Carry-on essentials for a long-haul flight

On a flight of ten hours or more, your carry-on does three jobs: it keeps you comfortable, keeps you going if your suitcase does not arrive and gets you through security without losing anything. Rules on liquids and batteries have changed in recent years and are still changing. Here are the basics; before you leave, always check the websites of your airline and your airports, including the ones where you change planes.

Documents within reach

• passport, with the validity your destination requires
• visas or electronic travel authorisations, including for transit: in the United States, for example, you need an ESTA or a visa even if you never leave the airport
• boarding passes and bookings, also saved offline on your phone
• your health and baggage insurance policy, with the assistance number
• copies of your passport: a photo on your phone, one in an online folder and one on paper, kept apart from the original
• a credit card and some cash in the local currency
• a pen, for the forms some countries still ask you to fill in on arrival

Always check documents and entry requirements on viaggiaresicuri.it before you leave.

Medicines in their original packaging

Medicines you take regularly go in your carry-on, never in the hold. Bring enough for the whole trip plus a few spare days in case of delays. Keep them in their original packaging, with the leaflet. Liquid medicines over 100 ml are allowed if you need them during the journey: show them at security together with the prescription or a doctor's letter, ideally in English. Some countries restrict medicines that are common in Italy: talk to your doctor and check viaggiaresicuri.it.

Liquids: the basic rule and the exceptions

The basic rule still stands: containers of 100 ml at most, all in one clear resealable 1-litre bag, one per passenger. Some European airports, including in Italy, have new-generation scanners and accept containers of up to 2 litres without taking them out of your bag. But the rules can differ from one terminal to another and even from one security lane to another, and the 100 ml rule may still apply at your transfer or return airport. Pack the 1-litre bag anyway.

Two tips. Go through security with an empty water bottle and fill it afterwards. If you buy liquids at duty free and have a connection, keep them in the sealed bag with the receipt: at the transfer airport they may be screened again or refused.

A change of clothes in case your suitcase does not arrive

A delayed suitcase should not spoil your first days. In your carry-on, pack:

• a full change: underwear, T-shirt, socks
• your swimsuit, if you are heading to the sea
• toothbrush, travel-size toothpaste, solid deodorant
• spare glasses or contact lenses
• anything valuable or fragile: electronics, jewellery, house keys

Staying comfortable for ten hours

• Layers: cabins are often cold. Bring a sweatshirt or light jumper, thick socks and a scarf.
• Sleep kit: eye mask, earplugs or noise-cancelling headphones, neck pillow.
• Move: get up now and then, walk down the aisle and move your ankles and calves while seated. An aisle seat makes all of this easier.
• Compression socks: they can help people with risk factors for thrombosis on long flights. Ask your doctor whether they suit you and which type.
• Dry air: moisturiser, lip balm and eye drops, in your liquids bag.

Electronics and power banks

New international ICAO rules apply from 27 March 2026: no more than two power banks per person, in your carry-on only and never in the hold, and you cannot recharge them on board. Up to 100 Wh no approval is needed; between 100 and 160 Wh you need the airline's permission; above 160 Wh they are not allowed. As a guide, a 20,000 mAh power bank is about 74 Wh. Many airlines also ban using them in flight to charge your phone and ask you to keep them in the seat pocket or under the seat, not in the overhead locker. Check your airline's rules before you fly.

Also bring a long cable, a charger with two USB ports and a universal adapter. Download films, music, maps and documents in advance: on-board wi-fi is not always available.

Snacks, layovers and jet lag

Bring dry snacks: nuts, bars, crackers. Fresh fruit, meat and cheese, on the other hand, are banned on entry in many countries, Chile for example: finish them or bin them before landing, and declare food if you are asked.

If you have a connection, check the minimum connection time and whether you need to collect and re-check your bags: in the United States you usually do. Security at the transfer airport follows that airport's rules. On long layovers, walk, drink water and look for daylight.

For jet lag:

• as soon as you board, set your watch to destination time and follow it for meals and sleep
• flying east, seek morning light and avoid evening light; flying west, stay in the light in the late afternoon
• drink water, limit alcohol and coffee
• on arrival, if you are flagging, take short naps of 20 or 30 minutes, no longer
• in the two or three days before departure you can shift your sleep by one hour a day towards destination time

In short

Documents and copies, medicines in their original packaging, your liquids bag, a full change of clothes, warm layers, a sleep kit, no more than two power banks and a universal adapter. Everything else can travel in the hold.