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I’m About to Board a 15-Hour Flight to Asia: Here’s Everything I’m Bringing With Me

Ear plugs, heated eye masks, snack bags, organizers, and more.

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Published on August 28, 2024 09:00AM EDT

Travel Must Haves — Photo:
Real Simple / Tyler Roeland

I’ve been traveling to Asia since I was a toddler, so 15+ hour long-haul flights feel like nothing to me anymore. Of course, as a kid, my parents were the ones to prepare the snacks, activities, and comfy essentials. But now as an adult with over 25 years of international traveling under my belt, I’ve honed down my routine, starting from leaving my house to head to the airport to landing at my final destination.

From a hands-free skincare routine to portable batteries that serve as my main and backup power source in a crowded airport and on the plane itself, I’m sharing my 15 must-have travel essentials that I’m carrying with me on my upcoming two-week trip to Seoul, South Korea. Best part? Everything’s conveniently available on Amazon, and Prime members can get everything faster with free two-day shipping. While I can’t promise that you won’t lose your luggage or your flight won’t be delayed, I can help prepare you to get through what could be an uncomfortably long day to be pretty pleasant.

Amazon Travel Essentials for a Long-Haul Flight

Anker 20,000mAh Power Bank, $40
Loop Quiet Ear Plugs, $28
CorneaCare Self-Heating Eye Mask, $35
Apple AirTag 4-Pack, $80 (was $99)
Fyy Travel Cable Organizer, $10 (was $13)
Bagsmart Compression Packing Cubes (Pack of 6), $39 (was $43)
Sony WH-1000XM5 Noise-Canceling Headphones, $328 (was $400)
Stall Mate Wipes, $12
Apple iPad Mini (6th Generation), $389 (was $499)
Comrad Knee High Compression Socks, $27 with coupon (was $28)
E11ement Hypochlorous Acid Face Spray, $10
D'Alba Italian White Truffle First Spray Serum, $20
Stasher Platinum Silicone Food Grade Reusable Storage Bag, $10 (was $13)
Trendy Queen Zip Up Hoodies, $20 with coupon (was $50)
Refresh Plus Preservative-Free Lubricant Eye Drops, $22

Anker 20,000mAh Power Bank

$40 at Amazon

It’s no secret that I am a tech lover. From multiple cameras and bluetooth earphones to laptops and iPads, I am always looking for extra power to source my hobbies and leisure activities. But, I absolutely despise having to search for an outlet, so I always have a portable charger on me. For long-haul flights, though, I carry around this 20,000mAh Anker power bank that can fully charge my iPhone and iPad multiple times, and even give my Macbook Pro extra juice. With such a large power capacity, it does take a bit to charge, but once it’s loaded, I can travel days without being bound to a wall outlet or broken airplane charging port.

Loop Quiet Ear Plugs

$28 at Amazon

You’ll never catch me without my Airpod Pros when I’m traveling, but when I want to just sleep undisturbed without killing the battery on my earphones, I’ll opt for these Loop ear plugs instead. They’re the tiny-but-mighty secret to helping me sleep on planes—and they don’t fall. Each ear plug comes with a range of insert sizes, and once you have your proper fit, it doesn’t feel like you have anything in your ears. They also come in a variety of colors, and if you’re looking for higher noise cancellation, the brand offers different models for that, too. I love that it comes in its own tiny carrying case, which features a little loop that I attach to my keys for easy access.

CorneaCare Self-Heating Eye Mask

Amazon Rest: Self Heating Warm Compress — Amazon

$35 at Amazon

As a chronic contact-wearer and monitor-starer, dry eyes are an inevitable part of my life. While I’ve been wearing these eye masks to sleep to help relieve my dry eyes, they’re the best for sleeping on a plane. Each eye mask is individually wrapped, and as you unwrap and unfold the mask, it’ll start heating up on its own. I’ve found that the warmth lasts around 20-25 minutes, which is more than enough time to put me to sleep. And, of course, having the darkness of the mask keeps me asleep. They’re comfortable to wear, too, thanks to the thin and stretchy mesh fabric that fits snugly but gently around your ears. I always carry a few with me in my personal item, especially for 15+ hour flights that I know I’ll be in and out of sleep. I’ve even given these out to friends who struggle to sleep on planes, too, and they were wowed with how the warm eye mask helped.

Apple AirTag 4-Pack

Orig. $99 $80 at Amazon

Every frequent traveler knows that Apple AirTags are a must. They’re slim, easy to use, and the battery lasts ages. I have one in each of my luggages when I’m flying (usually one carry-on and one check-in), one in my personal item, and one in my passport. Once I land at my destination, I’ll take these out of my luggage and insert them into my handbag, camera bag, wallet, and passport case—having the four-pack is so convenient. I’ve used these for years and still haven’t had to switch out the battery, which is also easy to re-install. And as an Apple-only device user, the tags seamlessly connect to all my devices for easy management and watching of my valuables.

The key to traveling comfortably is to always be prepared, and these are just a few of the many travel hacks I’ve acquired over the years of boarding a lot of long-haul flights. If you’re looking for more practical and also unassuming things that I promise will help for a smoother travel experience, find my must-haves below.