4 days ago
19 Ways To Upgrade Your Budget Flight Experience
An airplane window tray to hold your drinks and phone when you want to keep your tray table up or free to hold your laptop. Time to play Stardew Valley for 13 hours! :)
An in-flight foot hammock that hangs on the arms of your tray table so you can kick your feet up and pretend you have the ability to stretch out. Many reviewers (especially the vertically challenged) say it helps with soreness and swelling on long flights.
Or an inflatable footrest you can adjust to three different heights to create a more comfortable seating arrangement. It can be compressed and fits into a drawstring bag so you don't have to worry about it taking up all the space in your backpack. Speaking on things you don't have room for, reviewers say it's easy to blow up and deflate without a pump!
Snack containers with four compartments so you can set yourself up with one of those "cheese boards" they offer in first class. Fill 'em up with cheese cubes, salami slices, veggies, hummus, candy, or whatever you'd like! It's your adult Lunchable to customize however you see fit.
A tray table cover so all your snacks, books, devices, and other essentials are within easy reach. Not everyone can afford a fancy seat with extra storage room in the armrest, but anyone can get creative.
A seat extender that'll let your little one stretch out and even take a nap. The hammock-like device unfolds from a travel bag and buckles onto the chair and tray table arms. Oh, to be tiny enough to lie down in a single airplane seat.
Tower 28's daily facial spray designed to balance skin pH and help minimize irritation, redness, and flare-ups. It's perfect for giving your skin a reset after many hours locked into a stale-aired metal box with 300 or so people. It's the next best thing to the hot washcloths you've seen get passed around at the front of the plane.
A cooling memory foam contoured sleep mask to shroud your face in darkness when it's nap time, but your neighbor's reading light or open window is getting in the way. It surrounds your eyes without putting pressure on them — that means it can completely block out light while still allowing you to freely blink. Who needs a private mini cabin when you have this? OK, still me, but this softens the blow of not getting one.
A Vesta Loop travel pillow for anyone who wishes they had a little pet snake that could gently strangle them to sleep. The firm pillow twists and sits securely on your shoulders, keeping your head upright while you sneak in a nap and dream of what's going on behind that snobby lil' curtain.
Or an inflatable wedge pillow if you find neck rests simply don't offer the support you crave. You can faceplant on its padded top and loop your arms around the bottom. Now, you can catch some ZZZs and send a strong "do not disturb" message to your chatty seat neighbor.
Comfortable wax earplugs to help block out unwanted noises, from crying babies to arguing couples. They comfortably mold to the shape of your inner ear, ensuring a perfect, personalized fit. That means more time to nap and less time playing mediator in a lover's quarrel.
A wireless transmitter that'll connect your AirPods (or any other wireless headphones) to the headphone jack on the flight so you can get access to the free entertainment without having to use those tinny-sounding earbuds they offer during flights.
Or a hands-free rotating phone mount you can install onto your tray table or chair arm so you can watch your own entertainment — because sometimes the in-flight options are reminiscent of a DVD bargain barrel. This can mount onto almost any surface, so it'll also come in handy pre-boarding when they delay your flight yet again. This wouldn't happen if you had a private jet, but alas.
A hoodie made with a built-in eye mask so you can pull the hood up and get right to sleep before your seat mate starts showing you pictures of their time at Coachella.
Or a weighted hoodie to gently smoosh you to sleep if plane naps are normally out of the question. Like a weighted blanket, it can help reduce flight anxiety and soothe restless limbs, so you can sleep like a baby (not the one currently crying in 32A, of course).
A cocktail tin with everything you need (syrup, bitters, mixing tools, etc.) to make an amazing drink — just add an airplane bottle, and you're basically an in-flight bartender. Who needs the gross sparkling wine in first class anyway?
A luggage-mounted cup caddy so you can keep your smoothie or coffee secured while you run to your gate. We can't all afford an assistant to hold our things, and the last thing you need is to be sticky for a 10-hour flight.
A bunch of Sriracha packets to help make the bland airplane food taste sliiiiightly more edible.
A digital luggage scale so there are no surprises when it's time to check your bag. Drop off your perfectly weighted luggage with zero extra fees and finally not wonder if it's worth splurging on an elite airline credit card just to avoid future checked bag troubles.
Desperately waiting for Nathan Fielder to perform another Miracle Over the Mojave, but for comfortable airplane seats...
Reviews for this post have been edited for length and clarity.
