First international flight: what to bring/ any advice?

A good neck pillow is crucial and can make or break you. I recommend Cabeau but there are many good ones. You'll want to enjoy the meal, watch a movie/have a few drinks, and then get some sleep (neck pillow, eye mask, and ear plugs). I can't sleep on planes so you may need some medicinal help- Ambien, Xanax or even some THC edibles if you have access. OTC meds like Unisom don't work for me. Sleeping on the plane is your best shot at minimizing jet lag.

re: jet lag

stay awake as long as possible on the day you arrive and don't go to sleep until the sun goes down



Also, bring a couple of wash clothes and remember that you can buy whatever you need if you forget to bring something.

Noise cancelling headphones
A fully charged phone
Music/movie downloads on phone
An adapter chord to plug in to watch

I prefer an evening flight, and I eat before I get on the plane. Decline the meal, pack a small snack you enjoy, and have it while everyone else is dining. Then you can read a bit (watching movies keeps me awake), and pop in noise cancelling headphones and go to sleep. I can easily get 4-5 hrs on a transatlantic flight, which means I’m ready to go upon arrival. Agree that you should stay awake on your arrival day as long as possible, even if you have to drag yourself out for an evening walk after dinner to prevent falling asleep early.

My long flight must haves—
-Plenty of water. Bring a Nalgene or other lightweight refillable bottle, fil it up after you clear security. At least 32 oz for an 8 hr flight for me, plus the planes beverage service.
-snack of fruit and cheese: usually good cheddar and an apple. Plus some almonds.
-Noise cancelling headphones (Bose in ear kind are my fave)
-very comfortable clothing that isn’t completely casual or trashy: I like a tunic dress and leggings, my spouse likes hiking pants w some stretch, plus a warm layer (cardigan or fleece). I usually fly with a big cashmere scarf that doubles as a plane blanket.
-iPad loaded with lots of content, from books and movies/tV to puzzles to guidebooks of wherever I’m going, or novels set in that place.
-mints and gum for equalizing ear pressure
-a washcloth or one of those moist facial cleansing towelettes and a toothbrush in your hand luggage so you can freshen up a bit immediately upon arrival at airport. I don’t like feeling like a dirty hobo as I exit the airport.

Enjoy your trip! I never check a bag and manage with a combo of an international sized carry on and a backpack or cabin bag.

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Any help would be appreciated.

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No joke about the Fire at Notre Dame.

Turns out it’s a big deal to the French.

Seriously, you sound (and should be) excited about the trip.

Ditto from me on the people here who have said try to sleep as much as possible.

The combo of two/three shots of Whisk(e)y and pharmaceuticals work for me.

I listen to an old Miles Davis album low volume on repeat for white noise.

I’ve done Coach with & without a neck pillow, no difference personally for me.

See if you can get the extra leg room (at least) if it’s available.

Good luck and have a great time!

Picpus Cemetery in Paris is where LaFayette is buried.

I’d really recommend you get compression socks and put them on right before you board the plane. It helps keep circulation moving and prevents your feet from swelling up when you land.

I’m in my 20’s and have no circulation issues but my wife and I do this every time we fly longer than 4 hours and it really helps.

Don’t depend on airlplane WiFi- Just download everything you want onto your iPad or whatever device you use before you leave.

Good noise canceling wireless headphones make a ton of difference. I’d stick with over ear ones. You can get a good set at Costco. Having earbuds stuck in your ears for a long time is irritating to me.

I’d also get a sleep mask if you want to sleep. You never know when someone is going to want to open their window and the dark just helps me relax.
If you are taking melatonin or a sleep aid, I’d wait until you are in the air to take it. On my last flight I made the mistake of taking the melatonin at the gate. Then we waited on the tarmac 2 hours to take off so the melatonin was worn off from the frustration of sitting on the tarmac.

You can also bring your toothpaste and toothbrush on the plane. Just helps you stay fresh.

Bring washcloths because your hotels in Europe probably won’t have them.

We always try to eat at the airport before boarding the plane because airplane food always make us feel bed. Try to get something filling and not too much fried.

Buy all of your travel pillows/compression socks/headphones before heading to the airport. Everything in the airport is overpriced.

You'll be alright. I can't sleep on planes for longer than 10-15 minutes at a time and I survive. If you can get even a couple hours of sleep you'll be fine most likely. I try and combine naps for 1-2 hours of sleep and then watch 2 movies. Getting settled in, chatting with the wife, read a little, Movie #1, mixture of sleep/people watching/get me off this plane, Movie #2, descending.

As for jet lag, everyone else is right about powering through. That said, several times we've just been unable to do it, took a nap for 90 minutes early afternoon (presumes an AM-noonish arrival) and were ok. Just don't sleep the day away and get back out to get your body accustomed to an afternoon/dinner/night cycle and you should be good to go from my experience. Of course if you can just stay awake, even if it means an 8-9PM bedtime, that's probably even better.

The only must have items I have for international travel are a power bank and an adapter to keep devices up. My wife uses a phone case like this full time, but I usually put one on for long international trips, they're convenient and i ditch the wallet.

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I see a lot of people referencing an iPad, would you think that a 13 in MacBook Pro would be too unwieldy in Delta Economy?

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Not necessarily but with people reclining and you dozing off it might not be ideal.
Delta will have plenty of fairly new movies and some complete tv series seasons so you can probably get by without either if you want. Obviously it's better to watch on a better screen, but i've certainly passed plenty of international legs with just the seatback screen on Delta.

One other small tip....make your underseat bag small enough to fit, and to leave room for your feet and shoes. I had a seat mate whose bag totally filled the space, then he took off huge shoes and ended up encroaching on my space. Try to organize your underseat bag so things you want are easily accessible and not buried at the bottom. In economy, everyone’s squashed together. The less you have to fidget and squirm, the less annoyed everyone around you will be.

- If you need to buy headphones, just get a reasonably priced pair of sealed headphones. They do a fine job of blocking out external sounds, and they don’t need batteries.

In ear monitors also do a great job.

- Buy a euro power adapter before you leave. It doesn’t have to be special. Just something cheap.

- Buy a SIM card when you get in country. I would get one from Orange. It’s so much cheaper than using your American plan.