Episode 71: International Flight Toolkit

Ever wondered how to navigate a long-haul flight with ease? Get ready for some practical tips and insights as I share my go-to items and strategies for staying comfortable in the air. Picture yourself relaxing with a silk eye mask to block out distractions or enjoying your favorite music through Bluetooth headphones. And if you're curious about snagging an upgrade, I've got a story about Aer Lingus that might interest you.

As we settle into the flight, I'll introduce you to some innovative products like foot hammocks and facial mists to enhance your comfort. I'll also touch on the versatility of a travel blanket scarf and the usefulness of a personal fan for managing temperature fluctuations. But beyond creature comforts, I'll discuss the importance of maintaining peace of mind by selecting the right seat and keeping your surroundings clean. And for capturing memorable moments, I'll mention Flytographer as a helpful resource. Let's work together to make your next international flight as pleasant as possible.

Shop my International Flight Tool Kit Items: https://amzn.to/4aVigmD

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Chapters

• 0:00 International Flight Must-Haves
• 7:12 Travel Comfort Essentials and Tips
• 16:47 International Flight Safety and Planning

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Welcome to the One Girl Travel Podcast, episode number 71.

Speaker 2: 0:05

Welcome to the One Girl Travel Podcast, your passport to the world of solo travel with certified life and travel coach, alessia Tenebruso. Join Alessia as she shares her own journey of self-discovery through solo travel, while also focusing on topics such as life coaching insights and travel tips along the way. Now here's your host, alessia Tenebruso.

Speaker 1: 0:32

Hello, my friends, and welcome to episode number 71 of the One Girl Travel Podcast. Today I want to talk to you about international flight must-haves. As somebody that has flown international many times, there will be a toolkit that you're going to want to bring with you every time you have a long-haul flight. Now, long-haul can be considered, you know, five hours plus to many people. Some of you are flying 14-hour plus flights, and props to you. I've never taken a flight that long. I would say. The longest I have flown is nine hours straight.

Speaker 1: 1:11

So these tips I'm sharing with you are from just my personal experience and just ways to make your next international flight or long haul flight the most comfortable as possible flight, or a long-haul flight the most comfortable as possible. Now I would start by saying, hey, just buy a business class ticket and you're solid. But business class is expensive. First class is expensive. I have spoiled myself in the past with purchasing business class life flat seats internationally and they are amazing. If you can do it, do it. But it's not always feasible when it comes to budget and this time around, when I went to Italy for the first One Girl Travel group trip, I decided I was going to fly economy because I wanted to first of all see if I was able to do it, since I've never done it before, and second, I just wanted to see like the price just didn't make sense for me to go for business class. It was significantly less expensive to go economy. I think I got my round trip flight with Aer Lingus for under $900, which is great. So I figured for that price I might as well try it. I can turn it into content to share to all of you and that's what I did. So, like I said, I flew Aer Lingus JFK to Dublin and then I had a layover in Dublin and then Dublin to Naples. Naples is not a big airport so there weren't that many direct flights for me. So that's why I chose this one Plus. Again, the price was great. So, like I said, first tip if you can afford it, if it is in your budget, always opt for business class or you can do economy plus just to get that extra room, because it does make a big difference, especially on those overnight flights when you just want to be comfortable, you want to get some sleep. I personally always fly overnight when I go to Europe. That way I can sleep on the plane and wake up and have a full day. But again, that's up to you, your personal preference, but it makes a big difference. So, first tip if you can buy that business class, that first class or the economy plus or even the extra legroom, because it all makes a big difference on your flight.

Speaker 1: 3:28

Next up, I have my toolkit and I think I perfected it on this flight because all of these things really came in handy, especially flying economy. And let me just touch base on the economy thing with Aer Lingus, if you book an economy ticket, there will be an option for you to bid for an upgrade. Now the bidding started at around like $450 for a one way, one half of the flight for me, so it was only JFK to Dublin and I put my bid in for, let's say, $500. It got accepted. So I got to fly business class on Aer Lingus for the first time.

Speaker 1: 4:09

This was actually my first time flying Aer Lingus in general, so I got to experience their business class and their economy class during this flight. So their business class was great. I thought it was well worth it because I got a lay, flat seat. It was an overnight flight. I was starting my group trip. I really wanted to start well rested and comfortable. Comfort is a key here. So I was happy with their business class setup. The seat had a massager in it. I thought that was the greatest thing. That was the first time I experienced that in one of those seats. That was the first time I experienced that in one of those seats, but very comfortable, couldn't complain.

