Last year, trade group Airlines for America estimated that U.S. carriers flew over 5 million passengers during the Christmas period. Although airports will be rammed and delays inevitable again this festive season, travelers can make sure they are prepared so the journey is as comfortable as possible.
Gadgets and services abound claiming to make travel a breeze, but which are actually worth shelling out for? Here are four seasoned plane travelers on the little luxuries that have kept them sane during even the most stressful periods.
A small cross-body handbag
For a long time, I had my travel documents, purse and phone inside my largish carry-on bag over my shoulder. It meant digging into the confusion of books, headphones and spare clothes each time I needed one of those frequently required items. For some reason, it hadn’t occurred to me until I saw my friend with one to get a compact cross-body strap handbag to contain all those vital items conveniently placed for whipping out one-handed if necessary.
A cheap version disintegrated after a few trips, so I’ve upgraded to Arden Cove’s Verona Crossbody. It has an exhaustive list of useful travel features, including a water-resistant exterior, a slash-resistant interior, an RFID-blocking pocket for passports and cards, locking clasps to secure it to a seat, and a Mary Poppins-esque ability to fit essential travel items like a waterbottle and a Kindle.
An airport lounge access pass
Airport lounge passes don’t come cheap, and many operated by airlines require you to travel business class to access them. A friend gifted me a Priority Pass a few years ago, which grants members access to over 1,800 lounges and experiences around the world. Noise in airports is the thing that stresses me and drains me the most, and I found spending the couple of hours before boarding in a lounge made the flying experience much more relaxing.
I have since purchased annual passes, and have been able to get free gel nails in Mexico, a pre-flight spa treatment in Dubai, showers in Doha and a much-needed sleep in a nap room at Heathrow, London. I’m looking forward to using the Sky Bridge bar-with-a-view when I’m next in Hong Kong and the new Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse Lounge at LAX which has a Zen Den and a cinema.
Good quality packing cubes
Now that I use packing cubes I can’t imagine going back to piling everything into my suitcase and having to sift though it all every time I need an item. You can get sets of packing cubes for as little as $15 online, or you can level up and go with more durable ones at around $30. They keep everything neat and tidy, help you organize outfits, and save space.
An eSim
Gone are the days when you’d have to located a cell network counter in a foreign airport, fill out convoluted forms and take out your normal phone sim (and not lose it) to have internet connection abroad. Now I always buy an eSim for international trips. They start at around $3 for 1 GB. I’ve bought them on the Stippl app, and found the installation process smooth, and got good connection from Maya ones too.
I’ve found that airport picks ups or hotels are increasingly assuming you have internet on arrival and using Whatsapp to communicate important information, so I like to have my eSim installed before I leave so it switches on automatically when I reach my destination.