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For some reason, I’ve always loved taking long car rides, but I’ve never felt that way about flying. The destinations always make it worth it, but the whole experience feels stressful to me…getting packed up, making it through airport traffic, going through all the security checks, and finally getting on the plane, squeezing your way down the aisle, and shoving your carry-on in the overhead. But to make up for all of that, I always pack a few airplane essentials to help make my ride more comfortable.

Neck Pillow

If you’re planning on going on long flights, getting a neck pillow is a must. If you’re in an aisle seat or in the middle, it can be hard and awkward to try to get in a position that you can actually fall asleep in. I for one have the hardest time sleeping on planes. So anything that can make the flight more comfortable is really helpful. Make sure you try it out before getting one, you want something that’s firm enough to support your head, but not so hard that it forces your head forward into a weird position. My neck pillow is from Isaac Mizrahi, it’s made of memory foam and has a handy little button strap to keep it in place and to be able to hang it on your luggage while walking around the airport.

Lumbar Pillow

Like I said, the comfier, the better. You can use a lumbar cushion to support your lower back, sit on it if the seat cushion isn’t quite doing it for you, or put in on the tray table in front of you to prop you up if you’re trying to sleep. Like my neck pillow (and my bed and actual pillow…), I use a memory foam lumbar cushion because I like the way the foam conforms to my body and to whatever seat I use it on.

Snacks!

My snacks pretty much take more room in my purse than any of my other items. Priorities, okay? I prefer salty snacks to sweet, but I bring a couple different things, gotta have options. On my last flight, my snack mix included Boomchickapop, Goji Maca Snackaroons, Terra Plantain Chips, and Sour Patch Watermelon.

Air Pods

Noise blockers & suppliers of entertainment. I happen to have Air Pods (thanks Christina!) but obviously any decent headphones will do. Since I have such a hard time sleeping on planes, I like to listen to things to pass the time—and sometimes if I’m lucky, lull me to sleep.

Water Bottle

The air in planes is always so dry and I don’t always feel that great after a long day of traveling, so having a bottle of water with me helps me to stay hydrated beyond the little plastic cup that the flight attendants come around with. I like using glass water bottles, and my mom recently gave me one with a mint colored silicone sleeve that protects the glass from breaking. (Here’s a similar one.)

Comfy Joggers + Sweats

Comfort. Comfort. Comfort. This goes without saying. Aside from the fact that the cabin can get a little chilly, it’s just nice to sit and lounge around in cozy clothes. But if you feel like still looking cute, you should checkout some ACTA gear—they re-branded from Kora. (AND if you feel like getting 15% off, you can use my code: jenniferann15 any time you order). Their joggers and sweaters—along with all their other stuff—fit so well and are honestly so comfortable. The crew necks come in the cutest faded colors and the joggers are made of buttery soft material.

Podcasts

I spend most of my days filling my head with true crime stories and lessons learned, comedy goofs, various “things you should know”-type facts, and wellness tips. So what better way to pass time than to have a bunch of podcasts queued up to get you through a long flight? I don’t know what I’d do without them. But I seriously recommend downloading several of them so that you can easily listen to without having to worry about buying wifi on the plane.