I know so many people who find flying absolutely terrifying. In all honesty, when you think about it, it is a scary thought being catapulted thousands of feet into the air, your life in the hands of the aircrew. I, however, absolutely adore flying. Maybe it’s the fact that I associate it with heading to a new land for exploration or maybe it’s because I love lounging around watching movies, stuffing my face and reading. Who knows?! Either way I know that I’m pretty happy at 38,000 feet. I have a little routine where I always unpack my books, sweets, hand sanitizer and headphones into the pouch in front before taking off my shoes and snuggling down for the ride. I also like a sneaky peek at the duty free booklet, although I rarely find anything I fancy!

A few weeks ago a dear friend of mine started to prepare for her flight to Mauritius and mentioned that she had been thinking about what was needed when you’re in it for the long haul.

I was also on the verge of flying stateside at that time and it made me think about the little things I do when flying.

To be honest, what I take with me is very similar whether it’s a long haul or a short haul, my hand luggage contents are pretty much the same because for me it’s more about having my must haves to hand rather than longevity.

Here’s my on board checklist:

• A good hand luggage bag. This may sound obvious, but one that’s a good size (I can’t travel light!) my hubby uses a backpack which is handy as it has lots of pockets
• A smaller pouch to house ready to grab items such as your passport, booking confirmations and foreign currency
• Books. I am an avid reader and love using the time on the plane to delve deeper into a book
• A spare outfit. My hubby has mocked me about this for years but I always take a spare outfit in case we get delayed and land up shacked up in a hotel without our hold luggage. This happened to a family we met in Orlando and they spent 48 hours in the same clothes. Not cool. It was also handy when the hubby had a nosebleed during take off from Hawaii and was unable to leave his seat to go to the bathroom. See, practical. I was very smug about planning ahead!
• Food. I’m such a glutinous pig that I can’t go long without food. If I do I simply morph into a gremlin and it’s not fun for anyone. Therefore as a preventative measure, I always have a chocolate stash.
• Laptop/tablet. Just in case you aren’t fancying the in flight entertainment. 
• Valuables. I never leave valuables in my suitcase, so transport them in my hand luggage. Call me irrational, but I’ve had my case broken into and I’m pretty sure if there was anything of any value inside, it would no longer be in my possession.
• Hand sanitizer. I’m super funny about germs and let’s be honest, flying is a form of public transport where germs are floating around in abundance. I’m certainly not tucking into my chocolate stash without clean hands.
• Make up bag. Just to freshen up upon arrival.
• Eye mask. I try and sleep on most flights because I find it helps with jet lag, so I always pack an eye mask.

For me, I think my absolute essential would be my eye mask. I love pulling it over my eyes and shutting the world out. It can be tricky to sleep on a flight and I find the eye mask really helps. I think it’s a good idea to sleep if you can, especially if it’s long haul as it makes you feel a bit more human the other end!

Are you jetting off anywhere soon?

What are your travel essentials?

L x