Big floppy socks so you can replace any shoes. Floppy clothes so you can relax. Noise killing earphones but check do you sleep on your ears. If pillows are not given out something like a pillow. Don't drink coffee, tea or fizzy drinks, cheese or potato chips. Aisle seats let you walk aound more but mean you will be disturbed more. Check out small children near you (tears in the night drive me barmy). Turn up tired and fall asleep before you take off.

Wine before sleep. Need to think about this one

How long until someone jumps all over poor Murphy89 for DARING to venture into Walmart?

Hey, I'm with you there buddy. A lot of times "cheap" is good. In fact, even though there's some nice threads going on about buying the right luggage and how long it should last, I buy the cheap stuff at Walmart for about $30 and get maybe a month of travel use out of it before replacing it. It's a lot more economical than buying the 22" Piaggio 949 model for $800 then getting upset when the baggage handlers inevitably wreck it.

I bought a Bucky pillow several years ago and also purchased their eye mask and earplugs. They add tremendously to comfort and allow me to actually sleep on the plane a bit. The eye mask is soft and flexible and the strap hooks with velcro so it can be adjusted for comfort. The eye mask also has a small pouch attached to hold the ear plugs so they don't get lost and are readily available. I wouldn't travel without them and they came in very handy at a hotel with light shinging through the window and street traffic as well. Good luck withe the nervous sisters and have a great trip.

I try to avoid the wine, instead I opt for a couple of Tylenol PM. They put me right to sleep and unless I have a really restless seatmate, I will sleep right thru the flight and arrive rested. I find eyemasks, inflatable pillows etc to be annoyances. I do carry a pashmina in my carry on and use it as a blanket or rolled up as a pillow on the plane,

The Tylenol PM sounds like a good idea - might have them try that before we leave to see how they are in am. I find drinking alcohol on flight is a problem for me.

i find an eye mask and u-shaped pillow indispensible. i also bring a pashmina and dress in comfy layers. but the single most important thing i do is make sure i have a piece of carry-on to place on the floor in front of my seat to create a foot rest. this simple little trick takes pressure off the lower back and lends itself to sleeping. lastly, there's a fast acting, short-lasting prescription sleep aid called "sonata" that my doctor recommends for transatlantic or other overnight flights. you may be a little groggy the next day, but much less so than with the ingredients of over-the-counter sleep aids.

julieann- definitely try the Tylonol PM at home, before the flight. for some people the active ingredient makes them 'wired' rather than sleepy (that's what happens to me, it's awful).

imo any eye mask will do. i have a collection of ones from previous flights, as others have mentioned. nothing special or fancy about them (but they are helpful). you might ask your airline if they will be handing them out.

i think bilboburgler has it exactly right...

" Turn up tired and fall asleep before you take off. " !!!

Ambien, don't ever fly internationally without it.
M

The "active" sleep ingredient in Tylenol PM is diphenhydramine..in other words, the same thing as Benadryl.

It works for some because the usual side effect of antihistamines is a feeling of drowsiness.

I can't drink alcohol on a flight(makes me feel crappy); Ambien makes me a zombie for two days; but 1 Excedrin PM works perfectly, as long as I take it a good 8 hours before I need to be alert. I don't like Tylenol PM, for some reason, but do like ExcedrinPM.

Comfortable, loose-fitting clothes, shoes you can slip on & off easily. But I agree w/travelbunny: if you're flying coach, "comfortable flight" is an oxymoron. Just don't put a lot of pressure on yourself to make your first day in Italy anything but mellow!