This will be my third trip to Europe in a year so I feel like I somewhat have it down as far as what to bring on the plane. Packing a suitcase it a whole other story because I am a notorious over-packer and feel like I need ALL THE OPTIONS. Honestly, it’s not that bad. I am used to my one heavy suitcase and then I try to stuff everything else into my carry-on shoulder bag and it is pretty easy to get around from train station to train station.
Megan’s Essentials for a Long Flight
TRTL Pillow– I’d like to preface this by saying that I actually haven’t tried this popular pillow out yet, but I did purchase one and I’m itching to try it out on this next flight. I love the concept of not taking up much space (i.e. not having to lug around a huge donut pillow). I will report back after I’ve used mine and let you all know how I liked it. I usually can’t sleep on planes anyways, but maybe this will solve my problem.
Jade Roller– Airplane air is weird, y’all. It makes you all dry and puffy and I like to go to town with my jade roller while watching shows on my iPad. Bonus points if you put on a sheet mask before and then roll over the top of the mask. Since I don’t bring my ice roller on the plane I will sometimes ask for a cup of ice and just rub the ice over my face in lieu of the ice roller.
Peppermint Halo Oil Roller– you all have heard me talking about this a million times before, but another place I like to use it is while on a long flight. I don’t know about you, but my muscles start to tense up being cramped in those small spaces and I get neck and back issues. I just roll a little of this stuff on the back of my neck and just wait for it to start working. I know the smell is a little strong, so I try to take it to the bathroom for the initial roll and hope that my seatmate doesn’t seem to mind the strong smell of peppermints (at least it’s not patchouli right?).
Megababe Deodorant– this one is pretty self explanatory, I would hope. Listen, we’ve all been there … you’re on a long flight and someone forgot to put on deodorant and they’ve got the whole plane smelling like gross body odor or men’s feet … woof. I like to take my deodorant with me to spruce up every couple of hours to keep it clean and fresh.
Portable Sound Machine– I use this more so at the actual hotel but I have been known to pop this thing out on a plane before. If you’re sitting next to someone who won’t shut the eff up or if you’re a couple of rows away from a crying baby, just turn this sucker on and lay your head around it with a pillow and it drowns out all the noise.
iPad– this one is a given but make sure you have all of the shows and movies you want to watch pre-downloaded on your iPad. We’ve all been on a plane that claims to have in-flight entertainment systems but an hour in your TV starts doing some janky freeze action and before you know it you’re 1 hour into The Notebook with tears streaming down your eyes and you can’t finish your freaking movie. Trust me, just bring your own iPad so you can be in control.
Clear Packing Bags– I use this not only as packing cubes but also as clear bags to put in my big carry-on so I can see everything in there. You all know I am a traveling pharmacy and I need to know that when it’s time to take my nightly vitamins it will be clearly visible in these clear bags.
Emergen-C and Black Elderberry– Here’s the deal, you are flying with 200+ other people who you have no idea if they’re sick or not. Suzy two rows back could have the flu, Karen 6 seats over could have shingles. It’s all about preparation kids and if you start out downing these Emergen-C packs before your flight, during, and after, I promise you won’t get sick! Which leads me to my other preventative medicine miracle, Black Elderberry – do yourself a favor and order a bottle of these. We take them all year long. They are amazing for your immune system among other things.
Jabra Wireless Headphones– these were a purchase before our last European trip and I really do love them. I wanted to love the Apple Earpods but these just fit my ears better and felt more comfortable. I wouldn’t say that these are completely noise cancelling, but they do a pretty good job of drowning out the background noise of noisy passengers.
Silk Scrunchies– I take these things with me EVERYWHERE that I go, seriously. I have them in my car, in my purse, in my travel bag, suitcase, makeup bag … you name it. Once you go silk, you’ll never go back. The silk scrunchies don’t leave creases in your hair and are just overall way more comfortable than a traditional hair tie.
Wet One Wipes– I’ve been using these damn things for over 20 years. My Mom Linda is a huge advocate of these and she always had them in her purse when I was growing up. She has definitely rubbed off on me because I start to have a panic attack if I can’t find my wet wipes. Listen, these are not only for cleaning and disinfecting, they are GREAT stain removers too! I also use them to clean my computer, phone, car, and so many other things.
Delsey Chatelet 28 Suitcase– this is a new one for me but I’m sure you all have seen it all over IG as it seems to be the hot suitcase right now. I got an Away suitcase for Christmas and I love it, but when Delsey reached out and wanted me to try their suitcases I figured this would be the perfect trip for it. I’m excited to see how much crap I can stuff in this suitcase. I’ll report back and let you know for sure.
Longchamp Expandable Travel Tote– I’m sure you’ve heard me talk about this before but this bag is truly, hands down, the best purchase you will ever make if you have an international trip planned in the near future. Let me tell you why – first of all, I use it to put everything in while boarding the plane. I will put my purse in this bag and then everything else. It’s basically a catch all for change of clothes, toiletries, computer, bag of cords, bag of meds, and snacks. When I get to my destination hotel I will take out what I need to take out and then comes the fun part – I EXPAND IT! Boom! It’s now a bottomless bag that I start filling with all of my purchases. Y’all, I’ve had this thing packed so tight that it looked like a busted can of biscuits. I won’t let you down on this one, trust me, just get it!
Now, let’s move on to what I plan on packing. I keep this little rack over by my closet to be able to visualize what all I have so far and what else I may need to buy. I am taking a lot of easy and breezy dresses, a couple of jumpsuits, 4 bags, and a lot of flat sandals.
Shoes L-R (top): Golden Goose | Steve Madden | Cupcakes & Cashmere | Soludos
Shoes L-R (middle): Steve Madden | Target | Target | Steve Madden
Shoes L-R (bottom): Tkees | Birkenstocks | Dog not included or linkable
What are some of your travel essentials?