Overnight Plane Essentials

Now that we're a few days away from going to Scotland (!!), we're finally starting to pack. We've had a few packing horror stories in the past: the first year we flew to Italy, Ryan packed all of his clothes in his carry on, which the airline ended up making him check. Of course that was the one bag that got lost during the trip, so for the first four days that we were in Cortina, Ryan had to wear the same clothes every day. Another time, one of my bags got lost and when I got it back, it had the most exotic tags on  it, from places all around the world - one tag was even in Arabic!

But now we've pretty much got the packing thing mastered - we check our larger bags, carry on small roller bags with a few sets of clothing in them in case the checked bags get lost (I just ordered this one and I'm so excited to use it!), and then I always pack a small bag for the plane. After countless overnight flights, here's what I've found I like to have on hand:

1. Face wipes to wash your face with before you fall asleep. As an avid face washer, I find it makes a huge difference to be able to "wash" you face on the plane.

2. Planes are so drying for skin, so I always put lotion on my face a few times during an overnight flight - usually before I fall asleep and then again when we land.

3. Cozy socks! I always take my shoes off on overnight flights, but my feet tend to get really cold on planes so I always bring a big pair of socks.

4. Headphones - for all those movies you'll end up watching.

5. A scarf that can be used as a blanket. I always bring my biggest, comfiest scarf to wrap around me while I sleep...so much better than scratchy airplane blankets. This one looks cozy.

6. An eye mask to block out light for better sleeping.

7. Disposable toothbrushes! We discovered these a few years ago and love them - you can brush your teeth with no water and then throw the brush away when you're done.

8. Hand sanitizer, because obviously....how nice does this one look?!

9. Snacks. I've been digging these Kind bars all summer.

10. A water bottle. It's so important to stay hydrated on long flights, so we always bring water bottles to fill up before we get on the plane. We bought two of these this summer and they've been great.

And, this year I ordered this great bag to put it all in, which I think will also be great for weekend trips once we get there.