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!!

I travel ultra long haul (UK to NZ/Aus) around 12 times a year for years. My only must have is my Bose noise canx headphones. Everything else is just clutter.
Of course wear layers suitable for varying temperatures

Key tip is to chose a good seat - if you use seat guru you can put in your aircraft and see which ones are best.

You can also find out what films are showing if you want to plan in advance.

Other than that it’s a question of keeping hydrated, warm, and resting if you can.

Face wipes and moisturiser. As previously mentioned Vaseline, eye mask, neck pillow, comfy clothing and socks. Ear buds, I bought loop ones or fake loop ones are just as good! Yes to headphones but biggest mistake I made was not bringing basic plug in ones to watch films that are provided on the plane, the ones they give you are so uncomfortable! So that is my biggest recommendation- plug in headphones.

Yes, I was going to say a lot depends on which class you're travelling in! You don't need nearly as much of that stuff if it's BC.
And of course in the first instance you have considerably more space around you.

It's just regular long haul, darling

Sadly repeated covid infections mean we are all suffering from damaged immune systems. A simple Google will show you this is the case.

There are plenty of comfortable masks out there, protecting not only yourself but your fellow passengers.

Also a veteran of very long haul flights. You really don’t need very much.

I take - assuming midpoint lounge access for a shower (paid for or otherwise)

• lip balm, eye drops, hand cream, moisturiser, face wash (sample size), deodorant, toothbrush, toothpaste
• kindle
• ibruprofen
• noise cancelling headphones
• Avantree headphone adapter for the IFE
• memory foam travel pillow
• sleep mask
• pen
• charging cable for your phone - most planes are still USB A not USB C
• water bottle (empty) to fill after security & electrolyte tablets
• anything you cannot survive without at the other end: prescription glasses & sunglasses in my case.

I use Vicks First Defence spray to ward off illness.

Clothing is always leggings, big hoodie, socks, trainers, tshirt. It’s not the time to worry about looking the part in hope of an upgrade - you won’t be unless you happen to be a very frequent flyer.

Depending on who you’re flying, most will offer between meal snacks in the galley that you can collect.

I personally wouldn't get a special meal in order to be served first as it means you’re stuck there with an empty tray in front of you for about an hour, and you probably won’t get a drink at the same time your meal is served as the trolley comes much later.

Moisturiser. Even an overnight cream. I saved samples of the basics and a mask for the flight.
I also put everything I need in a canvas carrier so im not having to go in my cabin bag and everything is together. A high capacity powerbank. There is charging on board but really slow.

Powerbanks - you need to check with your airline as some have already banned them and many are in the process of doing so. Singapore, Emirates, Virgin, Qantas all ban in-flight use.

I highly recommend wearing compression socks. I bought a pair to wear for my last Oz to UK flight, but didn’t wear them. I got a DVT! Apart from that, kindle, charger, neck pillow, facial spray, iPad and baby wipes are all essential. And a change of clothes, they lost our bags too! Long haul sucks.

I don't have much to add, but I would say that if you bring sweets or snacks, it's considerate to not bring strong-smelling things like mints or chewing gum. Strong smells in an enclosed space that you can't get away from can make other people feel really sick even if it's not what you would consider to be an unpleasant aroma.

By the same token, if you're planning to slip shoes off during the flight, please be wearing socks underneath. Nobody wants to see/smell your bare feet.

I can't sleep on flights even with melatonin on board, so I always make sure I've got something to read. They often dim the lights in the cabin during overnight flights so I download some ebooks onto my phone and use dark mode so it doesn't give out too much light. By all means take a neck pillow and eye mask but have some backup entertainment if you end up being like me, i.e., just sitting there with your eyes shut rather than actually sleeping.

Ultra long haul is a definition used by IATA and the ICAO and IFALPA for flights lasting over 16 hours.

I do really long haul (twice 14 hours) at least a couple of times a year. I always go Business Class now but when I was poor I did Economy and gradually minimised what I take on board. It’s very cramped and it’s easier for you and those around you to bring the minimum on board.

