T R AV E L T I P S
10 Items to Include in
your Airline Amenity Kit
B
ack in the olden days, airlines offered amenity kits
on all long-haul flights, no matter what class you
were seated in. Some were better than others,
but they were always welcome. They came especially
in handy when you needed refresh yourself after a long
flight.
At one point, I had amassed a collection of nearly 100
from airlines around the globe. The ones from premium
cabins were sold on eBay, while the rest were donated
to battered and homeless women’s shelters. Although
amenity kits in coach class have gone the way of the dinosaurs, you can easily build your own to use on future
flights. Below is a list of 10 items that are must-haves in
my amenity kit.
1. Something to hold everything in
Sometimes, simple is best. My go-to amenity kit holder
is a simple quart-sized freezer Ziploc slider bag. It holds
an amazingly large number of items, plus it’s a container
approved by the Transportation Security Administration.
I also like kid’s pencil holders that can be picked up at
any dollar store.
2. A good eye mask
I’m one of those people who can sleep on planes. Sleep
like a baby with an eye mask that not only blocks the
light, but has space inside so your eyes don’t get dry. I'm
currently loving the Lewis N. Clark comfort eye mask.
3. Ear plugs
The constant drone of an airplane engine, coupled with
noise like screaming babies, loud conversations and
flight attendant announcements for duty-free shopping
can disappear with a good pair of ear plugs.
4. Noise-canceling ear buds
If you really want to shut the world out during your flight,
invest in a pair of noise-canceling ear buds, like the
Klipsch X11is I use on every flight.
5. Hand sanitizer
I’m a germophobe, and we all know that airplanes are
nothing more than flying petri dishes. I keep a small bottle of hand sanitizer I pick up for cheap at Bath and Body
Works (which has the best scents).
6. Lip balm
The cabin air can be very drying, so you want balm to
keep lips from cracking inflight.
7. Hand lotion
Again, with that drying cabin air, you want to keep your
hands and face moisturized during your flight.
8. Small water spray/mister
Inside the business class amenity kit on Korean Air was
a can of Evian water to spray on your face as a r Y