Travelling can be daunting at the best of times, especially if the journey is long and there’s no option to just nip to the gas station to stretch your legs, so here is your guide on how to survive a long-haul flight.
Choose the Right Airline
Choosing the right airline for you is extremely important, many different airlines vary in price and service. When it comes to fights the general condenses is the more you pay the better the service and flight.
Once you’ve chosen your airline there are options you can make to make your flight more enjoyable;
Upgrade
Pretty much all airlines nowadays offer customers the option to upgrade – whether this is extra leg room, more baggage, or super luxurious first class with your own seat that turns into a bed and champagne on tap. Upgrades can be expensive especially if you’re paying for them for both ways. But if you have the cash or are just wanting to splash out, an upgrade could change your whole flight.
If you’ve not pre-booked an upgrade and it is too late to do so, you can always check with airline staff on the day to see if there are any available.
Stop-Over
If your flight’s going to be more than 12 hours long and you have the option, it is always best to stop over somewhere. This will not only break up your journey time and make it more bearable – but you might actually get to see somewhere completely new and unexpected!
Only Bring Essentials
There is a number of reasons that you shouldn’t over pack your bag or take a really big bag on a long-haul flight. The small amount of space you get on an aeroplane doesn’t allow for much room to move about or to be looking for something in the bottom of a heavily packed bag. Although it may be better to bring large bags on short flights and avoid paying to take a large suitcase. But if you’re going on a long-haul flight I’m assuming you’re going to be taking a suitcase. Having large items of carry-on stored under the seat can be detrimental to your comfort as it eats up your leg room.
Consider a Sleep Aid
Make sure you bring something that is going to help you sleep, or at least make you more comfortable whilst trying! Whether this is a facemask, a pillow, a head hammock or sleeping tablets (make sure they’re approved for whatever country you’re going to!) Not only will sleeping on a flight make you feel more refreshed and ready for when you land, it will also help make the flight go faster. Even if you only get a couple of hours sleep it’ll make the world of difference.
Split Up Your Time
If you’re like me and can’t sleep on flights – no matter how long they are, then this is probably one of the easiest things to do. Always make sure you have a number of different activities that you can switch between when going on long-haul flights. Whether that be different puzzle books, a couple of different playlists downloaded to a device, or the in-flight moves (which most airlines have for longer journeys. If you sit and do one of these things for 6 hours straight you’re probably going to end up getting very bored. However, if you split all the different activities you have on hand and keep rotating the flight will go so much faster.
Enjoy your flight!