Speaker 1: 4:46

I didn't really need much from my own personal toolkit because they gave you a little bag that has all the things that you need. But if you're flying economy you're not getting those. So let's talk about what I packed and what I used when I flew economy for my long haul flights. First up is an eye mask. You want to bring something to just shut out the world when you're on the flight. I know for me I need pitch darkness when I'm trying to sleep, so I have a silk eye mask that it's lightweight, it just folds up. I throw it in my little clear case and I'm good to go. It really came in handy. Just feel so much more comfortable when there's no lights, no distractions. Second, earplugs you want to get the little foam earplugs just to have on you, which in business class they do give to you, but it's something you just throw in your bag. It takes up no room. I also recommend bringing earplugs with you when you're traveling, no matter what, because you might get a noisy hotel and I also need silence when I sleep, so earplugs are definitely something to pack in your bag.

Speaker 1: 5:55

Next up are Bluetooth headphones. Now I think I mentioned it on other podcast episodes that I was gung-ho about packing carry-on only for this trip. Shocker, I did not pack carry-on only. I tried. I was able to fit all my clothes in the backpack, but it was just not going to happen for me. I had too much stuff and I do want to challenge myself to do it in the future, but this trip was not it. So, anyways, I didn't want to bring my big Bose noise canceling over the ear headphones because I wanted to just take as little as possible, so I purchased the Apple AirPod Pros. They are noise canceling. They are tiny, they are amazing. They work so good. I was really happy with them. They were comfortable during the flight. So I do recommend getting yourself a pair of noise-canceling headphones. It makes a huge difference. You can just listen clearer to what it is you're watching. You can just drown out all the noise on the plane, the engine noise it's really just a game-changer for flying. So I highly recommend you get yourself a pair of headphones, whether you like the over the ear or the in-ear ones.

Speaker 1: 7:12

The next up is something I never used before and I am so glad I purchased for this trip. It's a foot hammock, I would call it. It's a basically a piece of canvas with a little hammock for your feet and you put it over the tray table and then you close up the tray table and it's suspended in the air and you can put your feet on it and your feet are up. They are just so comfortable. You can, you know, rock your feet back and forth if you want. They are, you know, it's a nice way to get your feet off the ground and just elevated. I've passed out. When I was sitting in economy and I set this up with, you know, with my eye mask and my earplugs and this foot lounger, I was so comfortable I passed out. I slept for probably three hours on that leg of the flight. It was maybe like it's under $10 for this product. I'm linking it in my Amazon storefront. You need to get this. It was so good and I am so glad I purchased it and again, it's so small. Just throw it in your backpack and you're good to go.

Speaker 1: 8:19

My next tip is moisturizers or Evian spray actually, both of those things. When you're flying, your skin gets dried out and you want to constantly refresh it, and you can do so by staying hydrated. You want to drink water. Of course, try to avoid alcohol, but I mean, I'd be a hypocrite if I said I didn't drink alcohol when I was flying, especially when you're in business class and you can get whatever you want. But I do make sure to drink water. I bring a reusable water with a reusable water bottle with me every time I fly and I fill it up. I also purchase water. I always have water with me and so I'm hydrating myself by drinking water. But I also bring lotion for my hands and my face and I have this little travel can of Evian spray. It's just water, but it makes such a difference to your skin. You just feel more like revitalized and refreshed. It's a great little thing to put into your personal item toolkit.

Speaker 1: 9:20

Next up is a travel blanket slash travel scarf. So I have this travel scarf. Unfortunately, the brand that made it doesn't make it anymore, but it's this great jersey material and it looks like a scarf when you wear it, but when you just open it up it's basically a personal size blanket. It's so cozy because on the flight, when you're not flying in business class, they're not giving you a blanket in economy. So you get this. You just wrap it around your neck or throw it in your backpack. It's a double duty. Then you have your blanket on your flight and you're nice and comfy for the duration of your flight. And I thought it was just a nice luxury to have, because those flights can get very cold or very hot, so you never know which way it's going to go. And I just like to be prepared for anything.

