My International Flight Musts
I believe the start to every incredible vacation really begins right after you purchase your plane tickets, but before you take off. Vacationing is what we work so hard for, so I urge you to do yourself a favor and make your hard-earned trip a little bit easier! Now, I’m not saying that travel is all rainbows and butterflies…trust me, I’ve got some stories to tell. But the inspiration behind this list is to hopefully help you get started on the right foot for your next trip.
So many things are simply out of our control when traveling. Think weather, crabby people, airplane food, and crying babies. Here’s the hard truth: those things aren’t changing, so it’s up to you to make your experience smoother. My list isn’t a fix-all for every travel complication, but here are the little things that help me when traveling internationally.
Hygiene Bag
This is first on the list because, for me, it is absolutely, hands-down, the single most important part of my travel preparation - did I make that clear? This will look different for everyone, and that’s totally okay! For me, this is a condensed version of my toilet trees that are in my suitcase. I separate what I deem essentials into a bag that fits into the backpack I keep under the seat in front of me during the flight. Here’s the breakdown of what I have in my bag: face wash, face lotion, toothbrush, toothpaste, melatonin, deodorant, a washcloth, scrunchies, claw clip, hydrating face mask, hydrating under eye patches. Is this excessive? Perhaps. Is it necessary? Not for everyone…but for me, absolutely.
When traveling internationally, the flights can seem never-ending. This helps me to keep my somewhat normal routine of getting ready for bed and waking up in the morning. Jet lag is hard enough to beat and can really take a toll on your vacation. Being able to wash my face and brush my teeth just helps get me through those looong flights a little easier.
2. Airport Wine Lounge
For me, vacationing has always been exciting and special. My family made it a point to celebrate going on vacation even when there wasn’t anything we were officially celebrating. Because of this, one thing I like to do before an international flight is get to the airport with time to spare for a glass of wine. This elevates the start of a vacation and adds an extra element of excitement and wonder to the day. Plus, it usually helps me nap when I get settled into my seat.
3. Snacks: one salty, one sweet
I like to bring some of my own snacks on the flight even though the airlines provide others. It’s the same logic about making the trip exciting. I enjoy picking out something I don’t keep in my pantry at home. It’s an eating splurge day, and that means fun sacks. Typically, I like to have some sort of salty chip and something sweet. But I don’t always grab junk food. I also like to try different jerky choices and chocolate-covered almonds sometimes. Just depends on my mood! My current obsession is salt and vinegar chips and peanut M&M’s.
4. Everything Shower
I’ll admit, this isn’t one that I can honestly say happens every time I travel. However, I can’t deny how helpful I think it is. Maybe this is something that everyone already does, and I’m just late to the game - how embarrassing! Whatever, I added it to the list because if you’re not on the everything shower train, you should be! For starters, the everything shower is where you wash your hair, exfoliate, shave, etc. Everything happens in this shower that might happen sporadically otherwise. In general, everything showers make me feel better, and before a long flight, I feel SO much more comfortable being totally clean with a fresh blowout. My philosophy is that you’re going to feel dirty after flying. You’re going to feel even dirtier after flying internationally. You can be the most comfortable by doing the everything shower before take-off so that it’s done in the comfort of your own home. And think about it: when you take your first vacation shower, you’ll only have to wash off the plane dirty and not the plane dirty, plus before travel dirty too. Look out for your future self and the person sitting next to you too ;)
5. Expectations
On each flight I take, I’m a different person than I was on the last trip I went on. Realizing that has helped me to ditch some of the expectations that come with traveling. Not to mention that I could be well rested before one trip and on another totally sleep-deprived. Using the mindset that I’m a different person with different needs that lead to different outcomes for each trip has taken the pressure of comparing trips off the table. And for that, I am so grateful! Be kind to yourself; each trip will be different, and that’s a good thing. New experiences, new places, a new appreciation for living life.
Woo, that’s a wrap! At least for now…maybe my next trip will bring a new addition to the list. As I said at the beginning, this isn’t meant to be a fix-all for everyone, and that’s fine by me. This is just what works for me, and maybe something from my list will stick with you, too. If it does, I hope it eases some part of your next international travel.