Long Haul Flight Survival Guide
Tuesday, 3 January 2017
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Not everyone is lucky enough to be swanning around in first class at the front of the plane, however if you are lucky enough to be jetting off on a long haul flight chances are your off somewhere pretty amazing and far away. The only thing between you are your next adventure is a painful eight hour plus journey, here are some of my tips to surviving long haul flights in the easiest way possible.
Seating.
No question about it, if you are travelling alone get an isle seat, and one preferably in the middle lot of seats. Despite what you think, on a twleve hour plus flight you will need to get up, and go to the bathroom, and it is 100% better to be the person who is woken then the person who has to wake someone up. If you also manage to get an isle seat in the middle set of seats on the plane, there are two sides that the middle person can exit meaning that you have less of a chance of being disturbed.
If you are travelling as a pair, you can try booking two seats with a gap in the middle and hope that nobody books that seat. Also if someone does, usually they are more than happy to swap the middle seat for an isle seat!
Clothing.
Comfort is key, there is no arguing with this that if your going to be sitting in the same seat for 16 hours its not worth it to be anything but comfortable. When I flew to Australia I wore leggings, t-shirt, a big jumper and a big scarf. I always find flights very cold, so my big scarf doubled up as a blanket. I also packed a pair of slipper socks in my hand luggage, which again I would highly recommend, so comfy and if you pack a pair with solid soles you can get away with wear them for the entire journey.
Hand Luggage.
Try and resist the urge to over pack your hand luggage, you do have to lug it around with you everywhere so over packing is just a pain for you in the long run. You can usually take a hang luggage and a personal item, such as a laptop case or handbag. I tend to keep all travel documents, and items which I need immediate access to on the flight. Then storing my actual hand luggage item, with expensive items such as my laptop and camera which I won't necessary need on the flight in the over head locker. Also pack your bag sensibly, items you'll need on the top of the bag to avoid unnecessary unpacking and repacking of the bag.
Sleep.
The little sleep which you manage to get on your flight is not going to be quality sleep, so don't ever plan to arrive at your destination full of energy and ready to go. If you can time your flight so you arrive at night in your destination, this also helps to tackle jet lag but means that you can go to bed pretty much as soon as you arrive. People try and time sleeping on the plane, to get into the new time zone however personally I just try and sleep as much as I can.
Entertainment.
All long haul flights now come equipped with a TV, and in flight entertainment however the quality and variety of this varies hugely from flight to flight. Throwback to flying home from Thailand with the choice of three set films playing on repeat continuously through out the flight, on a tv screen smaller than a postcard. Also there is only so may films you will feel like watching. I always take a book, or my kindle. Music, to help me sleep and block out the general plane noise as well as well as alternative entertainment. Accept the fact that there will be a time when you will be bored, your stuck in the same seat with limit space to move around for eight hours plus boredom will strike, but by having alternative entertainment you can try and avoid this as much as possible.
Food.
Plane food is not famous for being the most nutritious, pick your options carefully. Make sure you are staying hydrated and take snacks. If you ever feel peckish on a flight, you can request snacks or walk up to where the air hostesses prepare the food and there are extra snacks and drinks which you can just help yourself to as you please.
