Long Flight Essentials

Hey guys, welcome to Alex Goes Coconuts. So today I'm going to be showing you how to pack a carry-on bag for a long haul flight. So if you've already seen my past videos, you might already know that I'm an international buyer and I'm often flying to really far destinations like Asia and Europe. So I've learned over the years that packing the right stuff, especially when you're taking a really long flight, is super important so that you can have the most enjoyable and restful trip as possible. So as you can see, I'm all packed up for my next trip. So I'm going to be showing you exactly what I put in this bag for that long haul flight. Now the first step is actually choosing the right carry-on bag. So I know a lot of people like to travel with these small roll-on suitcases, and honestly these are fine as a carry-on if you're packing the clothes that you're going to be wearing during your trip. What you don't want to do is pack anything that you want to access during the flight in these kind of suitcases. You'll actually want to pick a carry-on bag like this, or a backpack, or a tote bag. Something smaller that you're going to be able to put at your feet underneath the seat in front of you so that you can access the stuff really easily during the flight. The problem with these roll-on suitcases is that they have to be placed in the overhead bin above, and you don't want to have to keep getting up to access the things you're going to need in these types of suitcases. Also what can happen is sometimes the airlines are fully booked, so they actually ask passengers to check in their small carry-on suitcases like this at the check-in gate, and then you won't have access to the things you need during the flight. Personally when I'm traveling, I like to travel with a duffel bag like this, or a really great travel backpack. Now all the products I'm going to be showing you today are going to be available in the description box down below. Alright so let's begin. Let me show you what I pack in this travel duffel bag. Now the first thing you're going to want to travel with is your passport and your IDs. I like to travel with a little passport holder like this. This holds my passport, my boarding passes, all my credit cards, my money, and my change. It also has a pen holder right here, which is really great because you always need a pen to either fill out documents or to jot down some really important information during the flight. And what I like about this passport holder is it doubles up as a travel wallet so I can use this instead of a purse and a wallet during my travels. So the next thing I pack is some form of entertainment. I always like to travel with my iPad or a laptop or my phone, and on this I'll usually download a few books, I'll download some shows and some movies from a streaming service so that I have something to entertain me during the flight. Now the reason I do this is because sometimes you can't rely on the airline's in-flight entertainment. I've had this happen to me several times where the screens just didn't work during the whole flight and if I wouldn't have brought my own entertainment I would have literally had nothing to watch or do for that super long flight. Now if you don't have a tablet you can also use your phone. I usually download a whole bunch of games and shows on this too. And the next item I always pack is a flexible stand for my iPhone or my tablet. So basically this can be shaped into any shape that you need it to be. So by bending it like this I've created a little stand to rest my phone on it so that I can comfortably watch my shows or play my games. This can also be used as a phone mount so you'll just fold it into this kind of U shape and with a tray table that's in front of you you're just going to use that to hold the flap in back and that way you can watch your shows at eye level. So it's a really practical little travel item. Now this is from the company iFlex and it's super inexpensive. It actually comes in two sizes. This is the larger size but it also comes in a smaller size which is a little bit cheaper that only fits a phone. So if you don't own a tablet then you can definitely look into that smaller size. Alright, the next thing I travel with is a travel grid like this. This is kind of cool because it holds all of my electronics in one place so it holds my wires, my external battery, and my charging blocks. And this is really thin as you can see so it really doesn't take up a lot of space in my carry-on bag. Now if I am traveling with my family I'll usually take a tech organizer like this instead of the travel grid just because this holds so many more things. So as you can see the first layer here holds a whole bunch of wires or like SD cards and there's a second layer at the bottom here to hold like bigger items and this one even comes with dividers so it's a really great little tech bag if you're traveling with more than one person. Now because you're going to be using your phone or your iPad you're definitely going to want to also bring an external battery pack like this. I know that airplanes often have plugs where you can just plug in your device straight into the airplane but sometimes those plugs don't work and you don't want to run out of juice during the flight so I always just prefer traveling with something like this. Now if you are going to be traveling with this just make sure that it's fully charged because if you try to pass security and this is empty they're not going to let you through. Actually that's a rule that goes for any electronics that you're traveling with. If you're traveling with a laptop, an iPad or an iPhone just make sure they're fully charged when you're passing security. So the next thing you're going to want to bring are earphones or headphones. Now I know a lot of people really like to travel with these wireless headphones and these are great because they're so much more comfortable to wear for longer periods of time but they're just so big and bulky that I find they really took up too much room in my carry-on bags so I decided to invest in a pair of wireless earphones. This is the Soundcore Liberty Air 2. What's great about these is that they're small and they're sleek and they also have noise reduction. So this is really important especially when there's a lot of noise on the plane. You want to be able to hear your show or whatever you're watching. So these are really small and I can fit them on my travel grid like this and just throw these into my carry-on. That's why I prefer these to the headphones. The next thing that's in my bag is a water bottle. Now you won't be able to travel with a full bottle of water because of the liquids rule so I usually bring an empty bottle of water and once I pass security I fill this up instead of buying those really expensive bottles of water at the airport. Now