Long haul flights can be absolutely terrifying. They can be boring, they can make your body ache and they can simply make your mind go crazy. Sometimes, no matter how interesting and fun the destination you are heading to is, you will still cringe even just at the thought of the long haul flight preceding it. Yes, such flights can be incredibly boring and they can definitely push your nerves a bit and may get you asking yourself “Why did I choose this destination?”, “What is a red eye flight?” but in the end they can also be made to be much more bearable if you follow some simple tips. Once you’ve booked your tickets, checked the flight information , you’ll want to be creative with how you make your flight more manageable. Here are some tips:
1. Bring Movies
Staring into your laptop or tablet for 8,9,10 hours or more may make the time go by a bit easier, but it will still get on your nerves after a couple of hours of being simply unable to move or do anything else. Thus, pack yourself with enough money to rent movies during your flight, buy them from home and watch them on your tablet or simply do not forget about websites such as Netflix that offer you an unlimited number of movies you can watch online from your device. Tip: this is not the time for “serious” movies, but the time for those Hollywood blockbusters and for those TV shows you have really wanted to catch up on for a long time now.
2. Books
If you are a bookworm, then spending 10 hours in front of a good book will not feel like torture for you – on the contrary, it will feel like you are finally getting some blessed time to swipe through the pages of a novel you have been dreaming of reading for a long time. Same as in the case of the movies, do not go for the “hardcore” books out there, but rather for the easy-reading ones.
3. The Tools
Don’t forget about bringing a travel pillow and something to cover your eyes with because they will prove to be unimaginably good friends when you are already sitting uncomfortable and when you can’t move your legs, arms or neck the way you would need to. Also, wet wipes can be a great friend because they will refresh you almost instantly, they smell nice and they are the second best thing to an actual shower.
4. Health
If you plan on using pills that will help you sleep (or natural remedies, for that matter) always make sure to try them beforehand and see what effect they have on you. Also, do not forget about your water because you will have to stay hydrated no matter what.
5. Check The Space
Check with low-cost airlines and see if they cannot offer you with a better alternative when it comes to the quality of your flight. You may be able to get a first-class ticket cheaper if you change flights as well. Also, try to see if the seats you are booking are not comprised out of 2 seats only (isle and window) without any booked seat in between the two. This way, you will get 1 and ½ seats instead of just 1, which is a considerable improvement given the circumstances.
