless and hideous vegan meal that’s smaller than the regular meals
b) there’s always a non-meat alternative regular meal, with a risk of non-vegetarian cheese.

Thanks everyone, feeling more confident about what i need x

Neck pillow
Noise cancelling headphones
A big hoodie that covers your eyes when pulled down - then you can sleep!

Refillable water bottle - it’ll stay lovely and cool if you fill from the fountains after security
USB charging cable for phone
Book/iPad/Puzzle book for entertainment

Flight socks to reduce leg swelling

Medication in hand luggage if required , earplugs for sure

Have a bag that fits under the seat with anything you might need. It’s a pain having to go up and down to the overhead lockers. I try to take as little as possible, but a kindle and a big scarf/wrap as is can get chilly are my go tos.

Bless your heart.

We only fly Virgin and on many many long haul flights we have taken, I have never had a vegetarian meal like you describe.

Phenergan to knock you out

Lip balm and hand or body cream as it’s very dry in the cabin. Very comfy clothes. I usually wear leggings or joggers. Hair ties and hair brush if you have long hair. I don’t like travel pillows, but DH swears by them. Noise cancelling handphones and plugs to use the in flight entertainment system because the cabin is very noisy. If you prefer your own devices, bring a usb cable. A warm jumper if you sleep cold.

They will feed you and keep you well entertained with the in flight entertainment. You can buzz for extra snacks. Just enjoy it and be prepared it feels like forever on the plane.

Is it an East Asian destination? Or the west coast of the United States?

Asian airlines have very good vegetarian food is my experience.

Water, flip flops or slides, compression socks are my addtions to the list. And a book or magazine for variety, staring at a seat back screen for 14hours is hard.
Plan to walk around the plane as well, its hard to sit for that length of time.

The worst food I have eaten in my entire life has been on virgin flights, they’re an absolute terrible airline, I’m fairly sure they would have gone out of business long ago if they weren’t as cheap as they are. One vegetarian meal was a tray of green beans, a slice of tomato and stale bread, it was so bad it was almost funny. The breakfast on the same flight was a tray of baked beans, their meal booking system is clearly completely pointless.

Having done UK to NZ with stops which involved two long haul flights each way (12 hours and 10 hours) and 10 flights in total my top tips are;

1. Noise cancelling headphones - I got soundcore q20i for the teenagers and managed to get them for £35 currently £48 on Amazon and they were great for the money
2. Bluetooth airline adaptor around £20 but means you aren't connected by leads to the inflight entertainment
3. Neck pillow
4. Big hoody or fleece
5. Warm socks which you don't mind walking around the plane in
6. Water bottle and sachets of electrolytes. I filled the bottle up with water after security and mixed the electrolytes in then
7. Charging lead

Also totally agree with the small nylon bag to put things in under your seat