You Can Actually Enjoy a Long Haul Flight
Part 1 in the Long Haul Flight Series
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When I quit my job to take a trip around the world, it had been awhile since I had taken a long flight.
My flight to Italy reminded me how bad of a traveler I can be. So here I was looking down multiple LONG flights in order to visit all the continents (ex-Antarctica!) and kind of terrified as to how I was going to survive it.
I was not looking forward to being on a plane for 7 hours.
I was not looking forward to long layovers in overseas airports.
I not looking forward to becoming that episode of The Office where Dwight warns Michael about where to wear his money belt so that he would not be mugged on his trip to Canada (I threw that in for fun).
So off to the Google I went! I started by searching “how to survive a long haul flight.” Apparently many, many people have searched this, because many, many sites popped up. The content was consistent because the advice was great. However, after some trial and error, some smooth experiences and epic lows, I am going to say something you didn’t expect to read today.
I am going to tell you how to enjoy a long haul flight.
I understand that I may be an outlier here, but hopefully with a little mental reframing and preparation you can join me in not feeling stuck in the air. There are four important things I want to stress:
1. Comfort: wear clothing and pack accoutrements that will help you sleep as much as you can.
2. Nutrition/hydration: I discuss this more in detail in a separate blog post, but you are aiming to support your immune system and eat foods that promote sleep, in addition to remaining very hydrated.
2. Skin care: you want to combat the lack of moisture in cabin air and try to look fresh when you walk off the plane.
3. Entertainment: here is where you move from surviving the flight to enjoying it. After a year of working from home leading to blurred lines between work and personal time, it feels frivolous to completely unplug and read a book (or trashy celebrity gossip magazines!) and binge watch a new show.
Finally, as a general rule, which is also controversial, I always carry on so that I can just walk off the plane and into my vacation without waiting for a checked bag.
You’d be surprised how much you can fit into two bags (Amazon, $27) if you pack smartly (just be sure you have your quart-sized bag for liquids)!
Before I forget to mention them, please also pack these crucial things:
A pen: for filling out customs paperwork because the flight attendants usually don’t have extra ones. Throw an extra one in your bag to be the hero of everyone around you who is unprepared.
Extra hair ties: because they disappear magically, and you can never have enough.
Empty plastic baggies: these come in handy for the most random reasons, but they take up no space, so throw a handful in your bag.
A travel adapter: this one fits your good ol’ two prong plugs into a variety of different funky plugs. Please be advised that I have never come across an actual “universal” adapter because there are some countries that just have really unique outlets. But this one fits most. The best advice is to always look up the outlets used in a country (I always do that right after I look up the vaccines recommended and US Embassy information on the US State Department website).
Now grab your passport, always in a sassy cover (Amazon, $11), and let’s go!
Clothing and Such Conducive to Relaxing off to Sleep
First things first, cast aside the notion that you will appear flawlessly chic.
You are not lounging around the Four Seasons. You are in an airplane, and particularly if you are not in first class, you will need to make some effort to remain comfortable. Vanity goes out the window when you are sleeping in close proximity of a group of strangers. Remember, you’ll never see these people again, so it doesn’t really matter if they see you at your best, because you’ll see them the same way.
That being said, you can still look polished and pretty even while being comfortable. The key is choosing sleek pieces that can be layered (and my favorite, whimsical accents)!
To that point, here we go with the great vicious debate about people dressing too casually on flights. Personally I am firmly ensconced in the comfort camp for an overseas flight. Don’t get me wrong – please leave your pajamas at home. However, yoga pants are comfortable and movement-friendly while still polished enough to wear in public. Then add layers for your upper body. A soft tank top/tshirt and sweater are perfect. Remember, flights frequently begin quite warm while you’re waiting on the ground and quickly get very cold once you’re airborne. Layers allow you to adjust to the cabin temperature. Also, I always pack a cute pair of compression socks (I once found myself in a Shanghai hospital with what I thought was a blood clot and never want to experience that again).
Also, an absolute essential for in air comfort is flip flops (Amazon, $30) or outdoor-friendly slippers.
**Note: out of respect for your fellow passengers, please ensure that the shoes you wear to the airport are not your gym shoes. This eliminates the potential ugly issues associated with removing your shoes and replacing them with ones conducive to relaxing and sleeping. Look, my running shoes are disgusting because I run in them. No one else needs to experience that. And I need my feet to be comfortable and free if I want to sleep.
Finally, I cannot go anywhere without a pashmina.
