(MONEY Magazine) – 1 Noise-Canceling Headphones From the constant roar of the engines to general passenger hubbub, an airplane cabin is far from a Christian Science reading room. That's why frequent fliers swear by noise-canceling headphones, which block out the ambient humming and thrumming. Brown used to travel with a pair from Bose until she lost them. She replaced them with an older version of Sony's MDR-NC50 headphones ($199 or less), which work just as well as the $299 Bose (if not better).

2 Power Adapter The iGo everywhere130 ($150) gets rid of extra cables and "power bricks" for your laptop, cell phone and iPod by serving as one converter for all your digital needs. Plug the iGo into a wall outlet or an in-cabin power source (most often found in business class and up), and connect your laptop and one other gadget for simultaneous charging. Interchangeable plugs ($10 to $15 each) mean you can connect just about any brand of gizmo, and fewer cables and bricks mean less bulk on the plane and in your bag.

3 Travel Pillow Airline seats were designed more for space efficiency than passenger comfort, so the right pillow can make all the difference. Brown's favorite is the "incredibly squishable" travel pillow from Cushtie, which she says is better than any feather or foam model. Cushtie's products are hard to find in the U.S., but the plush Nap pillow (pictured) from Brookstone (brookstone.com; $25, including eye mask) uses similar technology. Inside the headrest are thousands of cushiony microbeads that are like a tiny Canyon Ranch for your neck.