I fly quite a bit and this year, I basically took the whole year off to fly and travel.
Sure, this makes me a bad very un-ecofriendly minimalist, but it sure teaches me a good lesson on what I personally need for a 10+ hour plane ride to be comfortable.
Here are my must-haves when I fly:
I originally wrote “Top 10 Things to have when you fly”, but if you want to be a purist and count each separate item as a “thing”, then it’s way over the limit, so I changed the title to be accurate 😛
I am also full of problems so I bring things for almost every little thing I can think of.
You can click on the image to enlarge it.
1. Sound Gear: Bose Headphones, Earplugs, Earbuds and iPods
Call me a crazy techno-geek, but these things are a dream.
When I put these super soft sound pillows over my ears and flip on the switch to cancel out the never-ending drone of the airplane with the accompaniment of a fussy, squealing of a 3-year old in the background, I thank my lucky stars that I bought them for $350.
Every. Single. Time.
Then of course, I need an iPod or if I am lucky, the airplane offers awesome movies (Fantastic Mr. Fox!) and TV shows to keep my occupied.
I also bring a backup iPod Shuffle because my iPod has been known to run out on me on VERY long flights. If I don’t recharge it, I’m stuck without music on a plane, so my shuffle comes along.
I bring a pair of earbud headphones along, just in case, and extra batteries.
2. Candy / Snacks (Biscotti not shown)
When you nibble on candy, it helps pop your ears. Being someone who has a problem with my ears not popping, as well as having motion sickness, candy is my salvage.
I also like candied ginger to help keep down my nausea.
BF wants to add that he bakes a huge batch of almond biscotti for the two of us, just in case we cannot find anything non-greasy and decent to eat in airports.
It also keeps our bellies happy while on the plane because we REFUSE to eat those disgusting, junky snack packs of peanuts and trail mix they give you on the plane.
3. Feet Gear: Pair of thick comfy socks and/or cheap, flat slippers
I hate wearing shoes on the plane. The minute I am in my seat, the shoes are off, but with slip on shoes or sandals, you never really think about how you will keep your feet warm and cosy.
Enter: Thick woolly hiking socks.
As for the slippers, if you’re grossed out about just wearing woolly socks into the airplane bathroom as I am, then you will need some cheap $1 Dollarama slippers to put on as you trot into the bathroom and pray there isn’t any turbulence.
4. Pashmina / Light Sweater
A pashmina doubles as a blanket and just an overall comfy addition to your wardrobe.
I like the super big ones, preferably in cashmere so that I also stay warm on the plane.
If you aren’t into blankets, then a light sweater is a required item to pack on the plane. They can get awfully cold up in the air…
5. Eye mask
I bought one from Eco-Tools (yay for Alicia Silverstone!), and my eyes are covered in super soft, silky bamboo fibres. Put on some earplugs, snap an eye mask over your eyes, cuddle up in your pashmina or blanket, and you are home free to La La Land.
6. Notebook and a Pen
I like carrying some pen and paper with me because I sometimes have a quick note I want to jot down and give to someone, or I have to fill out those visitors cards.
7. iPod Touch / PDA
You’re probably wondering why I bring an iPod AND an iPod Touch. Well, the iPod Touch is my PDA (personal digital assistant, also known as an organizer), and the iPod is only for music or videos.
I tried using the iPod Touch to do double-duty, but not only does it drain the battery like mad with videos, which defeats the purpose of having a digital organizer on hand, but it also has awful sound quality on it. Go figure.
8. Hand lotion / Lip Balm
I find that my body and my lips get extremely dried out on the plane. I have to continually hydrate internally with liquids, but my skin also dries out and it can crack and become quite painful.
9. Toothbrush, Toothpaste
For very long flights, I like to brush my teeth after I get on the plane or after I eat.
I know people can get grossed out with brushing their teeth with the water on tap on the plane, so I usually ask for a cup of water from the flight attendant instead.
10. Face Wipes
I like to refresh my face while I travel and before I leave the plane. It really makes a world of a difference to feel clean, even if it’s just your face.
I also don’t wear makeup when I travel on vacation, so it’s nice.
11. Eyedrops
My eyes get REALLY dried out on the plane, especially if I sleep. The fact that I wear contact lenses, also probably doesn’t help 🙂
I thought about wearing glasses on the plane instead, but I’m so used to contact lenses that wearing glasses for an extended period of time makes me queasy and aggravates my astigmatism which leads to motion sickness.
12. Medication
I bring aspirin (No-Name) for headaches, allergy pills (Aerius) for my allergies when my nose gets itchy and acts up on the plane, and motion sickness pills (Gravol) are taken only in dire circumstances (it generally knocks me out for a day).
13. Tide-to-Go Pen
This is considered a liquid, so don’t forget to pack it in that little plastic baggie.
I bring this pen because airplane food has gotten on my clothes more times than I can count.
When you factor in turbulence, the fact that you’re sitting in a huge metal bird in the sky and food tends to slide around on those dinky little trays, a spot here and there on my clothes can be easily treated and removed instantly.
And that’s it.
Other Options
Books / E-Readers / Magazines
People like to bring books and e-readers, but frankly, I am not interested in reading on a plane because I get motion sickness very easily. But a magazine? Perhaps.
Laptop/ Work
I admit to bringing a laptop when I travel so I can email and keep in touch, but I don’t pull it out on the plane, nor do I ever do any work on the plane.
Reusable Water Bottle
This is a bottle to keep liquid to stay hydrated, but frankly.. I hate carrying extra weight if I don’t have to.
Sewing / Knitting
Dangerous things to bring on board, as knitting needles can be considered a weapon, but I had a friend tell me she did some sewing once and wasn’t hassled about it.
