For a long-haul flight, pack your carry-on for three things: sleeping, staying comfortable for ten hours or more, and arriving able to function if your checked bag doesn't. A neck pillow, eye mask, earplugs, a warm layer, an empty water bottle, compression socks, medication and a change of clothes cover most of it.
The long-haul carry-on kit
Sleep
- Neck pillow that supports your chin
- Eye mask
- Earplugs or noise-cancelling headphones
- Warm layer and thick socks
Comfort
- Loose, layered clothes
- Compression socks
- Lip balm and moisturiser (cabin air is dry)
- Toothbrush and toothpaste
Health
- Your medication, in its original packaging
- Painkillers
- Hand sanitiser
- A spare pair of glasses or contact lenses
Entertainment and work
- Films, music and podcasts downloaded before you go
- A book
- Laptop or tablet, charged
- Something to work on offline
Food and water
- Empty water bottle to fill after security
- Snacks you like
- Chewing gum for take-off and landing
Essentials
- Passport, visas and boarding pass
- Power bank (always in your carry-on)
- Chargers and a plug adapter
- A pen, for arrival forms
The arrival bag
Inside your carry-on, keep a small pouch with everything you'd need for the first day if your suitcase went somewhere else: a change of underwear and a T-shirt, toiletries, medication, chargers, and anything valuable or irreplaceable. It also means you can freshen up before you land.
Liquids and batteries
- Liquids: at most airports, liquids in hand luggage must be in containers of 100 ml (3.4 oz) or less, all in one clear resealable bag of about a litre. Some airports with new scanners have relaxed this, but your return airport may not have, so pack to the rule.
- Power banks and spare lithium batteries must go in the cabin, never in checked luggage. Many airlines also limit their size or ban using them in flight.
What to wear
Comfortable layers, because cabins swing between warm and cold. Slip-on shoes, because feet swell on long flights. Wear your bulkiest items, like boots and a coat, on the plane to save space in your bag.
Packing for the whole trip
For the suitcase itself, the packing list generator builds a checklist from the length of your trip, the weather and what you'll be doing, with a “long flight” option that adds the kit above. Counting down? The trip countdown keeps track of the days.
On board
Sleep at destination night-time, and use the rest for something you've wanted uninterrupted time for. Our guides to sleeping on a plane and why it's so easy to focus on a plane help with both. And before the trip, Flight will fly the same route at your desk as a focus session.