What to keep in your hand luggage for a long-haul flight: sleep, entertainment, charging and the small things that make ten hours in a seat more bearable.
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Flights of six hours or more, overnight flights and long journeys with children
On a long-haul flight, the hand luggage at your feet matters far more than what's in the hold. The goal is simple: sleep if you can, stay comfortable when you can't, and never run out of battery.
A travel pillow that actually supports your head – if your head drops forward when you sleep sitting up, a structured design such as Trtl works differently from a classic U-shaped pillow.
Trtl Travel Pillow
Best suited to travellers who want stronger neck support than a traditional U-shaped pillow and don't mind the structured wrap-around design.
Cirorld Travel Pillow
A lower-cost memory-foam option with adjustable support and a compact design, if you want a traditional travel pillow without spending as much.
An eye mask – contoured ones don't press on your eyes.
Contoured sleep mask
Shaped to sit away from your eyelids, so it blocks light without pressing on your eyes.
Earplugs – cheap, tiny, and a big help on a noisy overnight flight.
Reusable earplugs
Small, washable and easy to keep in a pocket, for cutting cabin noise on overnight flights.
A warm layer – cabins are often colder than you expect, and a hoodie doubles as an extra pillow.
Noise-cancelling headphones – the single biggest comfort upgrade for long flights. Engine noise is tiring even when you don't notice it.
Noise-cancelling headphones
Active noise cancelling takes the edge off constant engine noise, which makes long flights noticeably less tiring.
A headphone adapter for the seat-back screen – many wireless headphones need a cable or a small Bluetooth transmitter to work with in-flight entertainment.
In-flight Bluetooth transmitter
Plugs into the seat-back headphone socket so you can use your own wireless headphones with in-flight entertainment.
Airplane phone holder – for watching downloaded films at eye level if your seat has no screen, or a poor one.
MiiKARE Portable Airplane Phone Holder
A compact clamp-style holder with 360-degree adjustment for a simple hands-free way to watch your phone during a flight.
Downloads – films, series, podcasts and books, all downloaded before you leave home.
A tray-table game – we've played all of these on a plane. For two of you, Hive Pocket and The Fox in the Forest are our favourites.
Hive Pocket
An excellent game for two. The chunky pieces work well on a tray table and it packs into a small pouch.
The Fox in the Forest
A two-player card game in a tiny box. It only needs a small space, so two tray tables side by side are plenty.
Dobble
A tiny tin with very quick games. It works on an aircraft tray if everyone holds their own cards.
Read our Hive Pocket review Read our Fox in the Forest review Read our Dobble review
Power bank – it must stay in your hand luggage. Under current UK rules you can carry up to two, but you can't recharge them or use them to charge other devices during the flight, so top up your phone before boarding.
INIU 10,000mAh 45W Power Bank
A strong travel balance of 10,000mAh capacity, fast 45W USB-C charging and compact size without moving into bulky high-capacity territory.
Anker 10,000mAh 30W Power Bank
A good alternative for travellers who prefer an established charging brand and want 10,000mAh capacity with modern USB-C fast charging.
Charging cables in one pouch – so they're not scattered through your bag in the dark.
BAGSMART Travel Cable Organiser
Compact enough for ordinary holiday tech, with enough organisation for cables, chargers and a small power bank without becoming a bulky case.
Travel adapter – long-haul destinations often use different plugs from Europe.
MyTravelPal Pro Universal Travel Adaptor
Suited to frequent or multi-country travellers who want one grounded adaptor with USB charging rather than several regional plugs.
Compression socks – many people find they reduce swollen ankles on long flights. If you have any risk factors for blood clots, ask your GP or pharmacist for advice before you fly.
Flight compression socks
Graduated compression socks designed for flying, to help with swollen ankles on long journeys.
A refillable water bottle – take it through security empty and fill it airside. Cabin air is very dry.
Collapsible water bottle
Folds flat when empty, so it's easy to carry through security and fill up airside.
Lip balm, moisturiser and eye drops – in your liquids bag.
Toothbrush and toothpaste – a quick freshen-up before landing makes a surprising difference.
Any regular medicines – in your hand luggage, plus enough to cover a delay.
Comfortable, loose clothes and slip-on shoes – feet often swell during long flights.
A change of clothes in your hand luggage – in case your suitcase arrives a day after you do.
A pen – for any arrival forms.
Offline maps and your accommodation address – saved before you take off.
Big blankets – airlines usually provide one on long-haul flights.
Too many gadgets – one phone, one pair of headphones and a power bank covers most people.
A book or a Kindle – a Kindle weighs less than a single paperback and holds a whole holiday's worth of books, so you'll never run out halfway through the trip.
Amazon Kindle
About 158g and smaller than the Paperwhite, so it's our pick for travel. It isn't waterproof, so keep it away from the pool.
Dungeon Crawler Carl: Book 1
Our favourite holiday read: funny, addictive and eight books long. It's for adults, not children.
Games on these lists are ones we've packed and played ourselves. Other products are linked to our researched guides, so you can check whether something is genuinely worth the space before you buy.
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