There are just too many exciting and beautiful locations in the world for anyone to be sitting around at home and staring at the TV or computer screen. Not only is traveling fun and relaxing, well, once you get there anyway, but it can also help improve your mental health. Unfortunately, many great places are very far away and require you to sit through a long flight, often lasting 14-20 hours. If you are going to be spending most of the day or even an entire day on an airplane, you better make sure that you are prepared for it.
A lot of new fliers, or at least those who have never flown long-distance before, fail to prepare and can have a very gruelling and uncomfortable experience. If you want your traveling experience to be a smooth and comfortable one, and your most vivid memories from the trip to be relaxing on the beach and sightseeing instead of the awful plane ride, than follow this simple tips.
A few small toiletries will make a huge difference
It’s often the small things that we don’t even notice in our day-to-day life that we end up missing the most when we are left without them, the little luxuries of life if you will. Now, it’s very important that you are aware of airport security rules that are in place, most notably the restriction on the amount of liquid that you can bring on board.
With that being said, be sure to bring some wet wipes, hand sanitizer, a bit of toothpaste, moisturizing cream and lip balm. You will tend to get a bit sweaty and dry as the air in the plain is somewhat stale and dry itself – it’s not like anyone can just open a window after all – so be sure to bring a small amount of toiletries with you to address this problem.
Prepare a full day’s worth of entertainment for yourself
You won’t get away with a movie or two for entertainment on a long haul flight – remember, you have well-over ten hours of free time to kill. An e-Book reader full of great new books is a good idea, as well as a tabled with a few movies or a bunch of episodes of that show you like. Even small items like a pack of cards or pocket chess can be useful if you are traveling with someone, but you will be back on books and movies soon enough.
To get a bit of variety, structure your viewing material like a TV station would arrange a day’s worth of program – have a nature documentary, preferably something narrated by Morgan Freeman, followed by a couple of episodes of a show, maybe some stand-up comedy or sketch-based comedy show, with some movies and a science documentary afterwards. Take a day or two before the flight to stack up on entertainment.
Try hard to get the best arrangement possible
Let’s face one important fact – economy class sucks. There, I said it. It can be fairly cramped up and with a whole lot of noise to boot. Business and first class seats tend to make the whole experience much more bearable, and they have a much better food and drink selection as well. In maybe 5-6% of the cases, it may just happen that there is a seat available in the business or first class and that you will be upgraded without much convincing, but you can increase your chances of a free upgrade if you are a member of the frequent flier club, dress a bit more seriously and ask around about upgrades.
You may even get a slightly better chance if it is a special occasion, like a honeymoon or a birthday. As anyone who’s had to interact with people as a part of their job will tell you, there are a lot of entitled and selfish people out there who make every one’s life a living nightmare – don’t be one of those people.
Be nice, see if you have enough frequent flier points to get a bump, if not, ask nicely and have a polite smile on your face. Chat and be as cute and cuddly as you can, and don’t push things.
Dress comfortably and bring earplugs
You might want to keep up appearances and seem cool, but a long flight is exhausting and you need to put comfort first. Being comfortable doesn’t have to mean going in flip-flops, board shorts and a Hawaiian shirt – a linen summer suit is extremely comfortable, a pair of relatively loose pants and a light sleeveless shirt can also do the trick, and the ladies have it particularly easy with light and stylish summer dresses. In winter, dress in layers so that you can take two or three layers off if things get a little bit hot in the cabin. The next most important thing when it comes to comfort is earplugs and a decent sleeping mask. This will ensure that you can doze off when you start feeling your eyelids dropping, which will go a long way in helping you lessen the effects of jet lag.
Bring some protein bars and a sports drink
Last, but not the least, you need food and hydration. Sure, there will be some food there, but you want to make sure that you keep a normal electrolyte count and have enough energy. It’s not just about drinking enough water – you need sugar, electrolytes and some proteins in the mix. A couple of protein bars and a couple of bananas are a good idea, as well as a sports drink to sip on as the flight drags on. Again, you can’t have much fluid with you, so pack your carry on carefully. This way, you ensure that your body gets what it needs and that you can get some sleep instead of fidgeting.
These basic tips will help you be much more comfortable on long plane rides and ensure that you get to your destination somewhat rested and ready to begin your adventure, instead of grumpy and tired.