I love travelling, but dislike flying. I get claustrophobic, antsy and bored easily. But to travel to cool and distant places, there’s no escaping it, you need to fly, and usually for longer flights. I’m no stranger to flying on long flights, whether it was Europe (twice), Asia and South America, I’ve been on some long flights and had some nasty layovers. I always try to make my experience as comfortable and entertaining as possible.
So here are some tips to help manage a long flight:
Dress Comfortable
My go to is sweatpants and a T-shirt. If you’re leaving a cold climate to a warm one, forget about the winter jacket, leave it at home, bring a windbreaker and brave the cold for the 30 second walk from the car to the terminal. Or if you need a larger jacket, pack it in your suitcase before you check your bags. And don’t worry about making a fashion statement, socks and sandals add to the comfort of the flight.
Pack Light in the Carry-On
Quit trying to save $30… if it’s a short flight sure, but otherwise check a bag and pack lightly in your carry-on baggage. You don’t want to be scrambling while looking for a spot in the overhead bins while shoving a large personal bag under your seat. Leg room and convenience is key. Only bring the stuff you need in your carry-on or ideally, your personal bag.
Bring Essentials to Keep you Occupied
I said pack light but you still need things for entertainment. Don’t bring tons but bring things that will help you get through the flight; and bring a variety of things to keep you occupied. Bring your music and headphones (with your preloaded travel playlist), bring a book and even a notebook to practice the language (if going to a foreign country), or even some puzzles if that’s your thing.
Book Seats in the Back Near the Washroom
This is probably my most controversial point, but if you aren’t catching a connecting flight with a short layover, waiting a few extra minutes to get off the plane doesn’t hurt. I like to get up and stretch my legs, plus I usually have a few beers and coffee so on a long flight I get up one or twice to go to the washroom. There’s nothing worse than having to empty your bladder only to get up and find a lineup down the aisle. If you’re near the back, you don’t need to awkwardly wait in the aisle and can time your washroom breaks efficiently.
Bring a Refillable Water Bottle
Instead of spending money at the airport, bring a refillable water bottle and fill it up once you pass through security. Fill it up before you board too because lets be honest, the small cups of water they bring around every couple of hours won’t be enough. Bringing a few (not very messy) snacks like granola bars, nuts or mandarin oranges is a good idea too.
Book a Late/Overnight Flight
If you have a long flight and you’re flying mid-day the day will really drag out. This can lead to awkward arrival times in different time zones. The best case scenario is to book an evening/overnight flight. That way you don’t need to rush to the airport early, you’ll likely arrive at your destination the next day and you’ll be nice and tired for the flight, which brings me to my next point…
Try and Sleep
If you’re like me, you’ll have trouble sleeping on a plane. But if you’re already tired and flying overnight hopefully you can get a couple hours of sleep in. I bring enough activities to keep me occupied for part of the flight and if it’s an overnight flight I usually fall asleep for a couple of hours while listening to music. Waking up when landing would be ideal… but for me, sleeping a few hours and cutting into the flight time still helps.
With good packing, planning and following these tips will help reduce the anxiety of the long flight and make long flights much more bearable.
I love travelling, but dislike flying. I get claustrophobic, antsy and bored easily. But to travel to cool and distant places, there’s no escaping it, you need to fly, and usually for longer flights. I’m no stranger to flying on long flights, whether it was Europe (twice), Asia and South America, I’ve been on some long flights and had some nasty layovers. I always try to make my experience as comfortable and entertaining as possible.
So here are some tips to help manage a long flight:
Dress Comfortable
My go to is sweatpants and a T-shirt. If you’re leaving a cold climate to a warm one, forget about the winter jacket, leave it at home, bring a windbreaker and brave the cold for the 30 second walk from the car to the terminal. Or if you need a larger jacket, pack it in your suitcase before you check your bags. And don’t worry about making a fashion statement, socks and sandals add to the comfort of the flight.
Pack Light in the Carry-On
Quit trying to save $30… if it’s a short flight sure, but otherwise check a bag and pack lightly in your carry-on baggage. You don’t want to be scrambling while looking for a spot in the overhead bins while shoving a large personal bag under your seat. Leg room and convenience is key. Only bring the stuff you need in your carry-on or ideally, your personal bag.
Bring Essentials to Keep you Occupied
I said pack light but you still need things for entertainment. Don’t bring tons but bring things that will help you get through the flight; and bring a variety of things to keep you occupied. Bring your music and headphones (with your preloaded travel playlist), bring a book and even a notebook to practice the language (if going to a foreign country), or even some puzzles if that’s your thing.
Book Seats in the Back Near the Washroom
This is probably my most controversial point, but if you aren’t catching a connecting flight with a short layover, waiting a few extra minutes to get off the plane doesn’t hurt. I like to get up and stretch my legs, plus I usually have a few beers and coffee so on a long flight I get up one or twice to go to the washroom. There’s nothing worse than having to empty your bladder only to get up and find a lineup down the aisle. If you’re near the back, you don’t need to awkwardly wait in the aisle and can time your washroom breaks efficiently.
Bring a Refillable Water Bottle
Instead of spending money at the airport, bring a refillable water bottle and fill it up once you pass through security. Fill it up before you board too because lets be honest, the small cups of water they bring around every couple of hours won’t be enough. Bringing a few (not very messy) snacks like granola bars, nuts or mandarin oranges is a good idea too.
Book a Late/Overnight Flight
If you have a long flight and you’re flying mid-day the day will really drag out. This can lead to awkward arrival times in different time zones. The best case scenario is to book an evening/overnight flight. That way you don’t need to rush to the airport early, you’ll likely arrive at your destination the next day and you’ll be nice and tired for the flight, which brings me to my next point…
Try to Sleep
If you’re like me, you’ll have trouble sleeping on a plane. But if you’re already tired and flying overnight hopefully you can get a couple hours of sleep in. I bring enough activities to keep me occupied for part of the flight and if it’s an overnight flight I usually fall asleep for a couple of hours while listening to music. Waking up when landing would be ideal… but for me, sleeping a few hours and cutting into the flight time still helps.
With good packing, planning and following these tips will help reduce the anxiety of the long flight and make long flights much more bearable.
Add comment
Comments