rucrazy

My daughter, age 17, and I will be flying from Memphis to Amsterdam. This will be our first flight to Europe and we have never been on a plane longer than 5 hours. What would you consider a "must" for such a long flight, and what do you consider trivial. Have thought about Nyquil, earplugs, pillow, food, earphones, but don't know if I will need all that. Appreciate any advice.

cls2paris

travel pillow, book(s) and saline spray for my nose. My sinuses get really dried out when I fly and I used to end up with colds or sinus infections - but no more! Have a fun trip!

yk

Things I cannot do without on the trans-Atlantic flight:

1. Neck pillow (mine is inflatable)
2. Warm sweater or pashmina; warm socks (I'm always cold even with the airline blanket)
3. Bottled water
4. Refreshing wet napkins to clean my face/hands
5. Eyemask
6. Books/magazines
7. Travel Scrabble (obviously, only if I'm traveling with someone)

Marzipan

If you have a window seat you can always rest your head against the wall to sleep. Otherwise you would have to have a travel pillow to sleep. They will feed you decent food I guess...and flood you with beverages. I would make sure I had with me...

-travel pillow
-bottled water
-headache meds
-anti-bacterial hand gel
-something good to read, maybe a book you can get lost in and read for hours
-something to cover up with if it gets chilly
-journal to write in?
-portable music device (SAVED me on my last 10 hour flight from Holland to Texas)

Marzipan

p.s. One thing I like about all the transatlantic flights I have been on are that they had these lcd's on the head rest in front of me and I could choose what movies I wanted to watch. They also had tv shows to watch. They only had a few movies to choose from but there was enough variety to keep me occupied for at least half of the total flight time. The rest of the time I slept and read my book. I flew on Continental and Virgin Atlantic.

lincasanova

-travel sock/slipper
-eyemask, earplugs
-warm layered LOOSE clothes.
-small makeup kit
-chapstick,
-water and a few yummy snacks. ( have not been able to eat more than a few bites of recent airline dinners.)
-book, magazine

ira

Hi ru,

The air on a plane is rather dry. My Lady Wife brings Vicks to put in her nose.

Drink a lot of water.

Get out of your seat and walk around at least every hour, if you are not asleep.

I go in the back and do exercises.

suze

depending the airlines some transatlantic carriers give you pillow, blanket, earphones, eyemask, and headphones, free of charge (you might ask before you pack all that up).

while they do feed you, i would never travel without a few of my own snacks (cookies, nuts, granola bar). meal service isn't always timed for when you are in the mood.

i don't use earplugs but rather keep the headphones on tuned into a soft music channel to drown out the noise, but they aren't a bad idea.

i *have* to have reading material, nothing heavy but a paperback mystery and a magazine or two.

suze

actually my one most important "must" is to get your seat assignment in advance so you don't end up squished in the middle of a row!!!!!

StCirq

A really gripping book

Saline spray

Eye moisturizer and Visine

Clean underwear and socks in case the luggage doesn't make it

Travel journal (I like to get started on the plane)

My travel pouch that I keep my passport, train tickets, auto rental vouchers, etc. in (because I have to compulsively re-check everything a few times before de-boarding)

A tremendous sense of anticipation....

Therese

Lots of good advice here, including the advice to have some clothing or blanket layers to use if the plane's chilly.

Just as important may be the necessity to keep cool, or at least as cool as is possible in the event that you encounter turbulence (feeling hot and confined can worsen the nausea) or the plane has to sit on the runway for a long time (generally with suboptimal ventilation).

I wear a camisole under a blouse or sweater so that I can take off the outer layer if necessary (and I've found it necessary more than once). The camisole's also more comfortable than a bra for sleeping.

tcreath

My list is similar to everyone elses:

Ambien (a must for me; I fall right asleep and am actually able to stay awake the day I arrive)
Lip balm, facial Moisturizer and lotion
Good neck pillow
I-Pod
Books and magazines
Slipper socks
Ear plugs
Bottled water
Hair brush or comb

Definitely wear loose-fitting clothes. You will be much more comfortable.

Tracy

rkkwan

yk - You should try Air France to Europe. They:

- like the cabin warm
- provide eye shade
- leave bottled water and orange juice out near the center galley
- have a wet-nap in the amenities kit
- provide newspaper at gate, and seem to have quite a few magazines (I didn't check titles) on board

As for myself, the thing <b>I cannot do without</b> is my iPod (currently the iPod nano) and a good noise cancelling/isolating headphones (currently Shure E4c). You can take away everything from me, but not my iPod and good headphones.

Chicago_Heather

Comfy shoes, a good book (preferably based in the destination country), toothbrush/toothpaste, Listerine strips (close quarters in coach), bottled water, and the free wine (aids with sleeping).

aeiger

Hi
Comfortable clothes, shoes or slippers, feet swell on long flights. The other items that people have mentioned. I also bring along Ambien, as the flight will be many hours. Whatever sleep you can get is worth it. Enjoy your trip.

Robespierre

Active noise-canceling headphones. They're engineered to neutralize low frequency noise like jet engines, so turning them on is like entering a Cone of Silence.

You can either play your CD or MP3 player, or jack into the aircraft system to listen to the canned entertainment. With no input at all, they're like earplugs.

I think the Sennheiser HDC451 I got for $100 at Amazon compare favorably with Bose.

iPAQ (Pocket computer with books, games, music, movies)
Inflatable neck pillow.
Sleep mask.
I rely on the airline to provide food and (yes, even bottled spring) water.

Marsha

I MUST have a good, juicy mystery novel. I also have at least a change of clothes and my kit bag in carry-on luggage. (The airlines invariably lose my luggage. Lately, we have just taken carry-ons, even to Europe.) I can do without the drugs, pillow etc., as I never sleep on transatlantic flights.

Gavin

I find that I do not need anything that I bring with me on board. Water is important but is supplied by my usual airline. Something to read often useful but between the movies, looking out the window, eating, talking to my travel companion or other passengers the time goes by just fine. I usually do bring a water bottle and some snacks just in case. The sleep aids are not relevant to me because I fly by day.

schnauzer

Agree with posts above. Would also recommend tissues as my nose always runs!! Certainly wear loose clothing, layers, socks and comfy adjustable shoes, ie laces or buckles in case your feet swell a bit. Most things have been covered so won't repeat them.

J_Correa

I like to bring a cuticle pusher, cuticle cream, and a nail file. Heavy hand cream is nice too - fragrance-free, of course. With all that time, it is the perfect opportunity to give my hands some extra attention