5 Essentials for Long Flights

As I'm currently packing for my next international trip to Italy for some much needed vacation time, here are my top 5 travel items I can't live without for long flights (4 hours or more).

1. TSA Lock - You'd be surprised how often valuables are stolen from luggage. This is not only important at the airport, but also traveling to/from the airport, and at the hotel. I usually lock up all of my valuables every time I leave my hotel room and during hotel storage. If you don't have a TSA approved lock, TSA may cut off your lock. A broken lock is a bad way to start your international trip.
2. Travel Compression Socks - During long flights, you will be sitting for extended periods of time. Unless you are in a section with lie-flat beds, your feet and ankles will be swollen by the time you reach your destination. I have found that compression socks reduce the swelling and fatigue in my feet, ankles, and calves. Must have for any long flight. Personally, I buy a lot of travel compression sleeves for long-distance running (i.e. Marathon training). I wouldn't recommend wearing compression sleeves during air travel, you need the compression in your feet and your ankles for air travel.
3. Noise Cancellation Headphones - Planes are loud. I remember traveling before noise cancellation headphones and turning up the volume of my CD player to the max just to hear the music.  Thankfully, the price of noise cancelling headphones has dropped significantly since the first pair I saw over 10 years ago.
4. Wi-Fi Tablet with case and kick-stand - Airlines are now allowing passengers to stream movies, tv, media content in the plane to passenger's personal tablets.  It's a win-win for the airlines, removing those built-in screens from the backs of seats and/or not having to maintain screens. If you don't already have a tablet, they are pretty affordable now. You don't want to hold your tablet up for 8 hours, so always buy a case with a kick-stand.
5. Change of Clothes. Shirt, pants, socks, underwear. You never know what will get spilled on you at 30-thousand feet. What if the person next to you gets air-sick on you? What if your luggage is lost? Always travel with a change of clothes. During a trip from Atlanta to Singapore, I had a layover in Narita airport (Tokyo, Japan). During my layover, I visited the Delta SkyClub and took a shower. They even had hair dryers.