How to survive long flights?
Nobody likes to sit in a small seat for hours at a time. I’ve never been lucky enough to experience a business class or first class flight. I always had to cope with economy class. Over the years I’ve learned a few things on how to make these long-haul economy class flights more bearable and want to share my knowledge on how to survive long flights to help you survive your next long-haul flight better.
Pick the right seat
On a short flight the selected seat might not matter that much, on longer flights I find it crucial to pick a good seat. If offered, use the online check in and be one of the first to pick your seat. If you wait until you get to the airport, everyone else will already have picked their seats and you must take what’s left over. Check on your airlines website how many hours before departure you can check in online. Set yourself a reminder, so you won’t forget about it. Don’t rely on mail alerts – not all airlines send them.
Check the airplane you are flying with at Seatguru. They will tell you where emergency exits and toilets are located, which seats might not be able to fully recline, where there is only limited space for your hand luggage and where power outlets and TV screens are located. If you want an aisle seat I recommend having at least 3 rows between your seat and the toilets. I’ve had a flight where people waiting to go to the toilet would hold their butts in my face while waiting. Not a nice experience. Emergency exit rows are a coin with two sides: you can have more legroom but on the other hand you will have to store everything in the overhead compartment. If you are ok with that, go for it.
Window or aisle?
If you prefer window or aisle seat is a personal choice – I’ve never heard of anyone preferring the middle seat though. There are ups and downs with both. With the window seat you can have the advantage of stunning views – if you are not flying during the night or over large bodies of water where you don’t get to see anything. The downside is the fact that you will be barricaded into your seat. You might have to wake 2 fellow passengers if you want to go to the bathroom or stretch your legs. Also, I find the window seat somewhat colder than the others. First, the window itself feels cold and second, I think also the ventilation system goes around the side walls. If you are sensitive to cold like me, don’t take the window seat for long flights.
When opting for the window seat you will have a solid surface to rest your head against. When opting for the aisle seat you will have more legroom. On long flights I always opt for the aisle because I have more space. It’s easier to stretch out my stiff limbs and I can get up anytime I like, whether to go to the bathroom, walk around the plane or get something from the overhead compartment. If you are two people travelling, pick the window and the aisle seat. Chances are low anyone will take the middle seat between you two unless the plane is fully booked. If that is the case, the unlucky passenger with the middle seat will probably be happy to switch seat with one of you two.
Pack your luggage right
When flying economy class, you can take one piece of carry on luggage and one personal item. Keep the personal item at your seat and store the carry on luggage in the overhead compartment. Make sure you pack the things you need during the flight in the personal item. Have you ever seen passengers starting to unpack half their suitcase in the middle of the aisle because they are looking for their headphones? Don’t be one of these passengers. It’s not just annoying for you because you can’t find things you need, but also for every other passenger around you.
Wear comfortable clothes
Avoid stiff jeans, belts, tight blouses and high heels. Go for leggings, stretchy shirts and comfy sneakers. If you must look nice when you arrive, change clothes before landing. There is enough time on a long-haul flight.
Remember: it can be cold in airplanes. So even if outside temperatures are high when you board, make sure you bring layers you can put on during the flight. The same is valid when flying from a cold to a hot destination. Put on layers so you can take some of them off before you land. Also: if you easily get a sore throat, take a scarf.
Take off your shoes and put on some thick socks. Your feet will swell during the flight and even with the most comfortable shoes your feet will start feeling cramped. Put your shoes in the overhead compartment so you don’t stumble over them during the flight and put them back on before landing.
Use active noise cancelling headphones
I didn’t believe it until I got my first pair of noise cancelling headphones. It’s loud in airplane cabins during flight and this noise exposure is exhausting. Put the headphones on when you board the aircraft and only take them off when you’ve landed. The flight will be much more relaxing, and you will sleep much better. You can connect them with the aircrafts entertainment system (don’t forget to bring the cable), listen to music from your phone or iPod or just use the noise cancelling function alone. If you don’t own any active noise cancelling headphones, I’d recommend getting them as they are also very useful on long bus and train rides. If you don’t want to get them, bring some earplugs for the flight. They are of course not as good as the headphones but will at least filter some of the noise.
Bring an inflatable neck pillow and an eye mask
Airlines will usually provide pillows and blankets for long-haul flights. If you are fine with the pillows they offer, don’t bother bringing anything extra. I find the provided pillows not very supportive for my neck when sleeping in airplane seats. Inflatable neck pillows take up little space and can be inflated more or less to meet your personal preference. Tip: They also come in handy at the beach. Bring an eye mask to shun the light and help you fall asleep faster and stay asleep even if the cabin is brightly lit.
Entertainment
Most airlines offer on board entertainment for free on long haul flights but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t prepare your own entertainment package. It happened to me once that the aircraft we were supposed to take had some technical problems. The backup plane only had French audio channels for its movies. If you don’t speak French 11 hours can be a very long time. If you are a frequent flyer you may already know all movies offered. Or you simply don’t like what’s offered.
To be on the safe side: prepare board entertainment yourself. Load movies and series on your tablet, get new eBooks on your Kindle, download some offline games to your smartphone, update the playlist on your phone or iPod or take some old school magazines. Fully charge all your electronic devices before your flight. If you know the battery of any of your devices won’t make it through the flight, take a battery backup pack with you as not all airplanes provide power outlets.
Food and drinks
Take an empty water bottle with you and fill it up after the security check or ask the cabin crew to do it. If the cabin crew moves through the aisles and offers water: take it! Humidity in airplane cabins is under 20%. The human body is not used to that, so it is very important to stay hydrated. Don’t drink too much alcohol as this will speed up dehydration. In addition, use lip balm and hand cream to moisturize your skin.
Many things can go wrong with airplane food. You might not like the food provided, the food might disagree with your stomach, or the portions might just be too small. To be on the safe side: pack yourself some snacks and bring them with you. It will make a 10-hour flight so much more bearable if you don’t run the risk of turning into a Snickers diva because you are hungry.
Be friendly to the crew
This is one of the most important items on the list: be friendly to the crew. They have a very stressful job and are often being bitched at by annoying passengers. Many people don’t realize that they can make your flight more enjoyable or at least more bearable. If you are nice to them, they will be nice to you in return and happily fill up your water bottle, bring you an extra blanket, turn up cabin temperature or give you some extra snacks. It’s worth it.
I hope these tips on how to survive long flights will help you make your next long-haul flight more bearable and maybe even enjoyable. Have fun and keep travelling!
