Best Advice About What To Wear On A Long-Haul Flight

Preparing and Packing for A Long-Haul Flight

Preparing for the long haul flight is, for many (me included), the less attractive part of the whole trip planning. It takes time and knowledge because of many variables that impact the flight. Knowing what to wear on long-haul flights is critical to overall flight health. When you fly long hours on long-haul flights with layovers, there are three elements that you need to consider:

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1. Wearing the right clothes for maximum comfort
   Nothing is worse than feeling cold or uncomfortable when sitting on a plane for long hours. The layer principle coupled with loose, stretch pants with warm, soft tops is the basis for creating your outfit on a plane.
   
2. Eating and Drinking the right things
   Proper preparation for the long flight starts by eating the right food and drinking plenty of freshwaters. In this post, I have compiled a checklist of how to prepare for the
3. Adjusting your body to a new time zone
   A long-haul flight means sitting for long hours, so it’s hard not to feel exhausted and sleep-deprived, get a stiff neck, a tingling in your feet, swollen ankles and suffer from the conditioned air.

That’s why following the above tips and wearing the right clothes can make a difference when preparing for a long-haul flight. While I am always looking for new garments that add more comfort to my long flights, I have created the plane outfit that has worked well for me over the years.

Here are some great tips to help you choose what to wear for flying long distances.

How to create the best outfit for the long flight

There isn’t one solution that fits all, unfortunately. However, a universal golden rule is to avoid tight clothing that clings around your chest and legs. Functional clothing is what I recommend wearing on the plane. The most important thing about wearing available thermal clothes is that it helps regulate your body temperature and keeps you warm.

Nothing is worse than feeling cold when sitting on a plane for long hours. With the cabin air pressure change, the temperature quickly changes from warm to cold. Feeling stiff and uncomfortable and not sleeping on a plane is the precondition for severe jet-lag symptoms.

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The best travel outfits for a long-haul flight

One important thing to consider is wearing clothes in layers that you can easily remove or add. The best way to create this long-flight outfit is to wear a micro-fleece long-sleeve T-shirt and a warm jumper. I love to wear a zipped fleece jumper with side pockets to have more freedom with my arms.

1. Lightweight Functional Clothes to keep you warm on a plane
   Lightweight, comfy pants are what I recommend wearing on a long flight. Choose loose soft pants if you wear compression stockings underneath. Many underestimate the fact that flying at high altitudes in a pressured cabin for long hours can do lots of damage to your legs and veins. Clogs in your blood can form and lead to DVT too.
2. Wear Compression socks to protect your veins.
   If you care for your vein health, you should always wear compression socks or medical stockings as a woman and a man. It’s only ten years ago when I started using compression stockings, and since then, I never fly without my Mediven Elegance stockings. The protection of medical socks provide to my legs is priceless.
3. Create a layers outfit for the plane
   Alternatively, you can wear a thermal base layer underneath your clothes, but while this is an excellent way to keep you warm, it will not protect your veins. Stretch leggings are another superb piece of garment for an aeroplane outfit. Choose thermal leggings to keep your legs warm and protected from the conditioned air.
4. Keep your neck and head warm.
   Don’t forget to protect your head and neck using a soft, warm silk scarf. Pashmina and Fleece are also great textiles for a scarf. This is another garment that completes the perfect travel plane outfit.
5. Wear comfy sneakers
   As for the shoes, flat shoes are a must. My walking boots used to be my first choice to save space from the checked luggage, but any comfy sneakers or training shoes are an excellent option for long flights.

Travel gear that improves comfort on the plane

Wearing the proper clothing is a crucial step towards a comfy long flight. However, there are travel essentials that will enhance the well-being of an aircraft. Here is my list

First, an aeroplane travel pillow will provide head and neck support, helping you fall asleep and stay asleep longer. Choosing the right travel pillow for the long haul flight isn’t easy because it depends on many factors like individual needs, travel style, space and weight.

Inflatable pillows are the most used on planes, but they are useless while they work well for others. Foam U-shaped pillows can be a great option; they perform better but are heavier and take up much more space than inflatable ones. So you need to consider whether you can carry it in your bag.

In this article, you can find in-depth tips on choosing the most suitable pillows for the aeroplane.

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Create your long-haul flight essentials.

Besides wearing the proper clothes and having the right gear like a travel pillow, and noise-cancelling headphones, packing all personal travel essentials is critical. As cabin luggage space is limited, I take my multi-functional daypack, which I use for all my outdoor activities and a laptop bag.

These are my best tips on how to pack your hand luggage for a long flight:

• Essential Toiletries for the long trip
  I place all my plane essentials; this is practical when using the toilets on the plane. Keep it stored in your cabin carry-on. I put my toiletries in a small zipped bag, such as face wash and cream, teeth brush and toothpaste, eye drops, face and hand wipes, hand sanitiser, hairbrush, lip balm, and lavender essential oil.
• What food to eat on a plane
  Can you take food onboard? Yes, if it is dry food and in a package. I never travel without organic fruit bars, dark chocolate, crackers, herbal tea bags and food supplements like Vitamin C and OPC that help combat jet lag.
• Personal Garments to pack in your cabin bag
  
  These are the items that I first pack into my cabin hand luggage:

1. • Soft socks
   • Eye-mask
   • Earplugs
   • Fresh underwear and panty liners
   • Snacks and smart bars for the plane
   • Herbal tea bags

You must pack your hand luggage with all long-haul flight essentials that comply with the airport rules and airline baggage restrictions and allow you to survive the long flight and be self-sufficient on a plane and on layovers at connecting airports.

The average length of long flights ranges between 8 to 24 hours, with 1 or 2 layovers at international airports. I prefer booking flights with connecting airports you know well and offering maximum comfort. Stick to the airport that you know well. My favourite is Singapore and Dubai Airport.

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10 Healthy Eating Tips For Staying Fit When Travelling

Connecting Flights Layovers

What To Wear When Travelling In Australia

Baggage Allowances Rules For Australia

Travel Australia

Back To Rocky Travel

All Photo Credits from Shutterstock:
Tourist woman with a backpack
Man sleeping on the floor at the airport
Spare Pillows on the plane

First written in 2017, last updated in April 2023

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