There is an entire industry dedicated to travel accessories--what bags to carry, pillows to buy, special fabrics to wear, what shoes work best; a multimillion dollar industry telling you what you need.

As a frequent international flyer and avid tester of all accoutremont, here is my rundown of what you absolutely have to carry with you on a flight--and what you can skip.

What to Skip

• Eye mask. When they shut the lights off, it's pretty dark in there anyway. Plus, chances are you aren't accustomed to sleeping with a binding piece of fabric gripping your head--which can be much more disruptive than the glow from your seatmate's iPod.
• Travel Pillow. Don't knock it until you've tried it, right? I've never found a single pillow that if--IF!--I managed to fall asleep twisted against it, I didn't wake up with a horrible crick in my neck. And they take up a LOT of room in your precious carry-on.
• The circulation socks. Unless you have poor circulation, in which I strongly suggest using these. The difficulty is I never want to wear them onto the plane, so I've tried to change into them and it's too much hassle.
• The gum/Starbursts. You know that thing about your ear drums popping as you take off and land? Open your mouth wide and swallow--it has the same effect.
• The refillable plastic vial set. Go to CVS and buy one bottle for fifty cents and put moisturizer in it; why on earth do you need mini bottles of every liquid toiletry you own?

What to Pack

• A snack. Personally I hate hate hate airline and airport food (sodium and dehydration are not a good look for me) so I pack enough for every meal I'm going to miss--which is definitely extreme, I'll grant you. But chances are on a long flight you're going to want some kind of snack that's more substantial than pretzels or airline chicken(?). Plan ahead.

• Some toiletries. This list includes: moisturizer (really essential), pre moistened facewash cloths, hand cream and possibly a little makeup, perfume (get the mini bottles off Ebay!) and deodorant to come out looking good on the other side. This does not include the bottle of "hydrating mist", extra contact solution, facial scrub, eye makeup remover, Biore pore strips, teeth whitening kit, and god knows what else you think you'll want to use on board. Trust me, I've brought it all with me, and it lays in my bag, heavy and unused.

• A clear, quart sized, plastic bag. This is not a suggestion. Just pack it; a lot of airports have started charging for them. Be smart; bring your own.
• Hand sanitizer. If you're someone who likes to feel clean. If you don't really care, skip it.

• Digital Media. Pick your poison--personally I load up my iPod with more music than I could possibly listen to, a season of a TV show and possibly even a movie. Fire up your Kindle, mp3 player, cd player, PDA or laptop, but we are living in a digital age and you should definitely take advantage of its entertainment and distraction value.

• Books. I can spend almost three hours sitting perfectly still and reading--which is pretty much the exact scenario of what you want to do on board. Toss those extra toiletries and pack the latest Meg Cabot instead.

• Comfy Shoes. I have recently discovered how much I love to travel in my Uggs. They are cozy, comfy, supportive, cute, and they slip on. I'm definitely a shoes off during flight kind of girl, but these make me want to keep them on all the way over the Atlantic. Don't choose flipflops or shoes without support--you'll be very sick of them after you have to run through the airport to catch your flight and your feet are swelling from poor circulation on planes.

• Layers. My favorite plane outfit is actually a jersey dress and a zip up cardigan to keep warm--super comfy without ever looking like pjs. Temperatures tend to change drastically from outside the airport, inside the airport, and at twenty thousand feet, so be prepared to sweat and shiver if you're not layered up.

• Travel Documents! Keep them always with you and always at the ready--purses with lots of pockets get this done easily without infringing on your space.

• Anything you really need in case they lose your luggage. A fresh pair of undies? Probably. A whole set of clothes? Probably not. They just take up a lot of space and are totally unneccessary. But things like a computer, valuable jewelry, your wallet and any medications you take should never, ever be checked.

I hope this has helped all you travelers out there! Remember, don't get suck into advertising--know yourself, know your needs, and don't forget the best thing to do on a plane is lie back and take a nap.

Happy Flights everyone!

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