Business Travel Blog

Traveling by plane is a bit like travelling by car. You are stuck in a cramped space for many, many hours with only a limited number of things to keep yourself entertained. Unfortunately, you can’t get out of the plane for a few minutes of fresh air and leg stretching. That said, what you bring with you in your carry-on bags is of utmost importance in keeping yourself comfortable and occupied, especially during a long-haul flight of six hours or more.

 Here are a few suggestions for carry-on items that will be a big help to long-haul air travellers. Make sure to pack these into your hand luggage for easy access.

Book. A book is the most obvious and indispensible item to have on a long-haul flight. Depending on what type of reader you are, almost any kind of book will do. I tend to go for light books that are real page turners and will keep me wanting to read to pass the hours. Avoid big, heavy hardback books.

iPod. Obviously, this can be any type of mp3 player, just so long as you have some music to keep you going and drown out the rumbling engine noise. One better is if your player will also show movies or TV shows, such as an iPod Nano.

Sweater. I always carry a sweater or soft jacket with me on the plane. You never know what plane temperatures are going to be like, and even if you don’t put it on, you can use it as a spare pillow.

Clean socks. This one is so key! Even by mid-way through a long-haul flight, your feet are going to be hot, tired, itchy and stinky. That’s when you slide off your shoes and slide on your cozy, fresh socks.

Eye mask. Admittedly, I always forget to carry an eye mask with me on plane trips, but I have wished for one more than once. Too often, you’re hoping to catch a little shut eye long before the flight attendants turn down the cabin lights, and that’s where your eye mask would come in very handy.

Ear plugs. These go hand-in-hand with the eye mask in guaranteeing you some amount of sleep while you are flying. Not everyone is comfortable with ear plugs, but if you can stand using them, they will definitely aid in your sleeping time in the air.

Pen/pencil. This might seem silly, but you are almost always going to need a writing instrument (preferably a pen) when flying. Most notably, on international flights, you will need to fill in a landing card and, sometimes, a customs form, and it is a real pain to have to lean over to the stranger next to you and ask for their pen. Plus, you’ll be able to do the crossword in the airline magazine when you get really bored.

Travel pillow. I personally do not like carrying travel pillows because I feel they are quite bulky to haul around. However, every time I fly, I see tons of people using them and for this reason, I’ve included them on this list. Additionally, one thing that always bugs me is the way that airplane pillows always make my hair a static cling zone, which, admittedly, is quite annoying.

Bottled water. So, you can’t bring bottled water through the security checkpoint anymore, but you can buy it once you’re inside the terminal, and I always do. Planes really dry you out, especially the really long flights, and you can never seem to get the flight attendants to bring around enough water (except on Cathay Pacific!). That’s why I always buy a big bottle of water to keep myself hydrated on planes (even though they can be pricey in airport terminals).

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