Speaker 1: 10:15

And that brings me to a personal fan. Always pack a personal fan with you when you're flying, because sometimes that air conditioner does not kick on and it is just gross hot recycled air and it does not feel good. So just get yourself a nice travel fan. I have one that it's almost like bladeless looking. Again, it's linked in my Amazon storefront and this thing is powerful. You charge it using USB-C and it lasts a long time. I was actually using it in my hotel room in Italy because they didn't turn the air conditioner on so it was a little hot. I would plug my fan into the USB, have it on my bedside and the fan would be blowing on me and I just felt so comfortable when it was time to go to sleep. So I highly highly recommend getting yourself a personal travel fan and that way you're comfortable on all of your flights and anywhere you go. You can throw it in your backpack when you're touring around because you don't want to be sweating all the time, and that will keep you nice and cool.

Speaker 1: 11:21

Another thing that I packed for the first time I haven't packed one in a really long time because I haven't really needed it, but it was a neck pillow and this neck pillow really came in handy. With just supporting my neck. I didn't leave the flight without with any neck pain. Leave the flight without with any neck pain. I was comfortable, I was supported. It is a bulkier item. They do sell inflatable ones. They do sell ones that are on the thinner side. That's almost like a frame that hold your neck up. Mine is more of the bigger, cushier ones, but I just attached it to my backpack on the outside and it was fine. But I used it for all my flights and it really just enhanced my comfort when I was trying to sleep, because that was my biggest thing. I wanted to make sure I got as much sleep as possible when I was flying. And as far as comfort goes with the economy, I do want to share my experience because, no matter how much I prepare all the things I bring, there are still reasons why you might not have the most comfortable experience and for me, as somebody with wider hips, it could be really hard to fly economy and be comfortable.

Speaker 1: 12:36

Now for some of my flights. Like I said, when I flew from JFK to Dublin, I was in business class. No problems there. Big, comfy seat, had personal space. It was great.

Speaker 1: 12:46

The second half, dublin to Naples, that was a newer plane. I actually got an exit row to myself. That's a little tip for you also. If you see that an exit row is empty, volunteer to sit in the exit row because most likely you will get the whole row to yourself. As long as you are physically able to handle the responsibilities of an exit row, I highly recommend volunteering for it. So I had that to myself. I was super comfortable. All the armrests went up. I had a whole row to myself. It was great.

Speaker 1: 13:17

The flight home my bid for an upgrade got rejected. Now this was disappointing because I just got done with the most incredible trip and I was all excited to get home and I flew economy from uh from Dublin to JFK. This was my longer flight. It was about seven hours and I got on this plane and I realized it's an older plane and I hadn't looked up the seat configurations of this plane. I knew it was a 242 configuration but I didn't really do my research and I do recommend you do your research before you go on any plane, before you book your seats. Go on seatgurucom and just check out your seat because there will be notes about not ideal seats or things that you know. Like there's no window on your window seat or your seat doesn't recline, whatever it is. They'll have helpful tips for you to choose the best seat possible. So I did not do my research, I did not go on seat guru for this flight and I went to sit down and I like barely fit in this seat. Like this seat was so tight I've never in my life experienced such a tight seat before and the aisle armrest. Sometimes you can have it go up. There's a little secret button. It can pop it up and it's great you have more room.

Speaker 1: 14:44

This one the aisle armrest did not move and then I figured, okay, well, there's a center armrest, let me try to move that. It only went up halfway. So even at halfway it was still just digging in. It was so uncomfortable and I had somebody next to me and I, honestly I started having a bit of a panic attack because I'm like how am I going to sit here for seven hours? I feel like I'm overflowing onto this poor girl next to me. I felt so self-conscious, so uncomfortable because the seat's digging my hips and I just I knew I couldn't sit there for seven hours and so I went up.

Speaker 1: 15:26

Once I saw that boarding was completed, I went up to the flight attendant and I asked her if I can sit in an empty two-seater row, which they had, but I. The downside was that the armrest still didn't go up. So even if you have two seats to yourself, that armrest is still there and it's not going all the way up. So the armrest went up maybe 50%, to the point where I had to put the armrest under my armpit and kind of like cradle it in my arms the whole flight. So I was never able to get comfortable. Even when the food service came, I had to like put my food on the other tray table and hold it in my hand and eat. That way I couldn't really sleep well. It was extremely uncomfortable and it made me question ever flying economy again for that reason. Now I'm sure that was just a fluke with an older plane and that armrest not going up, but now that I'm aware, I will definitely be doing my research to make sure I never get on another plane like that, because it was just an awful experience and I could see it going so much differently if that armrest went up. But the plane was just not in good shape anyway. It was very old.