If you are reading this, you likely have done other research and uncovered a slew of articles talking about how airlines rarely if ever launder their blankets. Regardless of what the truth is, I never let an airline blanket touch my face and instead save it for my lap. A pashmina acts as an upper body blanket when you’re trying to sleep. (Plus it doubles as a wrap for jaunty excursions at your final destination.)
In addition to the clothing element, I have three absolute essentials for in-air comfort: an eye mask, a neck pillow, and ear plugs.
These are crucial for being able to fall asleep. Even with the cabin lights dimmed and everyone sitting around, there is still light from a thousand personal TV screens/iPads/computers and the din of bags being unzipped and people sneezing and snoring. Being able to block out light and sound is critical to tricking your body into relaxation mode. Throw these on and channel your inner Holly Golightly.
In terms of pharmaceutical enhancements, I know plenty of people who take sleeping pills on long flights. If that’s what your doctor recommends, go for it. For my body personally, those medications make me groggier than had I not slept at all, so they seem to do more harm than good in a jetlag situation. However, I will forever adore melatonin (Amazon, $13). It’s natural, it doesn’t give me a hangover, and it is far less likely to have an ugly side effect if you choose to partake in wine with the dinner they serve you. Which brings us to the second element…
Treating Your Body
Considering that half my blog is about eating well and fitness, this one is no surprise.
Please note that I am not recommending that you pack all the food you will eat on a plane. First of all, that is just silly – you are on vacation and should enjoy that! – but it is also impractical. You don’t have access to a fridge, and if you are flying to, say, Sydney, you are going to be in the air for a solid 15 hours. Instead, I have suggestions for what to take with you.
I just want to throw in this random side note and say that I actually do not hate plane food. I cannot possibly be the only person who does. I have a feeling this is like 90 Day Fiance fans – no one really talks about it until one person brings it up. Then you find tons of them (I love this show, for the record). What about you – do you secretly like airplane food??
Anyway, you should make sure you load up on vitamin C, vitamin D, and a probiotic.
For the latter two, you can go with supplements, but for the first, I recommend getting C from actual food. Mandarins are portable and don’t get crushed in your bag. Also grab a lemon from the flight attendant to squeeze into your water. Not only will that encourage you to drink more water, but there is a vicious amount of vitamin C in it.
Secondly, you will want to eat snacks with magnesium, omega 3’s, melatonin (more on this in part 2 of this series). A banana; homemade trail mix with dried cherries, walnuts, cashews, and almonds; and some fortified breakfast cereal (eat it dry or ask for some milk from the flight attendant) are all great things to throw in your bag. To keep the cereal and trail mix from getting completely crushed, I love these resusable bags. Packing actual Tupperware (even small containers) can be a little cumbersome, but I find these are somewhat protective while still able to be shoved in a corner.
Finally, we all have a travel treat we love. One of my friends loves Combos. Personally, I love Chex Mix. I never eat it in my general day-to-day life, so it’s a special treat that I save for traveling. (Shoot me an email – I would love to hear what yours is!)
Now we get to water. You already know what I’m going to say, so I won’t.
My recommendation for getting enough water is to take an empty collapsible bottle with you and ask the flight attendant to refill it.
Drink often and much (even more if you are also enjoying the free alcohol on international flights). I try to drink enough water to need to run to the loo every hour. An added bonus of this is that it forces you to get up and move around (see above re: me in a Shanghai hospital). Remaining well hydrated will make you feel better AND look better when you land. For an extra jolt of vitamin C, grab a lemon from the flight attendant, even if you are not drinking tea. For those of you who do not like plain water, putting lemon in it might encourage you to keep drinking.
Pampering Your Skin
Your skin takes a beating on a plane. That’s just how it is. Let’s try to counteract that.
First of all, I am an avid user of sunscreen (Amazon, $9), year-round. Skin cancer run in my dad’s side of the family, so I have to be careful. A lot of people do not think about UV rays when they are flying because they are not outside on a summer day, but there are a lot of UV rays coming through those little windows. You should definitely have plenty of sunscreen on your face when you board.
After sunscreen, you need to think about moisture levels in the cabin.
As it is, I have dry, sensitive skin, plus I am no longer 22. You’re already hydrating your body, so it’s time to hydrate your skin too. There are three things I swear by to show my face some love.
Leave on extra-hydrating face mask (above).
I SWEAR BY THIS ONE IN EVERYDAY LIFE, SO IT IS EVEN MORE TREASURED IN THE AIR. I slather it on before I go to sleep, which is as close as you will get to a spa experience at 35,000 feet. Along with this, I put on a thick eye cream as well (see #3). Same reason, same indulgent feel. I guarantee these two face products will up your chances to look fresh walking off the plane tenfold.
