10 Tips On How To Survive The Most Boring Long-Haul Flights

Flying to another place is always fun when your flight is between 2 to 3 hours, but as soon as the number of hours increases, so does your anxiety. 

Long-haul flights are no joke because the person feels stuck on the flight. After all, you cannot move or get out of the plane; you are just helplessly stuck in a flight that becomes more like a nightmare. 

What if I tell you there are ways to survive long-haul flights with minimal effort and clever work? 

All you need is the right amount of preparation to turn your nightmare of a flight into fun. 

Choose Your Airline Carefully

Before booking your tickets, research carefully, especially when travelling on long-haul flights. 

Usually, airlines with a seat width of more than 17 inches are considered good because it’s bad enough that you are travelling for long hours packed in an aircraft, and now you have no space to keep your legs comfortably. Could it get any worse? 

Preparing before boarding the flight is best to avoid so many troubles. 

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Reserve A Good Seat

After you have chosen your flight, the next important thing is to reserve a seat that gives you enough space to spread your legs and sleep peacefully. It depends on your preferences. 

My advice to you is that if you want more room for your legs, choose the exit rows. 

If you don’t want to listen to the crying babies and pull your hair out, then avoid the front seats because that’s where all the babies are found, probably because most international flights have a provision for seats in the front for people travelling with babies. 

If you are like me with a tiny bladder and have to use the loo now and then, you should choose the aisle seat. 

Wear Comfy Clothes

Wearing comfy clothes is not only limited to long-haul flights but also while travelling in any mode of transport.

When you are on a flight that will take hours before it lands, the last thing you want is tight clothes which may look fashionable initially but make you uncomfortable as time passes. 

Just think of an outfit you can wear for 15 to 17 hours without irritation. So it’s advisable to wear loose clothes and wear full sleeves. 

This I am speaking from my experience, for every time I have worn half sleeves top or t-shirt on a flight or a movie theatre, I have always felt cold and regretted wearing it. 

Ensure you don’t wear tight shoes because your feet might swell at high altitudes. 

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Keep Yourself Hydrated

Sometimes, the biggest mistake you can make is not drinking enough water while onboard. The cabins of the aircraft are often very dry, and the chances of getting dehydrated are incredibly high and may also affect your skin and eyes. 

Drink plenty of water instead of coffee and tea. For your skin, try to keep a small bottle of moisturiser and eye drops if your eyes become dry. During a long-haul flight, even an itch that lasts 2 minutes can irritate you, let alone dry eyes. 

Keep Yourself Busy

You hardly get time for yourself in your chaotic routine life, but while on a long-haul flight, you get plenty of time to read books you have never read, or you can watch a rom-com you have wanted to watch for a long time. 

So what’s stopping you from doing all that? You have all the time you need and no one to disturb you while having everything at your disposal. The flight crew is just a button push away to cater to your needs. So make the best use of your time. 

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Keep Your Munchies

Ensure that you keep your munchies with you so that when you get a little hungry and don’t want to buy snacks at sky-high prices, you can open your munchies and get rid of the hunger pangs. 

A protein bar is the best snack for a long time. One bar would be enough, and you wouldn’t feel hungry anymore. 

You can also keep snacks such as chips, biscuits, candies, etc. 

Get Friendly With The Fellow Passengers

It may surprise you, but long-haul flights are the best place to make friends. 

The fellow passengers are as bored on the flight as you are, and since you have that in common, your first step of initiating the conversation may find you a friend for life because you never know what’s in store for you.  

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Sleep Your Troubles Away

Every day before waking up for the office, the only thought that pops up in your head is when will you sleep properly?

Well, this is your chance to forget everything that bothers you and all your worries and make the most of your time to relax and give yourself a break. 

Carry your travel pillow and an eye mask, and sleep like a kid. 

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Move Around A Little

It often happens that when you are on a long-haul flight, you may feel that your lower body is tired of sitting in the same posture for hours. 

So as soon as you see that the seat belt sign is off, you can move around the plane to get your blood circulation going, or else your leg might sleep or, even worse, it may get jammed.

To avoid that, try moving in the plane and relaxing your body.

Carry Your Earphones

Travelling on a long-haul flight without your earphones will be the biggest mistake that you can make. 

So whenever you make your checklist, put your earphones on top because listening to your favourite travel playlist and feeling in some sort of movie is the most fun you could have on your flight. 

So do not, I say do not forget your earphones while travelling. 

Conclusion

The tips I have just mentioned are a lifesaver for you while travelling on a long-haul flight for many reasons. 

We may not notice many things while on the plane, but they are essential when your flight will not land anytime soon and you have all the time in the world. 

You can make this long-haul flight the most dreaded journey of your life, or you can make it a fun and relaxed time that you are blessed with. The choice is yours, so choose wisely.