when you're choosing your water bottle just make sure that you're choosing one that doesn't have a straw because air pressure will build in your bottle and if you open that bottle mid-flight the water is just going to come squirting out. So it's better to grab a water bottle like this that doesn't have a straw. Now when I'm traveling I like to bring my own food. I don't like to rely on the airline's food service first of all because the offerings are really bland and also I have food allergies so I don't want to take a chance at eating something that might give me a reaction on the plane. My only advice is to make sure that you pick foods that are non-perishable. So here I have a little prosciutto sandwich and I have some nice cut up veggies. You can also bring like little bags of chips or crackers, anything that's basically non-perishable. And I like to travel with these little reusable snack bags. These are from the company Bumpkins and they're a really great investment and they can be reused over and over so they're much better for the environment than using like Ziploc bags. I also recommend to bring a whole bunch of snacks to munch on during the flight. I usually like to travel with high protein snacks like protein bars or nuts. This will starve off any hunger that you might feel during the flight. So the next thing I have in my carry-on is a little travel pill like this. This is actually a little travel kit. So it actually comes with an eye mask and ear plugs. So this is actually my favorite travel pillow. This is made out of a super soft memory foam and it's in an ergonomic shape that really helps support my neck when I'm in that upright position. It also comes with this 3D eye mask. What's fun about these is that there's an indication of where the eyes are so they actually don't touch your eyes while you're sleeping. So it makes it really comfortable to wear for really long periods of time. And this kit also comes with ear plugs. I highly recommend wearing ear plugs when you're trying to sleep on a plane. There's often people walking up and down the aisle to go to the washroom so it's so much more pleasant to just wear ear plugs when you're trying to sleep. The next thing in my bag is a little TSA approved toiletry bag with all the toiletries that I'm going to need during the flight. So let me show you what's in this little toiletry bag. Now the first thing I want to talk to you about are these antibacterial wipes. I always travel with antibacterial wipes because you definitely want to disinfect any surface that you're going to be touching inside that plane. And they're individually wrapped which is really great because they'll never dry out unlike the bigger packs. If you forget to close the bigger packs they just kind of dry out and then they're useless. I also recommend traveling with a bottle of hand sanitizer. This is just so practical to disinfect your hands with when you remove your mask or when you're about to eat. The next thing I have in this toiletry bag are my toothbrush with my toothpaste and a little bottle of mouthwash. You know when you're sleeping on the plane afterwards you just want to freshen your breath. So I always travel with these toiletries and this is great too because if they lose or misplace your luggage at least you're going to have these toiletries once you arrive at your destination. I also like to bring some floss sticks or a little container of floss like this just in case something gets stuck in my teeth. Now on that plane ride it's going to get really really dry so I recommend bringing a little bottle of hand cream like this. Another thing I like to bring is lip balm because you know your lips are going to get really chapped if it's super dry on that plane. And another thing that I like to really help relieve the dryness I feel on my face, I always travel with a little bottle of thermal spring water like this. And this is really great if you feel like a tightness on your face or a dryness you can just spray this onto your face and it just soothes and refreshes the face really well and it just removes that dryness. I also like to carry this little eye roller which hides my dark circles under my eyes and this contains caffeine so it helps de-puff the eyes especially in the plane when it's really really dry you're going to get all puffy so it's really nice to have an eye roller like this. Now another thing you want to travel with is your contacts and your contact solution. If something happens to your contacts during your flight you definitely want to be able to remove them or clean them out. It's also really great to travel with this like I said if they lose or misplace your luggage you're going to have these things during your trip. And the last thing in this TSA approved toiletry bag is a little roller of essential oils. I often suffer from migraines or headaches so it's really nice to carry this onto the plane. This is a peppermint blend so basically it's a little essential oil roller that you can just roll onto the temples of your head and behind your neck in case you start feeling a headache coming on or a migraine. Now I keep this toiletry bag at the top of my carry on so that I can pull this out easily when I'm passing security. I can put it in the bin and then once I've passed security I just throw it back into my bag. Now I also carry a little makeup bag like this. This bag contains all the rest of the stuff that doesn't have to be placed into my liquids bag. So let me show you what's in this bag. Here I have makeup wipes. So these are really great to travel with especially when you're on a long flight. You can use these to remove any makeup before you go to sleep but it's also great once you wake up. It helps like freshen up the face and just make you feel so much better. So I always like to travel with these makeup wipes. I also bring my hairbrush and a hair tie so if I get really really hot in the plane I like to have something to tie my hair back. I also like to carry a little bit of makeup especially after you've slept on the plane you kind of look all disheveled so it's nice to just like touch up your face and at least look presentable. So I usually bring some blush and bronzer like this and I also have a little travel blush brush which is retractable. I also travel with my NYX butter gloss. These are great because they're like really nice lip glosses but with a bit of color in them and I also like to travel with a bit of mascara. And in this bag I also carry some feminine products. And lastly I also carry these Shout Wipe and Go stain removers. These are really great because if you drop something on yourself while you're eating on the plane you can use one of these to remove the stain quickly. Basically they're wipes with a little bit of detergent on it so it works really well at removing stains and they don't have to be rinsed out. So the next