On one leg of my last flight I sat next to a wonderful and friendly woman and we gabbed and shared with each other for most of the flight. I pulled out my "comfort bag" and she commented about what a good idea it was. It occurred to me it's time to share this idea too. So here's something that has evolved for me over the years.
My Comfort Bag
I currently use a mesh bag that was a gift from a friend. You can use a cosmetic bag or anything else that is the right size for you and fits what you want to bring. You could even use a clean fabric shoe bag. Here's what I always have ready for lengthy travel:
Tissues
Lip balm
Hand cream
Face oil
Eye drops
Wipees
Panty liners (for refreshening during a marathon trip with layovers)
Reading glasses
Flossers
Toothbrush
Ear phones
Nail file
Feminine hygiene products
Make up essentials (for me that's eye brow pencil, eye shadow with skinny brush for eye liner, and colored lip balk)
Antiacid (Tums or whatever you like)
Sleep mask (to cover eyes and block light)
Herbal tea bags and packets of honey and/or stevia
Vitamins
Inflatable neck pillow
Rescue Remedy (Bach Flower drops to calm nerves)
Headache pills (acetaminophen or ibuprofen etc)
Herbal sleep help (I found a valerian root based product; you can take this for a long flight.)
Pen (for filing out forms on the plane)
I know this sounds like a lot but I have small sizes of everything and it all fits in a cosmetic pouch. I actually have a smaller bag inside the bigger for the feminine hygiene stuff, flossers and make up that I would take into the restroom. I keep my tea and honey in a ziplock. And I keep the little earphones in a small jewelry pouch so the wires are not a tangle.
When traveling domestically within the US, airlines will not usually give you blankets or pillows which you usually do get transatlantic. So for flights within the US I keep my coat or sweater with me in the seat for temperature changes. Otherwise you can put them in your carryon or overhead storage.
I also never travel without food. Check out my suggestions for travel food.
