The secrets to packing like a pro and surviving a long-haul flight

NECK pillows are for amateurs. Here's what you should actually be packing into your carry-on bag to avoid the long-haul light from hell.

Find out what you really should be packing in that bag. Picture: Thinkstock

LAST year saw a record number of Australian residents taking a holiday abroad with close to 8.5 million short-term trips registered by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. But just because more Australians are travelling doesn't mean we're all flying business class.

If a lie-flat bed and a personal attendant are outside your realm of possibility (and credit rating) then focus on these long-haul flight survivor tips. It's all about what you pack.

First things first: Online check-in

Though not technically a packing tip, your online check-in affects your flight experience like no other variable: getting a good seat allocation literally makes all the difference. If you're not a frequent flyer member with your seat preferences supplied, and even if you are that is no guarantee you'll get what you want, then logging on to select your seat 24 hours in advance is a necessity. Compare the online check-in line to the traditional check-in line on arrival for bonus points.

Get a flexible bag

Now you've got your preferred seat, the bag becomes the next frontier. Making sure your bag is lightweight, made of a malleable material, secured with a zip and small enough to shove into your foot space are the secrets to success.

Lightweight because those extra milligrams add hours of pain to your back waiting in the customs line, easily secured so your belongings don't spill into the aisle and flexible and small enough so that if you don't get coveted overhead storage space you can place it under the seat without having to curl your legs around it.

Power sources

The iPad and the Kindle are the best things to happen to the flying experience since modern-day sleeping pills were invented, but they're also responsible for a new flying fear - the flat battery.

If you've packed your laptop, a USB cord will do in a pinch or if you're lucky to be flying on a newer craft then the plug-in power source is where it's at.

Do not under any circumstances risk the flat battery power up though, there isn't a thing worse than having nothing to read / watch / listen to on a 14 hour flight.

The goods

Your pack should have a veritable treasure trove of goodies contained to get you through the flight. Natural or prescribed sleeping pills will help you to adapt to a new sleeping schedule and will also block out those gents talking at room level right next to you.

Aspirin diluted in water is a perfect temporary remedy for a sudden sore throat but just make sure to excuse yourself to the toilet. You don't want to be that guy.

Stay warm

A merino wool or cashmere scarf for when the blankets aren't big or warm enough is a coveted jewel when the temperature drops dramatically and a pair of woollen socks (the Alpine type if you're especially cold-blooded) to replace the default tissue type will also do the trick.

Headphones of any type

Trip prepping cardinal sin number two, after forgetting your passport, is to forget your headphones. Ideally you'd have a back-up pair just in case because if not you've got 14 hours of plane chatter, trolley braking and wailing babies in store for you.

If you're looking to purchase select the noise-cancelling type with an aircraft adaptor. Plane chatter won't penetrate even your movie watching hours with those bad boys.

Snack bars 'R us

Nuts, pretzels, muesli bars, and juices are the best way to quell the "you haven't served dinner yet!" hunger pains, plus you get double points for the quiet crunch. You definitely don't want to be the person in 22D chomping your way through his or her rice crackers while everyone else is dying of hunger.

Travel toiletries

A travel toothbrush, PROPER toothpaste: none of this free-with-flight ineffective stuff, wet wipes and mints are a necessity. If not for you then for the fellow travellers seated next to you. It's only polite.

And if, after everything, you have arrived at your destination without doing harm to yourself, run through the airport to get in the customs line first. Those six people behind you equate to half an hour in the queue. Besides, it's not like you'll ever see them again.