How to Pack for that Transatlantic Flight

A few weeks ago I wrote about packing for a weekend away. It's quite easy because you are only away for a limited time so as long as you remember toothpaste and a toothbrush, you'll be fine. On a long-haul flight on the other hand, it can be quite handy to prepare ahead. When I went home in February, I had less than 20 hours to get everything ready but I got it done and it was due to pure instinct only. Mike was also tremendously helpful, he is so amazing and I am so lucky to have him by my side.

My first piece of advice would be to take a picture of your luggage prior to departure. If your bag goes missing like mine did, it is great to have a visual clue as to what was in there. It is easy to remember the big things like my Parlux, but what about my favourite rose top? I also always bring presents home so that's why there was lots of chocolate present.

In terms of beauty stuff, I prefer to bring most of it in a ziplock bag so that it is easily accessible.

I brought sachets because I knew I would be stopping over in Abu Dhabi and I had planned to buy access to the lounge. That shower was just glorious and I felt so re-freshed and ready for my homecoming. 

I had asked Mike to buy me some toothpaste and apparently the Dora the Explorer was the only travel-sized paste available. It made for some fun and sparkly toothbrushing experiences. I also brought the Dermalogica multi active toner and the Estee Lauder Time Zone eye cream.

I also had the Lush Charity Pot, Jurlique Love Balm, Thierry Muegler's fragrance, John Frieda's Frizz Ease styling cream, Moo Goo's Fresh Cream deodorant and Jurlique's hand sanitiser.

In terms of what to wear, I prefer a comfortable yet stylish outfit. I have tried so many outfits on flights (ie boots and dresses, a nice track suit, jeans) but my favourite remains the dress/opaques/flats combo with a scarf and cardi to match which was the option I went for last time. I don't wear makeup on planes but I always go heavy on the moisturiser since it is such a dry environment. 

For the return flight I pretty much went with what was clean. My new H&M jeans are super comfortable and high waisted so I wore them with a white sweater, a Country Road cardi, Converse sneakers and a scarf. The picture was taken at 4am before leaving my hotel so the quality isn't great but I am sure you get the gist.

I think the top 3 tips I would give is to be comfortable, moisturise and know where your passport is. This will avoid the flight being more uncomfortable than it should be and it helps being in a positive mind space before starting your journey. For the record my flight was 14 hours Sydney to Abu Dhabi, 7 hours to Brussels, over 2 hours to Oslo (including luggage going missing) and then 90 minutes to my home town Bodø where we also circled above the airport for 35 minutes because they had to de-ice the runway. This does not include waiting times and lines at the security check and yet, I don't mind flying. I love airports because there is so much to see and experience and whilst their prices can be unreasonable, at least the duty free shopping makes up for it. 

Do you like flying? How do you pack for an international trip? Outfits?

I would also recommend you check out Kim-Marie's post on how she packed when going to Bali - she is one organised and lovely lady!

Xx