Tips to Survive a Long Haul Flight

Flying can be so much fun for the first time, especially once you start flying internationally. I remember the first time I stepped on an airplane that had three aisles inside, I freaked out, and even more so when I first flew on an airplane that was two stories like in the movies (disclaimer: the upstairs part of the plane is only for first class passengers and unless you have a first class ticket you can not go upstairs to see it).

Still, every time I go to the airport I get this sense of adrenaline and happiness. My first LONG haul flight was 15 hours when I moved to Australia in 2017 to be a foreign exchange student. Before this flight, it was my New York City to London flight, which I thought was pretty long at the time.  Since then, I have been on numerous long haul flights so I have comprised some  long haul flight tips on what to pack and how to make a long haul flight more bearable so that you can enjoy the plane ride and hopefully get some decent sleep.

My Packing List For a Long Haul Flight:

This packing list was a life saver for me during my long haul flights. No matter how you think these things are gonna be usefull Belive me 

• Pick your seat before head
• Pack things so that they are easily accessible
• Sit on the window seats 
• Wear comfortable cloths and pack a jacket
• Have all your documents ready
• Do some kind of exhausting exercise the mornning of your flight
• Stayup all night the night before
• Make friends with your fellow passengers 

Pack things so that they are easily accessible

Once you are on the plane and after you have checked in your luggage, you won’t have much room in your seat to put your carry on bag. Most people will stow their bags in the overhead while on the plane, but sometimes there isn’t enough room up there and your stuff usually isn’t as easy to get to,  Also, if the seat belt sign is on then you can not get up to get your bag, and it is just a hassle sometimes to have to dig through it when you are standing in the aisle blocking people’s way.I always have my headphones, book, drink, and food in my seat with me so that I do not have to struggle to get them when I need them. Also, a side note, make sure when you check your luggage in (before it is too late at the airport) that you have all of your valuable items with you on the plane. Never put expensive things such as camera equipment, iPads, laptops, or even expensive jewelry in your bag to check into the flight

Sit on the window seat

Once you are on the plane and after you have checked in your luggage, you won’t have much room in your seat to put your carry on bag. Most people will stow their bags in the overhead while on the plane, but sometimes there isn’t enough room up there and your stuff usually isn’t as easy to get to,  Also, if the seat belt sign is on then you can not get up to get your bag, and it is just a hassle sometimes to have to dig through it when you are standing in the aisle blocking people’s way.I always have my headphones, book, drink, and food in my seat with me so that I do not have to struggle to get them when I need them. Also, a side note, make sure when you check your luggage in (before it is too late at the airport) that you have all of your valuable items with you on the plane. Never put expensive things such as camera equipment, iPads, laptops, or even expensive jewelry in your bag to check into the flight

Wear comfortable clothes and pack a jacket 

Being comfortable is key! if you are not comfortable on your long haul flight, then you will dread your flight and the time will go by really slow. Make sure to wear clothes that you would relax in at home, such as sweat pants or gym shorts. I do not know HOW people dress fashionably at the airport (heels, tight jeans, fancy clothes),but if you do dress fashionably at the airport and are actually comfortable on the whole plane ride, please let me know your secrets. It is one thing to dress nice and fly on a short 2 hour flight, but once you fly on an 8 plus hour flight, all I care about is being comfortable, not looking good. But if you can look fashionable and dress comfortable, bonus points to you! I am also a very cold natured person and I am always freezing anywhere. I always pack a sweatshirt or soft jacket (some airlines will supply a free blanket for passengers) and I make sure to wear socks and sweatpants, because I KNOW I will be freezing the whole time. Yes, you can control the air panel on your particular seat, but the whole plane in general is usually cold, at least for someone like me.

Have all your documents ready

Don’t forget to have easy access to your important documents that you will need to show at the airport. These include things such as your passport, flight information, visa pages, travel insurance, Covid tests, etc. so that you are not digging for them while the checkin counter employee is staring at you impatiently. I always make the same mistake every time: I forget to write down the address of my accommodation. I usually just keep my bookings in my email, which you need internet access to get too. Depending on where you are going, you may be given a custom card to fill out either on the airplane or inside the arrival airport, which you fill out and then give to the immigration officer. Usually this card is used to declare goods that you may be bringing into the country, and to have all your information that they register into the system. You almost always have to put the address or hotel that you are staying at on this form, and I always forget to write down or screenshot my hostel’s information and then have no data or wifi to look up the information. So don’t be like me, be prepared with this information so it’s not a hassle for you at customs once you arrive at the airport.

Do some kind of exhausting exercise the morning of your flight

If you have a hard time sitting in one spot for multiple hours and get restless pretty easily like me, then I would definitely suggest trying to exhaust yourself the night before your trip or the morning of your trip, depending on how long your flight is. If I have time, I like running a few miles or swimming a lot of laps to the point where I am fatigue. Doing some kind of cardio to the point of exhaustion, or just to the point where you feel pretty tired, can make a diferance. Once you combine the amount of time you spend at airports, traveling to the airport, and the actual plane ride itself, you are doing the majority of sitting, and because I usually have a lot of energy and like to move around, this can be torturous for me. If you make yourself worn out before your travels, you can relax and sleep soundly on the plane and not be so restless.

Make friends with fellow passengers

As soon as I sit in my seat and see for the first time who my row companions are, I usually say something simple like hello, and ask them how they are. Just friendly small talk. If they feel like talking and being social usually they will ask another question after maybe, or they will simply discontinue the conversation which is when I just mind my own business after that. I like meeting other passengers when flying abroad and trying to figure out if they are American or not and their reasons for going to that country. When I was flying to Dubai for the first time, my seat mate was a Canadian lady who had lived in Dubai for a long time. I need up getting a lot of good advice from her about living in Dubai, since I was going to be moving there to attend university. She gave me all the insight, and we even exchanged instagrams after and I still see her pop up on my newsfeed and in my comments sometimes. It is fun for me to make connections with new people, you never know who you will meet or what you will learn. (I guess this may be a little harder to do during a pandemic, since everyone on the plane is most likely trying to stay as far away from the other passengers as possible).