Over the next week, my best friend is going on a vacation to Morocco and my cousin is going to Sweden for school. In between feeling slightly envious of their awesome upcoming trips, I have been giving them tips on how to survive the long flights they have ahead of them.

• Dress comfortably. This may be the most important thing of all. When I flew to Manila, I wore yoga pants and a long sleeved t-shirt. Maybe not the most fashionable, but I was comfy during all of my 24 hours of flying. I recommended to my best friend to wear leggings, a tunic or dress, cardigan, and comfy flats. This way she will look great when she gets of the plane but feel like she’s wearing PJs. My cousin is a college-age guy, and I’m sure he will wear jeans and a t-shirt and be just fine. Another thing–think about compression socks. It will make you more comfortable, keep your ankles from swelling, and reduce your risk of deep-vein thrombosis.
• Bring the things you need to sleep. For me, nothing is more frustrating than being exhausted on a plane and not able to sleep. Plus, sleeping on the plane allows you to wake up refreshed, or at least not zombie like, when you get to your destination. I need a pillow, blanket or pashmina, eyemask, earplugs (or earbuds), and maybe a Tylenol PM. One thing that works for me is to play my White Noise app through my headphones. Puts me right to sleep.
• Beauty necessities. There are a few toiletry items you can bring that can make the difference between your skin feeling like sandpaper or skin when you land. I recommend heavy lip balm (I love Burt’s Bees), hydrating mist, facial moisturizer, hand lotion, and of course toothpaste and a toothbrush. Don’t forget that this stuff has to go in a ziplock bag to go through security.
• Entertainment is important! Whether you enjoy reading, listening to books, watching movies, playing games, knitting, whatever. Bring stuff to entertain you during the flight and (especially) during the layovers. Many airplanes have movies, but you may not like what’s showing or feel like watching one. Know yourself, and bring what you need.
• Snacks, snacks, snacks. Buy a bottle of water at the airport, and have a few snacks on hand such as almonds, bars, trail mix, whatever. This way if the flight attendants haven’t made it to you and you’re about to pass out from hunger, you have something to tide you over.

Last night my best friend came over and I sent her home with a bunch of stuff, including bucky pillow, travel blanket, eye mask and earplugs, a book on CD, and many verbal instructions. I may have overwhelmed her (sorry!!) but hopefully it will make her trip just that much better.