How I Survived a Long Flight (& Kept My Sanity)

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Flying to Thailand was the longest flight I’ve ever taken. It was over 20 hours total! And that was just getting there. Then it was another 20+ hours back…I survived!

Upgrade Where Possible

First things first. ONLY book a First Class flight ticket. LOL! Who am I kidding? I mean, if you can do that, then yes, book a first class or business class ticket. But if you can’t, then try and book the next best thing, such as Premium Economy class. Trust me… that extra leg room makes a HUGE difference. And if you can’t book that, then go with what you can afford, but try to book a flight with the least amount of flight time and preferably with an airline that is known to have good customer reviews for its Economy Class accommodations. This way, you can travel as comfortably as possible while flying to your destination. If possible, find sales or bid on upgrades, which some airlines offer at the last minute.

Make It Through the Flight

Now that I got that part out the way, here are some tips on how I survived a long flight. And you can survive too, no matter what ticket class you book.

• Plan or alter your sleep pattern to fit around the time you are flying out. For instance, if you are doing a late, long overnight flight, just stay up so you can sleep on the plane as much as possible. I’ll be honest, I’m usually up anyway when I’m flying out of the country because I’m still last minute packing (and filled with excitement!).
• Wear something comfortable. You need to have on some stretchy loose fitting clothing that you can easily move around in. Basically something that feels as cozy as pajamas, but is more presentable in public. Oh and your shoes need to be able to slip on and off too.
• Bring a sleep aid. I always travel with my melatonin. When I’m restless but not sleepy, taking a bit of melatonin works for me perfectly on long haul flights.
• Bring a neck pillow and a light shawl or blanket. Although some airlines supply flimsy pillows and thin blankets, sometimes it’s just not enough. I actually use the airline’s flimsy pillow for my lower back and use my own neck pillow for bracing my head and neck.
• Bring a backup portable charger. Although many planes are equipped with outlets, you never know when and if you will need a charger, especially if you are in a long layover situation without an international converter plug.
• Bring headphones. If you have noise cancelling headphones, that’s even better. The airlines usually provide some earphones for watching inflight entertainment, but when you are just doing your own thing, with your own entertainment, your own headphones are much better.
• This leads me to this…Bring your own entertainment, whether it be a good book, magazine or a downloaded movie. Even with in-flight entertainment, sometimes it’s not enough, so a backup entertainment arsenal is a must.
• Bring your own snacks. Don’t depend on airline snacks to get you through the flights. Some airlines do a great job of feeding passengers throughout the flight, but sometimes it’s just not enough.
• Many of the long-haul flights will freely give out alcohol throughout the entire flight, but after a while, you skin will feel so dry. So in order to combat this, you need to drink water throughout the flight.
• Bring some anti-bacterial wipes or cleansing wipes. Do you know how dirty the tray tables on planes are? Or how many germs are on airplanes in general. If you knew, these wipes would be the first thing you pack in your bag.
• Speaking of packing your bags, pack an “essentials” bag that includes travel size toiletries such as mouthwash, eye drops, facemask, lotion, etc. I know the good airlines will give you an amenity pack on most long haul flights, but they will never be as good as your own.
• Bonus– Be strategic with picking your seats. I always check the airplane seat maps before I fly internationally, so that I know ahead of time where I will be seating. This way I can strategically pick my seat so I don’t end up right next to the bathroom or some other undesirable area of the plane.

What’s the longest flight you’ve taken?

🩵💛💜