How To Survive A Long Haul Flight

A few quick pointers:

• Turbulence is felt less if you are sat over the wings, or towards the front of the aircraft. You’ll feel it the most if sat at the tail end.
• If you want quick access to get up for the toilet, or to walk about the cabin to stretch your legs, pick an aisle seat.
• For more legroom, pick the exit row – however there are restrictions to bare in mind.

Invest in Travel Accessories

It’s important to know what to bring into the cabin for your long haul flight – many of these items are a must-have for me, and have made flying more enjoyable because I have been prepared.

I have a small, zip-up clutch bag, that I keep all of my in-flight travel accessories in. It’s about the size of an A5 notebook, and easily slips into the seat pocket. Before and after the flight, the clutch goes inside my cabin bag, which is stowed in the overhead bins.

In said clutch bag I always have:

• small tube of moisturiser (doubles as hand cream too) – all that aircon dries out the skin…
• eye drops – and the eyes…
• lip balm – and the lips
• travel sickness pills – I suffer from motion sickness, so these tablets are a must. 
• Bach Rescue Remedy – whilst I’m not scared of flying, I do find nerves start to set in on the morning of a flight. I buy the spray version, and use it as needed to help calm me.
• chewing gum – to keep breath fresh, and also to help combat blocked ears from the pressure on descent.
• hand fan
• headphones/earbuds – and my phone, but I am generally holding that! 
• sleep mask – to block out light when trying to sleep.
• travel size deodorant – to freshen up
• hand sanitizer – handy if the soap in the bathrooms run out, and to keep hands clean
• a small pack of tissues – for usual tissue use, and you can also use them with the hand sanitizer to wipe down your tray table
• headache pills/pain killers/prescription medication

DON’T FORGET! Liquids that you take through security must be in its own container of no more than 100ml (3.4 ounces) and carried in a single, transparent, re-sealable plastic bag of up to 20cm x 20cm (8in x 8in) with a total capacity of up to a litre (approximately one quart). You must be able to completely close the bag and be able to fit it in your hand baggage. The bag of liquids must be taken out of other hand baggage to be screened separately.

I’ve found that some airlines have reduced their drink/snack offerings over the years, a cost cutting measure no doubt, so I also take: 

• some snacks– graze box, granola bars, trail mix, potato chips, or dried fruit are good options.
• bottle of water –  buy this after you have gone through security

In-Flight Entertainment (IFE) has improved significantly over the years, but what if you don’t fancy watching any of the offerings, or what if it breaks (I have had that happen!)? You need something else to occupy, and pass the time.

This might be:

• music or podcasts you’ve downloaded onto your phone or MP3 player
• a tablet so you can play games, or watch (downloaded) movies/TV shows
• an e-reader like a Kindle if you enjoy reading on flights (or download the Kindle app on your tablet!)
• or it could be good old fashioned magazines and a book.

Don’t forget your headphones/earbuds, charging lead and portable charger/power bank. While airlines do provide their own for their IFE, but they may not fit your device. Similarly newer headphone jacks might not fit the IFE – something I discovered with my latest phone!

What about the kids?

They are probably going to get really, really, REALLY bored, they’ll definitely let you know about it, and may even start acting out – not the kind of stress that you need!  So make sure you take something to occupy them too – suitable films/shows on a tablet for them to watch, non-messy things to play with… it’s a blog post all of it’s own, so I will be writing another one about travelling long haul with kids as soon as I can.

Wellbeing

And finally, make sure you look after yourself during the flight:

• Stay hydrated – the air in the cabin is very drying, so remember to drink plenty of water and avoid too much tea, coffee, and alcohol. Similarly, you may feel your skin and eyes drying out, so use moisturiser, lip balm, and eye drops to he re-hydrate you.
• Stay active – okay, so there is only so much exercise you can do on a plane, but on a long haul flight you should aim to get up and move around every couple of hours. Walk up and down the aisle, or, depending on the aircraft, around the galley area at the tail end where there is a bit more room. You could also do some gentle exercises in your seat, like pointing and flexing your feet, making circles with your ankles, raising your knees like you are marching. All these will help to keep your circulation flowing and avoid the risk of developing deep vein thrombosis (DVT). I wear compression socks on flights to help avoid DVT.
• Take a nap – might be easier said than done, but if you can have a little snooze on the plane, it will help pass an hour or few! Wear an eye mask, and pop in some earplugs to help you nod off with less distraction. Plus, you are likely to be crossing time zones, so a nap will keep you going once you arrive at your destination.
• Relax – let’s face it, plane seats are not the comfiest of things, and being cooped up for hours upon hours isn’t anyone’s idea of fun… but you may as well sit back and enjoy the ride! Drinks service and your meal is usually served within the first hour or so after take off, and that whole service process will take about an hour too. Then get up and have a walk about the plane, before watching a film. Movies these days are often upwards of 2 hours long, so already we’re potentially four hours into a flight. Watch another movie, do some stretching exercises, have a snack, have a nap, and you’re probably just hours away from your destination by now. You’re likely to get another small meal  towards the end of the flight, and you’re could