Long flights can be problematic. I have flown on a 23-hour flight (excluding layovers) from Florida to California to Hong Kong to Phuket, Thailand. You spend the entire day in the air to end up with jet lag, stiff legs, and pure exhaustion. Unless you are spoiled flying in first-class or business class, here are ten tips from my experience that will make your flight a bit more pleasant.
1. Booking your airline ticket early.
Do not wait until the last minute to book your airline ticket. You might be waiting for cheaper flights so you can save a few extra bucks, but when it comes down to it, wouldn’t you rather pay ahead of time so you can choose your seats. You may be traveling alone or with your group, and when you book last minute, you will most likely end up not sitting together and not getting the seat you prefer. Are you a window seater where you can see the view better, lay against the window, and control the light when you want to, or are you an aisle seater where you don’t have to worry about bothering anyone to get up to use the restroom or like to stretch your legs in the aisle? You could end up in the hateful middle seat without the early airline booking.
2. Bring disinfecting wipes.
Before you decide to get comfortable and seat yourself, make sure you disinfect everything you are most likely going to touch, especially the tray tables. There are so many germs confined all over the plane, and you could be sitting in the same seat as a previous passenger who could have had the flu. Think about all those flights airlines go through in a day, and chances are there is not enough time to thoroughly clean the plane after each passenger, especially those tray tables. Be prepared and disinfect while you can. There’s no fun in traveling if you get sick after you land.
3. Do not wear makeup!
Wearing makeup on a long flight is a big no-no. Wearing your bare face on the plane is the best course of action due to the change of altitude and other factors that can aggravate your oily skin or parch dry skin. Adding makeup to the mix on a long flight will clog your pores. Your best bet is to stick to just moisturizers and serums. You can even pamper yourself by wearing face masks.
4. Wear comfortable clothing
Don’t even think about wearing heels, jeans, or hard to breathe clothing. You will be sitting in the same position for a long time, so you better off wearing loose clothing. If your legs swell after sitting in the same seat for a long time, consider wearing compression socks. You can still look stylish and comfy loose clothing.
5. Bring your headphones
You can choose to use the airline headphones provided in the seat back pouch but bringing your headphones is a much better option. If you want to drown out the baby crying the entire flight or someone repetitively coughing, you should bring noise-canceling headphones. If you’re going to watch movies or watch tv, bring wired headphones because those wireless headphones won’t work with the airline tv and those headphones provided are not as comfy.
6. Pre-download your favorite shows before you go onboard
Airlines can only have so many shows and movies, and the chances are that you have already seen them, aren’t interested in them, or are in a different language, and you don’t feel like reading and watching at the same time. Try to pre-download the shows, movies, podcasts, motivational speeches you were planning to watch but didn’t have the time; now is your chance. You can even download calming music to calm your nerves or meditate for those afraid of flying. You can even occupy your little ones with the shows you want them to watch. Just make sure you charge all your devices before going on board.
7. Buy a portable power bank
There is a good chance that you either didn’t charge your devices or it lost charge while using it. Have no fear; your portable power bank is here. You can either have a small power bank where you can only charge one device or get the power banks that can charge multiple devices at once. You don’t have to worry about rushing to find a charging station at the airport or finding a charging port to charge your device. Although airlines have charging ports, some ports may take a long time to charge your device or may not work at all.
8. Bring your pillow, sleeping mask, or blankets
Every long-haul flight has a blanket or pillow. However, you do not know if the pillows or blankets they provide are clean. Bringing your travel pillows and blanket will put your mind more at ease, and you will be more comfortable with the materials you got. If you want to sleep in peace, try bringing in your earplugs and sleeping mask. You’d be surprised how many times you encounter broken sleep mask bands. Make sure you invest in some quality earplugs and if you have neck pain, try investing in memory foam pillows.
9. Keep your carry-on luggage light
Most of the time, the luggage cubbies tend to be complete by the time you get to your seat (if the plane is a whole house), and you would have to place your luggage in the next available cubby, which may or may not be by your seat. If you have carry-on luggage, you would have to put it in one of the cubbies, but any other personal bags you bring would have to be tucked underneath the seat, which means you have less legroom. If you have a small bag, then you can easily place it on the side or squeeze in the cubby, so you have enough legroom to stretch after that long flight, especially if you don’t have the aisle seat.
10. Bring your food, snacks, and hand sanitizer
You can choose to eat the two meals and snacks that the airplane offers you. If you have any dietary restrictions, make sure you put in a request when you book your flight. Sometimes the food that the airline provides you may not be to your liking, so avoid your hunger or cravings by bringing your snacks. It is best to buy bottled water before boarding, or you can request bottled water during your plane ride. Just skip the coffee or tea on the plane and stick to bottled water (Ever thought about where that water comes from?) Bringing hand sanitizer may not seem like a big deal but the water coming out of the faucet is not suitable for drinking.
There are a couple of signs displayed in the restroom stating not consuming the water and washing your hands with that water.
Your best bet is to use hand sanitizer or wipes.