item in my bag are my masks. Nowadays you do have to travel with a mask on. I prefer using medical grade masks like this just because they do a better job at filtering out any viruses. Now I bring a whole bunch of these and just store these in a reusable snack bag like this just to keep them germ free and easy to access in my bag. Now another thing I like to carry is this little mask bracket. This is really great especially if you're sleeping with your mask. This allows you to keep the mask away from your mouth so it just makes it a lot easier to breathe. This is pretty cool because it just clips on to the back of the mask like this. So it's basically just a little bracket that goes right over your mouth and your nose and it keeps the mask from touching your lips. The next thing in my carry on is my medicine bag. So when you're on a plane for that long you definitely want to make sure that you have medication in case you start not feeling well. So I always travel with my painkillers and I also like to bring anti-nausea medication. Another thing I recommend bringing are sinus and cold medication. So especially if you're congested before your flight you want to take two of these before you get on to the flight. This will help prevent that ear pain you may feel so it's really important to keep those sinuses clear especially if you have a cold you're really going to regret not having this on hand. I also have all my prescription medication in this bag. Whenever you're traveling with your prescription medication you want to be sure that you're packing it in your carry on because like I said if they lose or misplace your luggage you won't have access to that medication for several days. Now when you're traveling with prescription medication you want to make sure that you keep it in its original container that way it has the name of the medication and it also has your name and the doctor who prescribed it to you. Now I also have food allergies so I always travel with my epinephrine and if you do have food allergies I do recommend that you travel with two of these at all times. In case you have to use one on the flight you have a second one as a backup. Now if you're traveling with medication that has to stay cool you are allowed to travel with a cooler like this and you are allowed to bring an ice pack. Now the key to bringing an ice pack is that the ice pack has to be completely frozen when you pass security that way it counts as a solid so this is a great way of keeping your medication cold if you have to do that. Now I know a lot of people like to bring travel blankets during their flights but honestly travel blankets are just an extra thing that I have to carry so I prefer just bringing a shawl like this and these are great because you can wear these around your shoulder if it gets really cold during your flight but it also doubles up as a little travel blanket and this is much more versatile because you can actually use this during your travels. Another thing I always pack in my carry-on is a pair of wool socks that way if I get really cold I can slip these onto my feet. When my feet are warm I find that my whole body stays warmer so it's just a nice little thing to have and it really doesn't take any extra space. Now speaking of socks I also always travel with compression socks. These are really important when you're taking a long flight because flying at high altitudes actually increases your chances of developing a blood clot in your legs so to avoid that you definitely want to wear compression socks like this and this will also prevent your legs from swelling up so it's definitely a good thing to invest in before you take that trip. Another thing I always bring on the plane is a change of clothes. Now I like to pack an extra set of clothes in a packing cube like this that I just leave at the bottom of my carry-on bag. Now I've seen this happen so many times where people have spilled drinks all over themselves during the flight and they had nothing to change into so you don't want to be wet for several hours on that flight so just make sure that you bring an extra change of clothes. I always bring an extra set of undergarments, an extra sweater and some leggings and that way if they do misplace or lose my luggage I also have these clothes to change into once I arrive at my destination. Now if you do have the misfortune of spilling a drink on yourself I also like to travel with these wet bags. These are waterproof bags from the company Bumpkins. They're actually made for babies but I often travel with a whole bunch of these just because they're so great for storage. They're also great to store any kind of wet or soiled clothes in them and that way you can just throw this into your carry-on bag without worrying that it's going to wet the rest of the contents of your bag. Now if you don't want to invest in a wet bag like that you can also use Ziploc bags. These work great but I always carry extra Ziploc bags like this anyway. I actually use this to store any kind of garbage that I might accumulate during my flight. When you're eating snacks or when you're doing stuff you might accumulate like wrappers and things like that and you don't know where to put them during the flight so I like to just throw them all into a Ziploc like this and that way when the flight attendant passes at the end of the trip I can just throw out all my garbage easily. I also recommend traveling with some peppermint gum like this. Peppermint is really known to remove any kind of nausea so if you start feeling nauseous during the flight a really quick way to get rid of it is just to pop one of these gums. You'll also want gum to chew on when you're taking off and when you're landing to help pop your ears and to prevent that ear pain I was talking about earlier. The next thing I pack in my carry-on are my prescription glasses and my sunglasses. Like I said if they lose or misplace your luggage you won't have your glasses for several days and this goes for anything that's important to you so like if you're traveling with like expensive jewelry make sure that you pack it on your carry-on because if you leave it in your checked bag it can get stolen. And finally the last thing that I always pack in my carry-on are paper copies of all important documents. So basically I carry photocopies of my passport, I carry all my flight information, all my hotel information, anything you're going to need on your trip you're going to want a paper copy of it. In case your phone gets stolen or lost at least you'll have all the information on you that you're going to need. Alright guys so that's pretty much everything I pack in my carry-on bag for a long-haul flight. Let me know in the comments below if you have any other recommendations and don't forget to like this video and subscribe to my channel. Thanks for watching guys. Happy travels! Bye!