Long-haul comfort is decided before you leave the house. The single biggest improvement is treating your carry-on as a twenty-four hour survival kit rather than an overflow bag.
Keep one full change of clothes, all medication in original packaging, chargers, a refillable bottle and any document you would struggle to replace. Everything else can go in the hold.
Compression socks are not optional past ten hours. Neither is a proper neck pillow — the inflatable ones save space and do the job.
For families, pack a small ziplock per child with snacks, wipes and one new toy they have not seen before. The novelty buys roughly forty minutes, which on a night flight is a great deal.
Finally, photograph your passport, visa and insurance and email the images to yourself. It takes two minutes and has rescued more holidays than any packing cube ever will.
Priya Deshmukh
Travel Consultant at Rare Holidays. A travel enthusiast with over 10 years of experience in exploring off-beat destinations.