Speaker 1: 16:47

So do your research before you commit to these long haul flights. Make sure that you're going to be comfortable with where you're sitting and the plane that you're going to be on. And that also brings me to my last tip for a great international flight is staying safe, staying clean. You want to make sure, especially after the pandemic I think we're all pros at this by now sanitizing make sure you have your hand sanitizer. I also make sure to bring Lysol wipes with me whenever I travel, because you want to wipe down your armrest, your tray table and your seatbelts headrest. I mean, if you can wipe down as much as possible, it's ideal, because they're not thoroughly cleaned and it showed on my flight like it was just pretty gross the stuff that I saw on this plane. So you want to make sure you're just keeping yourself safe, because the worst thing is coming home from a trip and getting sick, which happened to me. Thankfully, I'm feeling better now, but you just want to take care of yourself and take all precautions when it comes to your health and your safety, and I hope these tips helped you.

Speaker 1: 18:01

I know that a lot of them might seem like common sense, but when you are planning a trip and you're packing and you're trying to remember all the things you need to bring, sometimes we can overlook the most simple things or take them for granted, and all of these things are truly something that I will continue to bring with me on all of my future trips and that really made a big impact on my comfort when flying internationally, and I know that it could feel overwhelming, like I said, trying to remember everything that you want to bring with you, everything you need to bring, all the things you need to do before a trip, and that was one of the conversations I was having with my travelers in Italy, where they wished that they had a timeline of what they need to do, when they need to do it and all the little, just things that they might not have known to do. And so that's why this month, in the One Girl Travel Club, I created the Ultimate Trip Planner, and it gives a breakdown from six to 12 months out of booking a trip, everything you need to know all the way up until the day of travel. It gives you a timeline of all the actions you should take, all the things you should do, how you should prepare. There's a checklist, and we're covering all the lessons live this month, so I'm really excited to dive deep into that. If that's something that you need in your life, then I do invite you to join the One Girl Travel Club, because you'll have access to that lesson plus a whole resource library of all previous lessons, and I mean I cover everything from how to meet new friends, how to take incredible photos of yourself when you're traveling, how to find photographers when you're traveling which, by the way, side note, I booked a photographer for my travelers and I forgot to mention it in last week's podcast episode where I gave you an overview of what we did podcast episode where I gave you an overview of what we did. I booked a photographer as a gift to my travelers and it was the most fun experience.

Speaker 1: 20:09

So if you have ever considered taking a Doing a photo shoot for yourself, hiring a photographer, I highly recommend it. It's truly life-changing, it is empowering, it just provides so much confidence and it's also a great way to remember how you felt when you were traveling. So I used Flytographer for our Italy trip. I have a special link with a discount code that I will provide in the show notes, so definitely take advantage of that and book yourself a photo shoot, because it is so much fun and the pictures came out amazing. So, anyways, there's a huge resource library available to you in the One Girl Travel Club. Everything you need is there and it truly is your guide to living a life of freedom, going after whatever it is you desire in your life, especially solo travel, and I would just be honored to be your coach and guide you on your journey If the One Girl Travel Club membership is not for you but you would like me as a coach, then you can hire me as a one-on-one coach and we can work together for three months and I would love to support you on whatever journey that you want to embark on. Again, whether it's solo travel or you want to quit your corporate job and start your own business, whatever it is, I am here for you and I would love to support you. So definitely reach out to me or go to onegirltravelcom and sign up for whatever you feel is right for you. And until next time, my friends, I will talk to you soon. I hope you have a great day.

Speaker 1: 21:48

Happy May. It's gonna be May. I had to do it right. Um, there's also more to come. I'm really excited for just getting out of my comfort zone with all of this, offering you more of me, of my knowledge, of my travels. So definitely make sure you are subscribed to the One Girl Travel YouTube page, because that's where all the fun things are going to happen. That's where all the behind the scenes, all the visuals, all the vlogs, all the things. So there's lots to come and I hope you join me and thank you for being here. I will talk to you next time. Bye.

Speaker 2: 22:29

Thanks so much for tuning in to this episode of the one girl travel podcast. If you're enjoying the show, please feel free to rate, subscribe and leave a review wherever you listen to your podcasts. You can find out more about your host on our website, onegirltravelcom, or follow her on Instagram, facebook, pinterest and TikTok. Thanks again for tuning in and we'll catch you in the next episode.