My Top 10 In-Flight Travel Essentials

With my holiday less than a few days away now, the preparation begins (as well as me mentioning it about 2 million times during the lead up!) Maybe you're off on your holibobs too? I love going away in September because 1. It's cheaper and 2. Most people have already come back from their Summer adventures and it's nice to say a big old 'LOLBYE' to those who rubbed it in earlier in the year.

Being quite a nervous flyer, the thing I freak out about the most when packing is hand luggage. I need a lot of distractions to take my mind off the fact I am a zillion miles off the ground and various other disturbing thoughts. Anxious or not, what essentials would I, or anyone else need to keep themselves amused AND distracted on a 2 hour+ flight? I'm here to tell ya!

A Good Book.
So, you have a certain amount of hours to kill before your plane lands, why not kick start your holiday by getting lost in a good book? Better still, if you end up getting really into it, you can just continue reading at the poolside whilst getting yo' tan on. *Top tip: Don't do a classic Tania and leave the book your boyfriend bought you as a present on the plane!*

Buy A Magazine In Duty Free.
Ok, so you don't want to read an in-depth book? How about pick up your favourite magazine to have a peruse at? Who cares if all you're really doing is just killing time looking at the pictures (we all do it) or just buying it for the high end freebies? Ahem, Benefit-  I'm looking at you. You may even pick up a tip or two!

Headphones. 
In-ear or actual headphones. Sometimes, either can become uncomfortable - particularly on long haul flights. It's nice to change it up a little and still be able to listen to your favourite tunes, all in maximum comfort of course.

Download all of your favourite music, TV Shows and apps onto your phone.

This probably isn't rocket science, but you don't tend to get WIFI at 38,000 feet - unless you're on a super flashy plane of course! Last time I travelled, I stupidly thought Spotify would try to stream my music whilst I was in the air, which failed more miserably than I imagined. The realisation of having only one song I'd 'saved' made me cry a little inside. Oh well, it wasn't all bad. I totally just napped instead.

Sunglasses.
No-one wants to be blinded by the sun in that window seat (or any seat for that matter.) More importantly, you don't want to be blinded when you reach your destination. I always keep them rested on my head or to hand in my bag.

Hard boiled or chewable sweets. 
Not only was I blessed with big ears, I was also blessed with the fact I get horrific pain in them whilst flying - particularly short haul flights. When Jack and I came back from Barcelona (post here) I shit you not, my ears were blocked for weeks. It was a sad time but eventually they sorted their lives out and my full hearing was finally restored! Either way, I do find that sweets really help when flying. A great snack and great at helping your ears stay unblocked.

Suitable comfy clothing.
For me, I try to find the balance between not being too cold when travelling to the airport and on the plane, but also not being 1,000 degrees when I land in a hot country. I tend to go for light harem trousers (closest thing to PJ's), a t-shirt/cami and a zip up hoodie. So it's a win win, especially when you're the comfiest person on the plane.

Socks. 
Following on from my last pointer, there is nothing that I hate more than cold feet - especially when I realise I made the mistake of not wearing socks and I am quite frankly helpless. You will feel much less guilty about taking your shoes off with socks on, and the people around you will appreciate it too.. Well, more than if you were to get your bare toes out! You will also thank yourself for your fab socks protecting your feet from sub-zero plane air con!

Take a pair of shorts in your bag. 
Just incase you wet yourself. Lol jk. So, you get off the plane and you are struck by an almighty heatwave? Oh well, once you're past customs - just pop into the toilets to change! You will already have your tee on and you'll be good to go - no one will even know!

Moisturiser
Air conditioning is literally a bitch for drying out your skin. Ironic really as it has the word 'conditioning' in it. Lol. My hands suffer the most on planes, so having a hand cream handy (hehe) is always a winner! You can't go wrong.

So, those are my top 10 essentials I would take in my hand luggage. Obviously, I'm basing this post on if you were to travel to a hot country! 

I'd love to know if you have any more tips for staying calm/amused on a flight? 

Let me know if the comments :) 

Tania x