In-Flight Essentials

A very handy list of what you need to pack in your carry-on for long-haul flights

Ok, so potentially this is a bit of a boring one; but it’s also a really useful one. So, thought I would share anyway. Here’s the question: what is that that you need to pack in your hand-luggage for a long flight? You know: what are the bits and the bobs you need to make overnight flights that little bit more comfortable, bearable, doable? To not arrive at your happy destination feeling a wreck? I’ve been travelling a fair bit this year and I feel that if there is one thing that I’ve achieved in 2025, it’s that I’ve really nailed the long-haul. This is what I always take with me:

1. Start with the bag: a good, sturdy tote bag is essential for carrying all your bits and bobs in. I like this one: the straps come in different colours so you can choose whatever you like; you can have the bag monogrammed (always a nice touch: I do love a little monogramming); the tote is a good, generous size; and you can easily slip things in and out of the bag without fussing around with clasps and zips and other such, which makes it highly practical.

2. Otherwise, my mother gave me this travel bag for my birthday earlier this year and I love it. I’ve been using it a lot. There are lots of nifty pockets for storing all your bits and bobs, including a designated pouch for your laptop; and the bag slots very neatly on top of the handles of a rolling suitcase, which makes it extra easy to make your way around the airport. You can also have the bag monogrammed, which (obviously) I also love.

3. For long flights, this foot rest is essential: you swing it over the table on the back of the seat in front of you, and it supports your feet at just the right height. Not quite a business class seat, but (honestly) the next best thing. It also flat-packs down nicely to something a little larger than an A4 sheet, so you can easily pop it into your bag to carry with you. I always get ache-y knees on long flights and this really helps.

4. In addition to my big shove-everything-in-there travel bag, I also like to wear a cross body bag, like this one, which I squeeze my key essentials (like passport, wallet, phone, etc.) into: this means they’re nice and easy to access as I’m making my way through airport security and immigration. the cross-body bag also then doubles as a handbag when you get to wherever it is you’re travelling to.

5. Proper compression stockings are a game-changer: they’ve made a huge difference to the puffiness of my feet when I land after a long flight. In theory, I should probably wear them, we should all in fact probably wear them for short-haul flights too, though (I’ll be honest) I don’t usually bother. But for long-haul flights they’re absolutely non negotiable.

6. As soon as I get on the plane, I like to take off my shoes (store under the seat in front of me) and put on a pair of warm, snuggly socks (like these cashmere ones) over my compression stockings. It’s the cosiest thing you can do, and sets you up very nicely for a good sleep on the plane.

7. I like to keep my phone and laptop charger cables (as well as plug adaptors and any other technological bits and bobs) together in a pouch like this one: it keeps them neat and tidy, and easy to find when I’m fishing around in my big Mary Poppins-style tote bag.

8. Then, I like to keep all our passports and other key travel documents (as well as my house keys) in this passport pouch, so everything is together in one place and easy to keep track of. The keeping of things organised in separate pouches, I find generally very helpful when travelling (this applies to both short-haul and long-haul flights). In fact, to life generally.