Nine Long-haul Flight Essentials - From Sleep Masks to Electrolytes

plane wing with blue sky in the background
By Sarah Rodrigues on 13th March 2026

Long-haul flights don't have to be a test of endurance. Sarah Rodrigues shares her tried-and-tested essentials for a more comfortable - and enjoyable - flight. Discover her carry-on picks below...

Now that the first teasing hints of Spring are showing, you may be itching for summer to arrive - and who could blame you? After a long winter, the temptation to soak up some Vitamin D is justifiably strong.

Of course, the flip side of benefitting from sunshine at this time of year is that you’ll probably need to travel to reach it - but with some clever hand-luggage additions, you can make even the longest flight a breeze - no matter what class your ticket has you sitting in.

View through plane window with clouds .
Women pulling suitcase through airport . Person sitting in airport gate area .

Spacious Carry-on Bag

First up, the hand luggage itself. Few things are more likely to make me frazzled and flustered than rooting around in my bag, especially in a confined space. Additionally, walking through an airport with a strap slipping off my shoulder while I drag a suitcase along makes me feel uncomfortable and scrappy - not a pleasant sensation when you’re about to board a flight. The solution is to have a carry-on bag that’s spacious, easy to organise and that has a trolley sleeve - so the Art M from Kipling is a game changer. Multiple pockets make it easy for me to find my travel essentials while in the air, and the trolley sleeve fits neatly onto my suitcase’s telescopic handle, allowing me to glide beatifically to the departure gate. 

Sleep Masks

Sleep masks on flights don’t just help you to sleep by blocking out cabin lights and glowing devices - they also help to reduce jet-lag, as the brain adjusts more quickly to a new time zone when it’s ‘fooled’ into thinking that it’s a different time of day from what it’s been accustomed to (so by the same token, turn your face to the sun when you reach your destination!) They also help to create a cocooning sense of privacy, leaving you feeling less vulnerable and exposed as you sleep. Made from certified organic mulberry silk, the smooth finish and extra padding of Longevity’s sleep masks protect the delicate eye area from dry cabin air, too. 

Roll-on Eye Serum

Puffy under-eyes are a sad fact of flying long haul and, while donning a pair of movie-star style sunnies for disembarkation is one solution, a better one is to swerve the unsightly swell by applying the roll-on eye serum from Evolve Organic Beauty. It contains Hyaluronic Acid with Tuberose Stem Cells, which combine to refresh, hydrate and de-puff the under-eye area with just a couple of cooling swipes. And on the subject of eyes, that dry cabin air can wreak havoc, so always keep a bottle of theratears on hand - they’re contact lens friendly, too. 

Magnesium Capsules

There are, of course, various things you can ingest to induce sleep or calm nerves on a flight, but many of them will leave you feeling groggy when you wake up: not, ideally, how you’d want to arrive at your destination. A better solution? Bare Biology’s ‘Ready & Rested’ magnesium bisglycinate formulation. As an extremely gentle form of magnesium, it won’t upset the stomach, but works to soothe anxiety and minimise the flying jitters. Its relaxing qualities mean that it’s useful for getting your body and nervous system ready for some quality sleep, too - and that you’ll wake up feeling genuinely rested, rather than wretched. Another hero product is Diso Snooze Strips: you simply place them on your tongue, where they dissolve to promote sleep via Vitamin B6 and other natural ingredients, such as valerian and chamomile. 

Fluoride-free Toothpaste

There are several reasons why passengers experience stomach discomfort and bloating on flights. For example, the air pressure in the cabin is lower than on the ground, which can cause the gasses in the stomach to expand. There’s also the fact that sitting for long periods, plus dehydration, tends to slow down digestion - again, leading to gut discomfort. Of course, getting up to walk around every so often can help, as can ensuring you drink plenty of water - but give yourself an additional helping hand (and a fresh mouth feeling) by using oral care that works to support your gut. Sounds odd? Not when you consider that the mouth is the doorway to the gut - so Gutology Hydroxyapatite toothpaste gets rid of cabin-mouth ick without additives that can make your tummy feel uncomfortable. 

Cashmere Travelwrap

Everything is better with cashmere - and that includes flying. Swathe yourself in a luxurious throw or wrap and switch your shoes for cashmere socks. My favourite cashmere pieces for travel are from the aptly-named and Scotland-based Travelwrap Company. They source all of their raw yarn ethically in Mongolia and turn it into some of the most sumptuous pieces you’ll ever cosy up in. The range of colours on offer is impressive, too - and if you get the odd chilly night on your sunshine sojourn, you can just toss the wrap over your outfit and know that you won't be sacrificing style for warmth. 

Electrolytes

Hydration is key in most circumstances, but never more so than when flying, as the air in the cabin is kept dry, at a much lower humidity than what you’d experience on the ground. Dehydration doesn’t only make jetlag worse; it also contributes to those puffy eyes and dry skin. Naturally, drinking water at regular intervals (and avoiding alcohol) will help, but getting some electrolytes in will make your water work harder, helping you to absorb fluids far more effectively. Travel supplement Good Flyte has been developed by pilots and travel-health experts and, as well as electrolytes, contains vitamins, minerals and botanicals - all geared towards ensuring you arrive rested and ready. 

Hydrating Face Cream

That dry cabin air can also leave your skin feeling parched, so a deeply nourishing moisturiser can help to ensure that your face feels plump and supple. Gem & Tonic’s Replenish & Rescue Hydrating Face Cream glides on beautifully - you can almost feel your face drinking it in. It uses squalane and sodium hyaluronate to intensely hydrate, as well as quartz extract for radiance. Other ingredients include hematite to aid skin renewal, and azelaic acid to reduce inflammation. Additionally, its 50ml size gets it through security with zero problems. 

Seamless Underwear

There’s nothing worse than clothing - waistbands, seams and so on - digging into you on a flight. And, as ladies will know, bras are a major culprit where this is concerned. Wearing a sports bra helps somewhat, but they can feel restrictive - so a Shapermints wireless shaping bra provides the ideal solution. Supportive yet seamless, you can run for your flight in it, but forget you’re even wearing it once you’ve boarded. Available in a range of colours, and from sizes S to 4XL, the bra has adjustable straps, an extendable back and a breathable, second-skin feel.

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