Essentials for International Flight | Ashlee Proffitt

Let’s talk about travel. The next few weeks I will be devoting some time here to sharing about my trip to Italy, how we planned, what cities we went to, where we stayed, what I wore, how we packed and even what we ate! I started this series with some tips for parents leaving their littles and today I am talking about the essentials for those long international flights.

My husband and I packed for our 2 week Italian getaway in backpacks (that we are currently obsessed with! We love them!) but today’s post is not about what we packed in our carryon (i.e. clothes, shoes, toiletries, etc.) rather this post is about my travel essentials for the flight specifically.

I used an oversize leather hand bag to house the majority of the items pictured above. During our actual stay in Italy, the bag was perfect for our everyday adventures as well. It was a great size and was able to hold my camera, our guidebook (lifesaver!) and our little pocket journal that we took along to make notes about the trip. The bag has a cross body strap (similar to this bag) so having the option to slip it on as a cross body bag made it even more convenient and comfortable.

Wear

You can see my travel outfit here. More outfit details to come later!

  • Comfy pants that are equally cute
  • Comfy shirt
  • Cute hat (this ensures you feel pretty and put together after being on a plane for a bajillion hours. And covers messy hair.)
  • Comfy shoes (easy to get on and off for security)
  • Sweater
  • Scarf 
  • Socks
  • Sunglasses (to cover up those tired eyes when you get off the plan at your final destination.)
Sleep

Sleep did not happen for me on the flight there. Unfortunately I just could not get settled or comfy. Maybe it was just the sheer excitement. In hindsight I should have put my earbuds in for music (I had them packed I just didn’t use them on the way there) because that will almost always put me to sleep.

  • Neck pillow. I purchased a really nice microfiber pillow that I ended up purposely leaving behind. It just did not work for me and was too bulky to be carrying if it didn’t work. Next time I may try something like this. Do you have a travel pillow that you love and recommend? I would love suggestions!
  • Scarf. My scarf and/or sweater rolled up worked better as a pillow on the way back. Coupled with music I actually slept and rested well on the flight home.
  • Contact Solution / Contact Case / Glasses / Glasses Case (Generally speaking I always bring at least one extra set of contacts as well. Its crazy how a ripped contact lens can become a day/trip ruiner real quick.)
Eat

I am not a kind person when I get past the general hungry stage. So I try to always bring snacks. I knew we would be getting at least one meal but I wanted to be prepared in case there were any extenuating circumstances before or after the flight. Turns out Delta feeds you every few minutes or so. But for real. They took great care of us. Extra careful attention to detail and generally caring for passengers.

Hydrate
  • What I should have brought: Water Bottle (We bought a collapsible water bottle but it did not have a carabiner so there was no way to clip it to our bag while in use, so I returned them. I should have gotten these and will next time. However, for the flight itself we had as much water as we wanted.)
  • Lotion
  • Lip Balm
Entertainment

Most international flights have unlimited movies, tv shows, games, etc. But just in case I brought along:

  • Something to read (via the Kindle)
    • Bible (I’m reading through the Bible in a year and I had some catching up to do!)
    • Magazine (Favorite: House Beautiful)
  • Something to write in:
  • Something to listen to:
    • Earbuds
    • IPhone with favorite playlists
Refresh

After hours on a plane and a long day of traveling ahead (when we landed in Milan we took a train to another train and ended in Venice, so another 4 hours or so of travel) I just want to feel a bit normal and a teeny bit pretty/put together. These items help.

Don’t Forget
  • Passport! (+ a copy)
  • Chargers (+ international adapters)
  • Credit Cards (Call banks and credit card companies prior to leaving the country)
  • Phone (Call phone company prior to leaving and check out global plan upgrades just for the time you will be traveling. Not necessary but helpful if you would like to use map apps, etc. while out of the country and out of wifi zones.)
  • BandAids (You just never know when those super comfy shoes might give you a blister!!)

I hope this list is helpful for your next traveling adventure!