Visiting new countries is so exciting but long flights can be quite tiring, uncomfortable and daunting as unfortunately, we can’t all afford to be in first class. Problems like having to worry about plane food, especially if you have any allergies or dietary requirements, being entertained for the whole flight or probably the worst part trying to fall asleep are all problems that cause us extra stress. So we have researched and and put together from our own personal experience some of our favourite plane essentials that make our flights a lot more comfortable.
Foot Hammock
Long flights are uncomfortable, if you are sitting in one position for too long, you start to get cramps throughout your body and pins and needles. To help relieve some of that discomfort and help you to be more comfortable when trying to sleep is a foot hammock. Because your feet are elevated the foot hammock can improve blood flow, help ease back pain and swelling as well as relieve stiffness in your legs. It is also compact and lightweight so it is easy to travel with. As well as this its also very easy to use, all you have to do is place the straps over the tray table in front of you, adjust the straps to a height that is comfortable for you to place your feet in and just lift the tray table. The straps adjust from 17 inches/43cm to 34 inches/84cm so it is suitable for children too.
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Phone Mount
The inflight entertainment on a plane might not have the best selection of movies to watch meaning you may struggle to find something to keep you entertained. Instead of this you can download shows that you’re currently watching or movies onto your personal devices. But what if you start falling asleep or have something to eat and need to be hands free? One product you could use is a phone mount. These are ideal in this situation because you can continue watching what you want uninterrupted. This phone mount can be put on desks tray tables and seat backs, you just have to clip it on to whatever surface you are using. This mount is also phone case friendly so you don’t have to worry about removing it or your phone case getting damaged. It also folds so it is easy to travel with because it doesn’t take up much room, you can just slip it into one of the pockets on your bag. The phone mount is flexible and rotates 360 degrees, so you can turn your phone whichever way is comfortable for you to use your phone.
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Seat Sleeper
Trying to sleep on a plane can be so uncomfortable, especially if you can’t get into a comfortable position then when you do your head falls and you wake up. The Seat sleeper helps to prevent this. This product works by placing it over your headrest on your plane seat with the adjustable buckle strap and place it on your head to keep you in place as you sleep as it prevents your head from moving around. It can be put on your neck, chin, forehead or over your eyes so it doubles as a sleeping mask. It’s made with polyester and is fluffy on the inside so that it is comfortable placed against your skin or eyes. It can also be used in the car on the head rest so if you need to have a nap on a road trip you can with out hitting your head on the window. As well as this the seat sleeper comes with a pouch that it can be kept in for easy storage and transport.
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Neck Pillow
As it is so difficult to get comfortable on a plane including trying to sleep you might find yourself struggling to find a spot to rest your head and turbulence makes this even harder leading to a sore neck and a bad sleep, which is never a great start to any holiday. A neck pillow though will help to keep your head and neck in place and prevent an uncomfortable sleep. This neck pillow uses memory foam and can be tightened with an adjustable clasp so you can position it on your neck in whatever way is most comfortable for you. It also straps to your plane seat ensuring you stay in position. As well as this it comes with a travel case that actually halves the size of the neck pillow so that it takes up less room in your bag or also straps to your luggage so it is easy to transport. This can also be used on road trips when you want to have a nap, not just for flights.
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Snack Container
Plane food isn’t always the best, especially if you have special food needs including allergies or intolerances so sometimes it’s safer to have a back up in case you get hungry. Sure you can buy snacks in the airport but it is ridiculously overpriced so a much cheaper alternative is bringing your own. A problem with this though is the room bags or boxes of different snacks take up in your carry on bag. Using a container for snacks with different compartments is a really good way to take up less room in your bag, have a variety of different snacks and prevent you from going hungry. This snacks container has adjustable compartments so depending if you have a snack that you want more of or is bigger you can fit it in easily. It also has a locking clip that ensures your snacks stay fresh. What’s also perfect about this container is you can obviously reuse it at home for snacks, beach or picnic trips or even for packing kids snacks when you’re on the go.
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Portable Charger
Trying to entertain yourself on a long flight is even more difficult if one of your devices is running out of charge. In particular if you’ve download movies or shows to watch and now you have to rely on the in flight entertainment. Using a portable charger is obviously an option you can use that allows you to continue to use any of your devices without worrying about saving the battery. The Anker portable charger is such a good option for charging your devices on the go.There have been countless times where we have needed to charge our phones and this portable charger has helped so much. You can charge multiple devices at once and you don’t need to recharge the Anker after only charging your device once. We’ve charged our phones 3 times before having to charge our Anker again. It is also super small and light so it doesn’t take up much room in our carry on bags. You can also use this anytime whether it be you’re going out, and forgot to charge your phone, because it is so small it fits really easily in your hand bag, on a road trip or even at the airport between flights.
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Toiletries
Going to the bathroom on a plane isn’t always the most ideal thing to do in a plane especially if you are just wanting to freshen up a bit. There are actually a few things you can do in your seat to avoid using the bathroom if you don’t want to or even having to wait use it if it is in use already.
One way you can freshen up at your seat is using mini toothbrushes. These are actually amazing not only for flights but also in general if you’re out and had something to eat that you are concerned it could have made your breath smell bad. These tooth brushes already have tooth paste in them and not having to rinse to it mouth after use is a huge bonus. They are are really small so they are super easy to keep in your bag whenever you need to use them.
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Another way you can freshen up at your seat is by doing skin care. You can fill up a travel spray bottle with your favourite facial spray and it easily fits into your carry on. Lately there is a lot of hype around antibacterial spray in particular hypochlorous acid, but for good reason. Given all the hype we caved and bought it,anything claiming to help prevent breakouts were sold. However this poses the question what’s the point of a hypochlorous acid for flights? And wouldn’t an acid dry out my skin more? Well we actually produce hypochlorous acid in our own bodies as part of our immune system therefore when applied topically it can help promote wound recovery. So why is this beneficial to use on a flight? As we all know the air on the plane is very drying and dehydrates you terribly, skin conditions like dermatitis and even healing breakouts, which are a type of wound, especially if they’ve been picked at, need hydration in order to heal. Hypochlorous acid helps heal skin barrier and sooth irritated red and itchy skin. As well as this plane air circulates bacteria which can also lead to more breakouts. Hypochlorous acid targets the bacteria that cause breakouts stopping it from multiplying so in case of any bacteria in the air of the plane that has circulated causing you to get a new pimple, which has happened to us many times, this is an easy way to disinfect your skin while keeping the skin barrier in optimal condition because it helps to maintain skin health. What’s also great is that it is easy to apply so you can spray it as much as you need whenever you feel dry. Not only will it provide disinfect your skin but also maintain your skin health.
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A roll on deodorant, like this one, we would say is also an essential. In particular when you’re feeling a bit gross and want to feel clean this is such an easy way to freshen up. We prefer one that is clinical strength as it means not only can you apply it anytime you need, but it will also last a long time no matter how warm and sweaty you get or how long your flight is.
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Lastly a hand cream is such a necessity for us on a flight because the air in the plane is so drying it causes any part of you exposed skin to dry up and feel really uncomfortable. It is also great if you are using hand sanitizer which will dry out your skin significantly, this hand cream is a great way to prevent that from happening because not only does it rehydrate your skin but also acts as a barrier between your skin and the dry air.
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There are so many essentials for travelling by plane out that make flying so much more comfortable and these are just a few of our favourites that have made our travelling so much easier. We hope we helped you find some new products that make your next flight so much easier and even feel a bit shorter. Part two coming soon….