We’ve written a post on advance planning for long plane trips. This one has our advice about what you can to do enjoy your long haul flights more, or at least hate them less.
Make a Plan
If you are on a flight of longer than about five hours, it’s smart to have some sense of what you want to do during the flight. Maybe you can’t sleep and so always watch movies; maybe you intend to eat all the food they give you and listen to music; maybe you want to sleep as much as you can. You might also consider time differences in your plan. and try to eat and sleep according to your new schedule. We’ve learned from friends in Australasia (a region of champion plane-takers!) that they sometimes use long haul flights to work on important projects, to catch up on novels, or even to engage in long-range goal-setting. We love this idea: how often do you have a stretch of hours ahead of you with minimal distractions? That said, there’s no judgment from us if you want to watch TV. But whatever your choice, you will be happier if you’ve actually chosen something instead of just trying to make the time pass. We used to spend our flights home from vacation picking our next big destination, using the maps in the flight magazine as inspiration.
Take a Moment Before you Sit
We are often hustling to get our stuff into the overhead bin and to buckle our seatbelts. Then we realised that is bonkers. You’ll be there a while, so no need to rush. Unless you have a bunch of luggage and there isn’t much room overhead. In which case you might want to get a move on. So before you get to your seat, think about what you want with you (ideally, you will have thought about this while packing!). You can, and you probably should, get up during the flight but you don’t want to be up every ten minutes grabbing things from your overhead suitcase. Also, do everything you can to avoid putting your overhead luggage behind you. Once the plane lands, traffic will be against you and it’ll be a hassle to get your bag.
Hydrate
Remember that water bottle we told you to fill up? Drink it. Take every water they offer you. Drink that and then go ask for more. Also use moisturizer on your face and hands, at least once for every four hours or so. Seriously. We will also suggest that you drink less alcohol. (Do as we say, not as we do!)
Exercise and Breathe
Yes, we know you’re in a plane. But it’s still a good idea to move around, especially on long haul flights. While you’re in your seat, stretch what you can. We start from the toes and work our way up. Bend your toes, flex bottoms of your feet, roll your ankles, flex your calves, etc. etc. And we recommend getting up every couple of hours while you’re awake. Take a stroll along the length of the plane. (If you have been a good hydrator you will need to go to the bathroom anyway.) There is often a small space near the bulkhead where you can stretch more energetically, and we use bathroom lines as an opportunity to do standing stretches. Also, breathe. This could be fancy yoga or meditation breathing if you have those in your toolbelt, or you could just slowly breathe in and out while counting for at least four breaths. This is an especially good idea if you are a nervous flyer, or if you are having trouble falling asleep. It’s also a really good idea out of planes, but that’s another story.
