Because I live in South Korea & I’m from Florida in the United States, I am beginning to get used to 20-30 hours of travel. I try to find direct flights now but once in November I spent THIRTY hours traveling home & THIRTY hours traveling back…yes, 2.5 days of my life were spent flying to & from South Korea and the United States. YIKES!

From this experience and many others, I bring to you, my tips for long International flights!

1. Obviously, passport, important documents, etc: This one is a no brainer, but you’ll obviously need all your documents to leave the country you’re leaving & enter the one you’re entering. Okay, moving on.
2. Pens: When the flight attendant comes around with the immigration or customs cards that you’d love to fill out before you land…one would come in handy, wouldn’t it? Or you can make a friend with the neighbor sitting next to you because she forgot a pen, but you read this blog post so you’ll be prepared. Yay friendship.
3. Face Masks & Hand Lotion: This one is all depending on how brave you are. When I fly, I get suppppppper dry skin so I will usually hop on a long flight with no makeup so that I can nourish my skin on the way over. I try to prep my skin before and lather on as much lotion as possible, but I’ll reapply hand lotion on the flight. Then, a face mask is not only soothing on this stressful travel day, but will rejuvenate your skin so that the cabin doesn’t steal your precious glow. Make sure to get a hydration mask such as this one here or here or here!
4. Micellar Water: Ahhh, the mystery of micellar water. Is it a cleanser? Is it a moisturizer? Is it water? I’ll tell you what it is… MAGIC in a bottle. Being soap-free with no-rinse required, it’s an ideal cleanser, toner, moisturizer combo to remove any excess oils or cleanse & moisturize your dry skin before a face mask. On a plane, this is the best for me before I apply makeup before I land (YES, I am that girl who turns the drop down tray table into my own makeup vanity space). I definitely recommend the Caudalie Micellar Cleansing Water. It’s the best out there that I’ve tried! I also suggest the Beauty Elixir by the same brand for a quick pick-me-up. Plus, it smells ahhhmazing.
5. Snacks: On most international flights, they serve some food, either included with the ticket or at additional costs…however, you may not always like them. Bring some healthy snacks to keep you going until you get a proper meal at your destination. As for me, I need to bring the treat of some Twizzlers to nibble on during an in-flight movie…I can’t help myself!
6. Headphones & Book: Headphones are an obvious must & I like to borrow J’s noise cancelling headphones when I fly. They stay on my head easier than the buds and they’re honestly so fun. If I put those on, apply a face mask & put a hood up, I feel so mysterious. “Um, yes hello I am Mrs. Iglesias”<—Name that movie!
7. Socks & Hoodie: My favorite thing to do when I fly (I’m not exaggerating…it’s my favorite & if I forget to pack them, I’m devastated)…I loooove to take off my shoes the second we board & change into some comfy socks. Already I feel more cozy & it makes my travel experience better. As for a hoodie–it doubles as a comfy sweater if the cabin’s a little cold & I use it as extra support if and when I can’t get comfortable trying to sleep. Both are a must!
8. Change of Clothes: Okay. I really can’t stand traveling in the same outfit for 30 hours. Maybe some people can do that, but not me. I’ll wear something comfy on the longest leg of my flight & change into something nicer for shorter connections.
9. Baby Wipes: When I change, I like to do a wipe down to pretend I showered. The TMI version of “freshen up.” It is a total game changer & it makes me feel so refreshed & ready to have fun in my new destination.
10. Makeup bag: As I mentioned earlier, I take my makeup with me & I do it before I land so that way it’s fresh.
11. External cell phone battery (& all other chargers!): You can’t pack Lithium external cell phone batteries in your checked baggage so take them with! You never know how long you’ll use your phone or if you’ll need it immediately in your new destination. That’s why it’s best to just have all charges on you!

Bonus tip for Jet Lag:

• For curbing jet lag, I always pretend I’m already in the States when I’m in Korea before I fly. For example, if my flight is at 10am Korean time (9pm the day before in the states), I’ll stay up the night before my flight in Korea to mimic the time it is in America. This way, when I board my flight at 9pm, I can go straight to bed & sleep for at least half of the flight & get back on a normal sleep system. This works really well for me! I’m sure there are other ways to help jet lag but for me, it’s been foolproof.

XOXO Thanks for reading & happy traveling!! 🙂