How to make your own flight amenity kit

I love a good inflight amenity kit. Seeing a colorful little pouch stocked with travel-size products waiting at my seat is one of my favorite parts of flying in the front of the plane.

Airlines often partner with fancy brands familiar to premium flyers, such as Sisley or Kiehl’s, to provide skincare goodies in addition to the standard kit-stuffers like earplugs and eye masks.

The only thing is, I have a bizarre allergy. While ultra-soothing for most people, aloe vera makes me break out. I know certain brands are safe for me. For example, the Shiseido Men skincare line stocked in Japan Airlines first class and the L’Occitane products in Lufthansa Allegris business class don’t make me itch.

Unfortunately, many other skincare products contain this scurrilous succulent, so I have to be careful about which amenity kits I use… and which ones I tuck away to take home to my husband.

After encountering aloe-laden skincare products in amenity kit after amenity kit (I know, it’s like complaining they only pour one type of Champagne in first class), I finally decided to take matters into my own hands.

I put together my very own DIY amenity kit for flights so I would know I had all the essentials. And unlike airline amenity kits, I don’t have to be flying in a premium cabin in order to enjoy the inclusions. In fact, my little amenity kit comes in even handier on long economy flights since I can primp before I land.

Here are the items that I stock my DIY inflight amenity kit with and why I pack each one. Keep in mind, these aren’t products like Trtl travel pillows; they are just everyday essentials I like to have on hand.

DIY flight amenity kit

Short on time? Here’s a quick hit list of the things I pack, with links so you can purchase them yourself:

Now for the full list.

Clear pouch

First things first, you need a handy, reusable kit to actually carry everything. Because many of my amenity kit items are liquids and there are TSA rules and all, I tend to pack my kit in a clear pouch like these to save headaches at the airport. In a pinch, I just use a Ziploc bag.

Sanitizing wipes

I was doing this even before the pandemic. I read article after article about how germy planes are and which surfaces around your seat tend to be dirtiest … and I just decided to be my own seat cleaner at a certain point.

That’s why I always carry a pouch of Lysol disinfecting wipes, which will kill just about anything. The only thing to keep in mind is to wash your hands after using them, since you don’t want to touch your face with the disinfecting agent. If you don’t have an aloe allergy like me, Wet Ones makes skin-friendlier wipes.

Hand sanitizer

I swear I’m not a germaphobe, but it never hurts to have an extra spurt of sanitizer just in case. Many sanitizing gels also contain aloe, so my go-to is the fancy but inexpensive lavender-scented spray from EO.

Tissues

You never know when a sneeze will come on … or if you’ll need to pass a tissue to a seatmate, so I always have a travel-size packet of tissues on hand.

Toothbrush and toothpaste

I don’t need these when I’m traveling in business or first class, but if I’m on a long-haul economy flight, I pack an extra-compact folding travel toothbrush. And you’ll find a drawer in my bathroom littered with travel-size toothpastes since I go through them at a ridiculous pace. You could consider dry toothpaste tablets to save space (and they won’t count against your liquid limit).

Earplugs

I’m a light sleeper, so even if I’m flying at the pointy end of the plane and receive a kit with soft foam earplugs, I tend to bring my own silicone ones along anyway. I know, I know, the otolaryngologists among you will decry me for waxifying my ears; however, I make sure to clean my ears after flights, and I don’t use these too often. The benefit of drowning out cabin noise even outweighs the auricular hazard (for me).

If those are too heavy-duty for you, though, you can always switch to the foam pairs.

Eye mask

From the overheads to the screen of that one person who insists on watching all the episodes of “House of the Dragon” while everyone else is sleeping, there are tons of LED lights in airplane cabins. That’s why I always have an eye mask on hand. Even up in business class, where an eye mask might be provided, they tend to be itchy and not breathable, so it never hurts to tote your own.

Saline nasal spray

One of the worst parts about flying for me is how dried out my nose, mouth and sinuses get. That also makes me prone to catching colds. To solve for that, I always bring a squeezable saline nasal spray. Using a spritz every few hours keeps me breathing comfortably, and I’ve noticed I get sick a lot less often since I started using it.

Lubricating eye drops

I try not to overuse this since it can actually make dry eyes worse over time. But my eye doctor said it was perfectly fine to use eye drops on longer flights from time to time and recommended Systane in particular.

Chewing gum

Like my nose and eyes, my mouth gets dried out on long flights, no matter how much water I drink, so you’ll always find a pack of gum in my bag. I tend to chew it during takeoff and landing to help with the pressure changes, too.

Hand cream

As we have now established, airplane air is dry. That has a big impact on my skin, too, especially my hands (which you now know I’ve been sanitizing like a fiend). To counteract all that, I make sure to have Cerave hand lotion with me. I find it moisturizes super well, and even a small tube lasts me several months.

Facial wipes

I can’t imagine much that’s grosser than washing your face with airplane lavatory water. Except drinking it, I suppose. Don’t do either.

Instead, after an inflight snooze, use some gentle face wipes to freshen up before using the next DIY amenity kit inclusion.

Face lotion

I like to step off the plane glowing. Kidding. I just want to look like a human being and not a zombie. So I make sure to have some heavy-duty face cream with me. Cerave’s inexpensive eye repair cream does the trick — it’s great for the sensitive area under your eyes, and you also only need a small amount for the rest of your face. It’s also unscented, so no one will know your secret to looking so fresh.

If you really want to plump up your skin with that glowing, dewy look (and you lack the self-consciousness gene), you could always apply Summer Fridays jet lag hydrating eye patches, too.

Lip balm

Go as fancy or as frugal as you like. I’m a simple guy, so my lip balm of choice is Chapstick with SPF. I can apply it on the plane and know my skin will be well-protected even if I land in the middle of the day.

Deodorant

You’ve dashed to the airport on public transport or via Uber. You’ve hauled your checked bag to the desk, parkoured around oblivious travelers shuffling aimlessly through the airport terminal and then settled into a seat that’s always too hot or too cold but never just right. You’re going to need some deodorant after a long flight, so pack a small stick to use in a pinch.

A pen

I’m that guy. You know, the one who seems to be the only responsible adult on the plane with an actual pen. I’m the guy everyone else is asking to borrow his pen to fill out immigration and customs forms, or just to make a note on something. So you be that guy, too. It’ll save me from losing all the pens I have to loan out!

A pill pack

Especially on the long-haul flights I’m used to taking, which can last up to 16 hours, I like to keep a stock of my daily vitamins and supplements, plus a few Ibuprofen and Tylenol just in case. I don’t want to pack tons of pill bottles, though. Instead, I bring a travel pill pack with various compartments so I can bring what I need for the flight and leave the rest in my checked or carry-on bag.