There’s one sure-fire way of ruining the first few days of your long-awaited holiday and that’s jetlag! There’s nothing worse than arriving at your holiday destination feeling jet-lagged after a long-haul flight than twisted sleeping positions onboard that result in a groggy, dysfunctional head paired with a sore back. Well. of course except for waking up tired and groggy and having to go to work! But, we digress.
Achieving a good night's sleep on a flight can make most (if not all) of your jetlag go away. Leaving you to enjoy your holiday in its full entirety. What essentials do we recommend for jetlag-less long-haul flights we here you ask? Fear not! Coming to your rescue is our list of inflight travel essentials to *almost* guarantee a good night’s sleep.
Looking for more sleep tips? Also, read Sleep Tips: 6 Steps To A Better Sleep
Why is sleep so important for travelling?
Travel already involves its own fair share of headaches, including long lines, potentially cancelled flights, missed connections and lost luggage. Although a good night’s sleep doesn’t help deter any of these hiccups, it can certainly help you handle the unavoidable in a better headspace. It also means that you arrive at your destination feeling refreshed and excited instead of tired and groggy.
Unfortunately, the latter can be extremely easy to fall into. Whether it’s staying up late packing the night before or having to arrive at the airport at an awfully early time, or starting just not being able to sleep on an overnight flight (we get distracted by the films too). Travelling with little or broken sleep can jeopardize your holiday experience.
Sleep Mask
Unfortunately on a plane, you’re not in charge of when the lights come on and off and at times, it gets tough to fall asleep when the cabin lights are on or you are stuck next to someone who has spent the whole evening binge-watching the inflight entertainment. Ensure you bring a comfortable sleep mask with you to shut out all of the light around you and prevent this from stopping you from falling asleep.
Hooded Blanket
Everyone knows that the temperatures on a plane are temperamental! One minute it can be freezing and the next feel as if you’re in the Sahara desert. So, bringing your own hooded blanket with you can keep you warm and cosy the whole way through your journey, even when you decide to pop to the toilet! No more freezing to death due to extreme air conditioning on your flight or catching that nasty post-travel cold. It might sound a tad bit of a task but bringing your hooded blanket can be a total game changer. They are also especially great for children, having their hooded blanket wrapped around them can feel comforting in an unfamiliar situation.
Travel Pillow
Even if you are blessed with the window seat on your flight a travel pillow is still pretty much essential to prevent arriving at your destination with neck ache. You can either opt for an inflatable neck pillow which takes up less room in your carry-on but, in our opinion isn’t as comfortable or a memory foam pillow which is potentially more comfortable yet takes up a good majority of your bag. Either way, we recommend a pillow for as good a night's sleep as possible.
Water Bottle
Flying can really dehydrate you, so it’s super important to drink plenty of water during the flight! Bring with you a reusable water bottle to the airport, and before boarding a plane fill your bottle with drinking water. Most airports have a place now where you can do this just remember you can’t take it through security full!
Toiletry Bag
Even if you haven’t managed to get much sleep on your flight a quick freshen-up can make you feel like a whole new person. There's nothing worse than arriving at your destination and realising you have to wait until check-in to be able to brush your teeth and splash some water on your face.
Don't forget to prepare a travel toiletry kit for your upcoming flight. Some essentials we recommend you bring on a plane are hand sanitiser, toothpaste and toothbrush (or a waterless toothbrush), lip balm, deodorant, moisturiser and wet wipes. Plus, whatever other essentials you want.
Don’t forget that toiletries can’t exceed 100 ml and they should be brought on board in a resealable zip-lock bag.
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