My long haul travel gear list

I managed to dodge long haul airline travel for the last 10 years, but in 2025 I had to start travel again. The longest of those was to Melbourne, and this was the setup I used to make the trip as painless as possible.

The reason I dread long haul travel is because I’m tall, and I’m mostly traveling coach. I’ve also had a long history of back pain and arm pain on these flights.

Sea to summit travel pillow

The single biggest improvement in my setup was bringing a variety of these inflatable travel pillows. No matter the size, shape, condition of a seat you can wedge these things in different places to make things just a bit more comfortable. If you’re not getting enough support, you can simply inflate them a little more and it’ll fit the space exactly the way you need to. I primarily use a smaller one for lumbar support, and then a bigger one to lean against and sleep.

The other big improvement was I could stack one or two on my lap and really prop up my ipad much higher than the seat back tray. That puts less strain on my neck for longer flights where I can’t somehow hang the ipad from the seat back (more on that later).

Nidra eye mask

I’ve used this eye mask for years, and it’s by far the most comfortable. No material actually touches your eyes while you’re sleeping. This make them comfortable for longer periods of time.

WatsonGear pouches

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1252539588/?ref=share_ios_native_control

These are a luxury item, but they last forever and have not failed me yet. The Watson gear pouches are made for ultralight weight camping, but they’re perfect for rigging upon your seat back table and making it easier to organize your travel gear for longer flights.

They also have two loops on either side which pair nicely with the mini hero clips below.

Mini Hero Clip

I’ve had the large size hero clip for a while, and I rarely use it outside of an airport bathroom. The mini clips on the other hand are indespensibke for staying organized while seated on the flight

Chums Wallet

Staying with the pouch theme, I needed a place to put some of the smaller pieces of technology. My Airfly, headphone dongles, usb-c adapters, small Apple Watch charger, and my earplugs.

The chums is cheap, and it gives you some organization. I also like the bright colors to make it easier to find in a dark bag.

Ugreen 65w charger

For charging things on the plane, it took forever to find one that works. The issue is that most plane outlets are over-used, so most chargers just fall out of the socket as soon as any weight is placed on them. Thats why it’s key to get one that’s very thin and flat like this Ugreen charger.

Airfly Bluetooth adapter

I mentioned them above, but there’s nothing more comfortable than using your own preferred headphones on long flights. It’s also nice to have no cable tethering you to the seat in front of you. The Airflys last a surprisingly long amount of time, and nerve required any fiddling.

Mack’s Snore Blockers

I don’t go anywhere without my Mack’s snore blockers ear plugs. If they fit your ears, they’re block the most sound if anything I’ve tried and are comfortable enough to side sleep.

Vapur water bottle

I don’t love drinking out of plastic, but the Vapur foldable water bottles are great to have on hand when you need them, and they pack away to nothing when not in use. The built in carabiner also helps you keep it off the floor, which is a huge improvement from chasing rolling water bottles into the seat behind you.

TabletHookz

TabletHookz isn’t perfect but it’s worked for me on a handful of seat backs, and nothing beats having your own bigger screen at eye level if an in flight entertainment system is broken or doesn’t have any good options

I also found a 3d printed version that is more cost efficient and almost as effective. I’m sure you could pair it with some rubberbands to make it just as secure as the TabletHookz.

Cork Massage ball

I love the Acupoint cork massage balls because it’s so light and comes in tons of sizes. If you get sore on long flights it’s amazing to roll on your back or even under your legs to keep the blood flowing

Apple Watch travel charger

I try to limit the pile of cables i take with me on flights, so that doesn’t leave any room for a long Apple Watch charger. This short one takes up no space whatsoever, and lets me easily charge in the cramped airline seat. The one downside is that dont charge your watch all that quickly.

Time shifter

Timeshifter is the app that helped me plan for the time change in a way that minimized jet lag. It gives you a plan that allows you to start shifting your sleep before you travel, and then coaches you on when to sleep and stay awake to adapt to the local time the fastest. It also coaches you on when to take sleep aides. The UI is simple, and I thought it was effective so it’ll stay on my phone.

LMNT electrolytes

I never drink enough water while traveling, and a portion of why i feel so bad upon arrival is dehydration. These electrolyte packets are easy to use, taste ok, and had less sugar than most of the alternatives. Most importantly they made me feel better while flying, and helped the next couple of days upon arrival. Do I wish they were less sweet, sure, but they were good enough.

Primary Headphones

I use AirPod pros as my daily driver for headphones. On long flights I stick to them because heavier headphones make my neck hurt. The noise canceling isn’t the strongest on offer, but for most situations it’s enough.

Over ear headphones

On very long flights i get sick of having my AirPods in, so I like having a pair of headphones to switch to. I also like having something that goes over ear and can block a bit more noise with the noise canceling than the AirPods. These Sony’s were a good combination of low price, super light weight build quality (so they dont hurt my neck as much), and decent noise canceling.

Compression Socks

I dont bother with this under 6 hours of flight time but on those longer flights my feet and ankles can get pretty heavy. The socks help keep me warm when the AC randomly fires on all cylinders, and they help me get going quickly once the flight lands.

Travel Pants

I value comfort over style. When I travel I want to be as comfortable as possible, and I tend to run hot. The Patagonia pants are like air, and they breath well for those horrible situations where the plane gets too hot. When things get cold, I can always throw a blanket over top. And they pack down so small I can keep them in my bag, if I want to start with shorts.