Never forget your lips! They dry out easily, so they most certainly do on a plane. Apply often. [P.S. This particular product is something I would take with me on a deserted island.]
It is easy and portable and does not involve getting your fingers sticky. I like any non-liquid skin care/beauty products I can pack because I never check luggage, and that little quart-size bag of liquids you can carry on fills up quickly.
Replenishing eye cream. (as seen above)
We all know how important eye cream is as a part of your daily skin care routine. With the lack of moisture in the air, the disruption to your regular sleep schedule, altitude, and likely increased dehydration, your eye cream is even more important!
This is an added bonus if you have room in your spiffy little quart-sized liquids bag. Spritz whenever your face feels dry. It’s refreshing and pampering.
Entertain Yourself between Naps
I almost always travel alone. Anywhere and everywhere. I was terrified at first, but now I much prefer it. One way I stay sane and keep from feeling lonely when I’m in a foreign land is having an iPad filled with shows I’ve downloaded. It’s a great way to unwind and feel connected to my normal life, as trite as it seems.
But I also dip into these on the flight as a supplement to the movies and shows offered through the in-flight entertainment.
A note about the in-flight entertainment: seriously, scroll through the menu. I have seen movies that were hilarious that I never would have otherwise watched. I also saw a season of a miniseries I could not have watched at home because I no longer subscribed to the service that produced it.
Watching TV on a plane is an obvious suggestion. But for me, it feels frivolous because when I do so at home – even with a real binge – I am always multitasking. I’m feeding the dog, or doing a load of laundry, or whatever. Here you have nothing to do but relax and watch something as mind-numbing or suspenseful or educational as you want. Enjoy that!
(Sidebar: what are your favorite shows for bingeing? I need recommendations for my next flight.)
I break this up with reading.
I am an avid reader and relish quiet time alone when I have a really good book. I tend to favor mysteries/thrillers, spy novels, and humorous chick lit, but you do you. Please don’t pretend that you are going to knock out Anna Karenina on this flight. First of all, it’s a big book that will be heavy to carry, and the whole point of reading here is for a mental vacation.
Allow me to go on a tangent for a moment: get yourself an e-reader. I am old school in that I love holding a real book (especially hardcover), but nothing beats my Kindle when I am traveling. I took myself to the Bahamas for my 30th birthday before I had one, and I carried 4 books with me. That was a huge pain, and it made me finally get a Kindle. You can load that thing up with a ton of books, but it is so light and easy to carry. For someone who carries everything on, I like to keep my bags as light as possible.
Anyway, back to book selection. You have nowhere to be and nothing else to do – let yourself read absolutely anything you want. I also throw in some cooking magazines and trashy celebrity gossip magazines. Pure mental candy, and I’m here for it. Also don’t forget podcasts!
My final suggestion is one I have not yet tried: cross stitching. I am not sure if there is an issue getting the needle on the plane, but I plan to try it out on my next trip and will let you know. If you are a nervous flyer, this should be particularly useful – apparently the repetitive motion calms the nerves.
Finally, amidst all this binge-watching and celebrity-judging, sleep! Don’t pretend you’re going to sleep for 8 straight hours with no interruption (and you probably shouldn’t – it’s better for your circulation to get up and move a bit!). However, I’ve had pretty good luck with 2 – 4 hours at a time. The point I’m making is not to get stressed if you can’t get a solid night’s sleep when you initially pass out. You are not in your bed. Any sleep counts, but do not get too focused on sleeping or you certainly won’t. (Also, it is important to enjoy the time you’re awake!) Eventually you’ll nod back off. On a 12 hour flight to Seoul, I clocked a total of 8 hours of sleep per my fitness tracker, and it was broken into nap-length increments.
Before you disembark
When they start waking you up for breakfast service, that’s when you can pep yourself up for deplaning.
At this point you likely feel pretty dirty. The first thing I do is brush my teeth with a disposable toothbrush (please remember to never put the water in the restroom near your mouth). Also I run a wipe over my face and armpits, plus add an extra swipe of deodorant. Finally, a little mascara (side note: it’s better to use travel-sized mascara in everyday life because it doesn’t dry out by the time you’re done with the tube) and some self-tanner go a long way.
There you have it! Hopefully you feel fresher than anticipated and can push through the day in your new time zone.
And if you need help prioritizing everything to fit your entire vacation into a carryon bag, sign up for my packing list here:
YOU’LL ALSO LIKE:
Your Guide to Nutrition on a Long Haul Flight
How to Beat Jet Lag Effortlessly
Essential Eating & Drinking Tips for Traveling
How to Enjoy Your Hotel Stay…No Matter Where You Are
Must Read Books Perfect for a Long Haul Flight