Not for me!
Makeup
I know some girls like to freshen up before leaving the plane, but as I am not particularly interested in what people think of me (Hello? Traveling? I’ll never see these people again), I don’t bother with it.
Still, it wouldn’t be an awful idea if you are planning on meeting someone right at the gate.
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I so agree (though I’m ok w/out the nice headphones). I also need a warmer coat – i wore a fleece on the plane and was good most of the time. The only thing i don’t see is a neck pillow – but it kind of depends on the airplane seat. I also MUST have water – they give you so little on the flights! My list is very similar – i also take unisom to help fight jet lag/ sleep on plane, but i totally understand that a lot of people don’t want to do that.
I love reading your travel posts & seeing your gorgeous photos! I don’t travel so live vicariously through you! 😉 I do read all your posts but whenever I try to comment the stupid “Disqus” acts up over & over again… So I’m gonna try again & hope for the best!
I always bring a blanket and a small blow up pillow with me on the plane, hand lotion and lip chap are also a must. As is a toothbrush and a small thing of tooth past.
http://www.yarnharlot.ca regularly has discussion about knitting on planes but permission can vary, often depending on the level of security and what is going on in the world at a given moment… I have knitted on planes (double pointed needles) in Europe with no trouble but have heard that on occasion, the needles can get confiscated – so don’t take your expensive Signatures! I bought some bamboos specially, thinking they might look less threatening – though you could probably do someone an injury with any knitting needle to a certain extent, specifically the thinner dpns!! I once heard an audiobook story where a murder was by garotting with a circular needle… but for the space constrictions, it would probably be the best bet to use one, certainly no straights. I’d definitely carry a crochet hook so I could place a lifeline in case my needles were confiscated. In fact, I think I’d try taking crochet instead of knitting as a medium sized one looks pretty harmless compared to any size of knitting needle. For knitters, another travel tip is to take a project with lace yarn – it takes up hardly any space, is featherlight and you might even have a garment (or a pashmina!) by the end of it… beats airport boredom, anyway.
If I’m not knitting one, a pashmina comes with me, too – always a good scarf or shawl option wherever you go.I guess it’s personal preference with electronics and I know you’ve explained before why you separate yours out. Personally, my iphone has everything I need – phone, organiser, alarm clock, books, magazines… I would take paper and pen/pencil because I would still need something to do once the batteries have run down!! Probably my iPod Shuffle for extra music time, too. Depends on the length of the flight.My own preference is to combine products, so I use a light rose balm that is suitable for face, hands and lips rather than separate products and gives a slight perfume that isn’t too obnoxious. With face wipes, check carefully beforehand – the last lot I got turned out to be really sticky rather than refreshing, which I disliked. Some kind of gum or sweets or breath freshener sweet comes with me, too. Otherwise, my husband is right, really – as long as you have your passport/ID and credit card, you should be fine!! Most of the world is civilised enough to get anything you need these days…
With knitting needles I believe as long as they aren’t metal it’s ok. I flew Air Canada one time and checked, and my bamboo ones were ok. Totally agree about the tide to go pen, I keep one in my purse all the time and it’s really saved me. Also gum because my ears pop really bad and one of those neck pillows…handy because I don’t have to carry it through the airport. I look like a total tool, I’m sure, but in the end everyone’s super jealous of my super awesome neck pillow 😀
For me it’s a book, breath mints, pen & paper, lip balm, water bottle (which I fill at the fountain after I go through security), Nutter Butter cookies, Excedrin. Only the paper, book and cookies are things I don’t carry with me every day anyway. The Excedrin…I’m prone to killer headaches when I’m at 5000+ feet altitude, and airplane cabins are pressurized (oxygenated) to levels found at 8000 feet.
I never, ever travel without a pashmina. I have a tendency to get cold and then hot on a plane and putting a sweater on and taking it off isn’t comfortable. A pashmina is perfect.
I also traveled with my eReader for the first time and it was amazing, not to mention 100 times lighter than carrying 3 books around.
I didn’t think about the face wipes… I’ll try that next time.
That’s so cute! I used to fly to my boyfriend every month during 1.5 years. So I can say that it’s really so. You definitely need things like that! I can’t go also without a real book (not the gadget -)). And a pair of warm socks. Sometimes it’s getting cold in the plain and they don’t always have them. That’s also the reason why I keep my sweater with me as well. And if speaking about general things I would also mention the insurance or a credit card that has a travel insurance on it. One day I forgot this card at home and I worried a lot about things like what happens if my baggage is lost and so on. Actually I didn’t know before that my credit card had this options but a colleague gave me a link to a comparison tool that show such things and especially insurances on credit cards. That’s why I discovered this tip. I give the link here in case someone has the same worry about insurance-)) http://insureye.com/insurance_toolkit
Ya know, my husband totally makes fun of me for bringing the SAME stuff – until he gets hungry/cold/sick-feeling. It makes me want to say “who’s the smart one now?”
Love this list! When I went to Europe last year, I totally had a similar Plane Entertainment Kit to make sure I had all my bases covered.
Question, though: Do you not have a smart phone? You must, so why not have that double as your PDA?
For me, an iPod is a must. Sometimes a Nintendo DS is also nice.
I have brought knitting needles on the plane and knitted before. The TSA in the US explicitly says that knitting on the plane is totally allowed (no idea how things work in Canada). Also, there is not enough room on many airplanes to be comfortable with a laptop.
Being a minimalist is about buying/having only things that you’ll make good use of. So if you make good use of all of those things, you’re still a good minimalist to me!
I always thought knitting needles would be forbidden.. that, and I don’t knit 😉
I always thought knitting needles would be forbidden.. that, and I don’t knit 😉