1. Neck Pillow

I've always seen people carrying their neck pillows around the airport and wondered if that was really one of the carry-on essentials. This time I borrowed one from my sister, who had already told me that it was great. Indeed, it helped me sleep for five continuous hours, which for me, is unprecedented... and awesome.

2. Travel Tote

Whenever I carry a wheeled carry-on luggage, there's never space in my overhead bin for it, and the flight attendant has to place it far away from my seat. That’s why I’ve limited my carry-on luggage to one tote or backpack. I place it under the front seat and use it as a foot rest, too. Another advantage is that it saves time upon arrival, since you're good to go, while everyone else is taking their luggage out of the bins.

3. Slippers

Many people carry a pair of slippers to be worn on the plane, but I thought flats were already very convenient and comfortable. However, this time I wore riding boots on board and it was a terrible idea, given that I limited my legroom considerably. I actually wore slippers in the airport as well because my feet were sore and bloated. I really didn’t mind looking relaxed, and when you haven’t showered in a day, your outfit is the last thing to worry about.

4. Moisturizer

How many of you actually remember to moisturize your hands, face and lips while in flight? I admit that because I usually have the full-size packages, sometimes I feel lazy and don't want to transfer the product to a small container ... and end up not taking any moisturizer along at all. This time I carried travel size lotions and creams and whenever I felt a bit dry, I went for my cosmetics bag. Pampering yourself is not only beneficial for your skin but, also kills time during a long-flight.

5. Wet Wipes

It's very important to freshen up during a long flight, especially after a nap. I wish I could wash my face whenever I feel like it, but sometimes it’s not possible, probably because I'm in a window seat and the person next to me is never awake. I also like to remove my make-up after boarding or before trying to sleep. Imagine all that make-up drying on my skin, or waking up with smudged eyeliner. Ick!

6. Pens

The plural form is correct because the person sitting next to you will always borrow a pen and might not return it. When I used to carry only one pen, I would always lend it before I actually had the chance to use it, so most of the time, I had to wait until the person returned it so I could start filling my puzzles and postcards and such. If you're not sitting with anyone, it's still better to carry more than one pen because it’s very easy to lose a pen in a woman’s purse.

7. Business Cards

If you enjoy making new friends on the plane, you must carry a few business cards, or at least, a notepad where you can easily write down your contact info. Depending on the flight’s length, I can share my whole life with the person sitting next to me and receive really good advice. That happens to me a lot and I actually still keep in touch with a girl I met back in 2007. By the way, I met a really sweet lady this time but failed to exchange contacts with her.

These are my hacks to making a stress-free plane trip and I'm still searching for more ways to enhance my on-board experience. I’d love to know your carry-on essentials!