I take an easy to read novel - one that isn’t too complex but well written enough to keep me reading. I take my phone, charging cables and AirPods. I make sure I have a good lot of podcasts downloaded. I like big cashmere shawl or large silk scarf and an eye mask. I take anti- histamines (anti histamine, gin and tonic and then red wine with supper is very soporific).

You need far less than you think you need. Especially if, like me, you like a window seat and only get up about once. Best to have a small bag or backpack that just slides under the seat in front of you - it can double as a foot rest.

i generally don’t work on those sorts of flights any more unless I have a tight deadline - I give myself permission just to watch films and doze as much as possible.

True, there is indeed a numerical definition of ULH but the 16 hour figure is mainly relevant to issues around crew and the management of their fatigue.

From the passenger POV pragmatically nothing much changes once sectors get to half a day plus, they are all chuffing long flights.

Food. Breakfast and dinner are usually ok but lunches are horrible imo - finger sandwiches with things I don’t like in for example. When I went to Florida with dp and my dcs we picked up spare sandwiches from the airport, and took crisps, cereal bars etc.

Ideally try and walk around every 3hrs onboard to prevent blood clots. It’s very easy to just try and sleep 8-9 hrs but try and break it up with walk to loo or stretch legs occasionally

Snacks. We have a similar flight soon and Ds is much younger so we will pack proper food as he’s fussy and allergies. I take rye bread type sandwiches as they travel better.

Non tv time entertainment. Guide book, sudoku, word search, book/ kindle, crafts. Watching just tv for hours straight can be tedious

Own tea cup flask and water bottle. I always decant hot drink into lidded travel tea cup, saves having hot drink spilt on you by accident or turbulence.

Try Sydney to LAX or SFO.

Or London to Perth non-stop. At least London-Sydney, you get 3 hours or so in HK or Singapore. A nice lounge and a shower ease things.

The last thing you want when you're spending 14hrs in a cramped seat is a lot of clutter. Bring as little as possible.

• headphones
• charger
• socks
• fruit
• water
• hand sanitiser

I have yet to find a travel pillow that is worth the hassle of the space it takes up.

What a load of nonsense! Virgin are absolutely not one of the cheapest and are generally one of the more expensive! They don’t serve “trays of baked beans” either!

snacks, loads of them just in case you dont like the food options, some airlines will leave snacks out to help yourself but still safe having your own

FWIW for the fans of this sort of thing Qantas are gearing up for SYD-LHR non-stop in the very near future, using extra long range A350s, the first of which had just been rolled out at the Airbus plant at Toulouse.

Something like a 22 hour sector on a bad day....

It'll be interesting to see how much business that takes away from the direct services which as you say route usually route via SIN. In the case of BA that's a sub two hour transit stop.

@notimagain I'd do London-Sydney direct, but only in Business. 22 hours of sleeping would be fine by me. But not with Qantas - their service is shite. Even BA is better than Qantas.

Check if there’s an option to upgrade. I upgraded to business class on a London to LA flight by bidding £400 on Aer Lingus.

I’ve literally been home an hour from several flights overseas.

I actually take less each time.

In carry on :

book
phone
chargers
spare undies
lip balm
bandaids
eye drops
black out eye mask
ipad
noise cancelling headphones

Less is more!

I have a similar length flight to visit SIL and find flying so tedious, my number one tip is that I bring a bag of Percy pigs and if I’m awake I reward myself with one for each hour of the flight I get through 🤪

I have a gadget that clips onto the tray table and holds my phone so I can watch downloaded stuff from Netflix if I don’t fancy the inflight entertainment. I bring my beats noise cancelling headphones.

For sleeping I really rate Trtl pillows which are almost like a neck brace, which stops your head flopping forward when you fall asleep. Paired with Loop earplugs and a satin eye mask is the only way I can sleep on a plane.

Compression socks are essential but bring warmer socks to put over them.
Toothbrush/toothpaste/mini mouthwash, clean underwear and socks, and deodorant or wet wipes really make a difference to how human you feel after waking up.
Big water bottle - fill it up at the airport and ask the flight attendants to fill it up for you instead of giving you tiny plastic cups of water.

Don’t bother with any of the recommendations for foot stools/hammocks etc - almost all airlines ban them as they make it harder to escape in an emergency.