Top 10 Must-Have Travel Essentials for Long-Haul Flights!

When traveling on long-haul flights, I’m talking about a flight 6+ hours or a red-eye overnight, there are some “must-have” flight/travel essentials that I HIGHLY recommend packing in your carry-on(s).

I travel on long-haul flights multiples times a year when I lead my Fitness, Adventure, and Transformation retreats, and for pleasure since I live a nomadic lifestyle. Over the years I’ve learned how to pack for flights like this in a VERY efficient and effective way. 

This list of must-have long-haul flight travel essentials is EXACTLY what I pack for these flights. I use EVERYTHING on this list, and have learned to never go on a long-haul flight without these essentials. 

I recommend having ALL of the things on this list if you’re checking a bag. When you check a bag there is always a chance that your bag might get lost, which has happened to me multiples times. There is nothing worse than arriving to your vacation destination excited and ready to jump into your bathing suit, and then finding out that all of your clothes, shoes, and essentials for your trip are missing. 

If you have good travel insurance with your credit card, or if the airline you’re flying with has a good baggage delay/lost policy, you should be able to buy new items and get them reimbursed upon arrival. However I’ve found that to be more stressful than just packing an extra bag with basic items you know you will want upon arrival. It’s fun to get new things for “free”, however after spending hours (yes, hours) submitting all the paperwork and also taking the time to buy all of your stuff, it’s not worth it and it puts a damper on your trip.

In addition, if fitting everything on this list into one carry-on seems like mission impossible, I recommend bringing an additional small carry-on for the items you won’t need on your flight, but will want when you land. I either bring a small carry-on suitcase or a re-usable grocery bag that I can pack away once I get to my destination. 

So without further ado, here is my COMPLETE must-have 10 travel essentials for long-haul flights! 

1. Electrolytes- During a flight I find it difficult to drink water and stay hydrated. Which then results in me wanting to SNACK more, and usually those snacks are not so healthy. Now I always bring electrolytes on flights and add them to my water right away. Because it makes my water taste good, I actually drink it, and then I stay hydrated, snack less, and feel great upon arrival. The electrolytes I use and LOVE are Ultima Replenisher. 

2. Travel pillow or comfy jacket/sweatshirt- Trying to sleep sitting up without neck support just seems like a horrible idea. I use the Trtle travel pillow because it doesn’t take up much space and supports my neck. You can also pack a  sweatshirt or jacket and roll it up for some support too. Plus, then you have an extra layer in case the plane is cold. 

3. Extra set of clothes - And this brings me to our next travel essential, extra clothes! In case your checked bag were to get lost (if you checked one), you want to make sure you packed an extra set of clothes you will need for your first 48 hours of your trip. So whether that’s sport clothes, a fancy outfit, bathing suit, or sneakers, make sure you have that packed PLUS an extra set of undies of course ;) And since planes are usually cold, it’s nice to have layers to change into like socks, sweatpants and a sweatshirt. 

4. Headphones- Long-haul flights usually mean movie time, music time, or podcast/audiobook time. Make sure you have headphones to be able to access BOTH. What I mean by that is to have a pair for your phone AND to have a pair for the planes TV monitor. Airlines usually give you free headphones to use for TVs on the plane, however the ones they have usually don’t work well and are not comfortable. I’m also against single-use products, and I’m not sure if they throw them away after they are used (which they probably do), and is also why I recommend bringing your own. 

5. Re-useable water bottle that’s filled- Since I’m against single-use products, I always travel with a reusable water bottle. This makes it easier to stay hydrated, especially during long-haul flights when they only give you baby water bottles or cups every few hours. My favorite travel water bottle is by Takeya.

6. Basic toiletries- I always pack basic toiletries like a toothbrush and toothpaste, face wipes or a facial toner, face lotion, eye cream, lip balm, hand lotion, baby wipes, hand sanitizer, and deodorant. When flying the air is extremely dry and can reek havoc on your skin. If you want to show up to your destination looking and feeling fresh, I recommend ALL of the above. If I’m flying overnight I go into the bathroom before I want to go to sleep and get ready for bed just like I would at home. The baby wipes are for giving yourself a “waterless” shower LOL. This is something that I do when camping, and it’s also perfect to do when flying.

7. Chargers- The last thing you want on a long-haul flight is for your phone, tablet, or computer to die. So make sure all of this is packed in your carry on before you take off. 

8. In-flight entertainment- Don’t forget to pack your favorite book, journal, magazine, podcasts, audiobooks, and music for your flight. And if anything needs to be downloaded so you can listen in airplane mode, make sure to do that before you take off! 

9. Healthy snacks/meals- Most long-haul flights will include a meal and snacks, however some do not. And even if they do, most of the time they are not healthy. My friend works as a flight attendant and has told me horror stories about how processed and sodium-loaded airplane food is. So if you’re sticking with a healthy eating plan or want to eat healthy when traveling, planning to pack your own healthy snacks and meals ahead of time is a GAME CHANGER! Some food items I always bring on flights are grass-fed beef jerky, gluten-free non-melting protein bars (I love Laird’s superfoods and Aloha bars), fruit, and nuts.

When I’m packing a healthy meal I’ll bring a yummy fresh salad in a re-usable Tupperware or a GF veggie or tuna wrap (I love using NUCO coconut wraps) (you can bring both through security). Check out my Snack Guide here for more healthy and easy-to-make snacks! 

10. Sleeping essentials- Last but not least are the essentials to be able to SLEEP during a long-haul flight. I always bring ear buds, an eye mask, and natural sleeping pills (I love Nested Naturals). International flights will usually give this to you for free, however I always bring my own just in case. 

If you want more travel tips like this, make sure to follow me on IG at Katie_sampayo and on @gothriveretreats. I also highly recommend signing up for my email list here to get notified when new blogs come out, as well as new retreats! Plus when you sign-up you get access to my FREE Snack guide that has over a dozen healthy and delicious snacks you can make in 5 minutes or less that are perfect for traveling. 

And if you want to learn more about my upcoming THRIVE Fitness, Adventure, and Transformational retreat experiences, where you don’t have to plan a thing to have an incredible life-changing adventure, click here to snag our full line-up!

We go to 4-5 bucket-list destinations each year in the US and all over the world, and focus on being active outside in nature while also connecting back in with yourself. These are trips made for active lifestyles with a growth mindset. AKA peeps who want to THRIVE, and not just survive. Find more information about THRIVE retreats here.  

Check out the full lineup of my upcoming Thrive Fitness, Adventure, and Transformational retreat experiences here!

If you want to learn more about THRIVE Fitness, Adventure, and Transformational retreats click here!