How to Survive Long Haul Flights (Expert Flight Tips and Essentials)

are you dreading an upcoming long-haul flight I'll be honest the prospect of spending 7 10 or 12 plus hours in a tiny seat in a metal tube flying 30 000 feet in the sky can be daunting but it doesn't have to be that way hey guys Nick here from away together and in this video I'm going to quickly break down several tips that will help you survive a long flight I'm going to cover things like what to wear some key essential items that you'll want to bring with you ways to pass the time and even break down some strategies on where to sit and how to get quality sleep let's get started with what to wear okay in terms of what to wear Comfort is key you're going to be sitting for hours on end and possibly in kind of a cramped seat so the last thing you want is for your clothing to add to your discomfort I usually recommend wearing layers because the temperature on planes can be unpredictable so dressing in layers gives you a little bit more control if you get hot you could shed a layer if you get cold you can add one if you're traveling carry-on only you'll want what you wear on the plane to work with your overall packing strategy and typically what I recommend to carry on only Packers is to wear their bulkier items on the plane with them to save space in their bags so that's things like jeans boots a jacket Etc however for a really long flight it can be super uncomfortable to have to sit there for 10 12 hours in something like a pair of jeans so let me give you an example here here's my wife Ali and I before boarding a long flight from Frankfurt Germany to Phuket Thailand I want to walk through this clip and show you exactly what we're wearing so my wife Ali is wearing some comfy leggings by Lululemon a basic t-shirt by Madewell and her favorite jean jacket I'm wearing a basic pair of Nike joggers and a Merino wool t-shirt which Merino wool is great because it can help regulate temperature now if you don't really like wearing you know leggings or joggers or sweatpants or something like that in public which I understand you could always have them in your personal item bag with you and then just change into them on the plane before you try to get some shut up and then also be sure to have a nice comfy jacket or hoodie with you so you can keep warm during the flight one other item I recommend wearing for long-haul flights is compression socks in the clip that we just looked at I'm wearing them you can't really see uh you can kind of see right here but compression socks are great because they help regulate your circulation which can be really important on these long flights okay let's get into some Long Haul flight Essentials that you're going to want to bring with you on your flight before I get into the list of items that you want to bring it's important to have a bag that's going to give you access to these essential items and I want to give you a few different ideas if you're a one bag traveler carrying a backpack consider something like this Porter 46 from Osprey it's got this great quick access pocket up at the top for things like your passport and several the other items that I'm about to mention or if you checked your bag or you're carrying on a small roller bag I'm a big fan of the peak design 20 liter backpack it's super sturdy and has a lot of great storage space another smaller idea is something like the tripped travel gear Tech pouch I've given a more full review of that if you want to check it out I'll link it below or you could go with some type of small sling or Fanny Pack like Ali has on here okay in terms of some Essentials to bring with you let's get started with toiletry type items essential number one is a toothbrush and toothpaste probably no explanation required I assume you're bringing it with you anyways but you may not have thought to keep it accessible these travel days can be really long sometimes so being able to brush your teeth is a great way to feel like you can kind of freshen up and Ali really likes this toothbrush because it comes with a handy case this next essential was a game changer when we first discovered it one time Ali bought these degree body wipes and they've become kind of a go-to for us ever since it can be really nice on a long travel day to be able to go into the plane laboratory before it lands and use one of these wipes to kind of wipe down your face and just wipe down your body a little bit it can really help you feel like you've freshened up even if you didn't get to take a shower airplanes are controlled environments that are typically kept at very low humidity much lower than humidity here on the ground so you'll want to bring things like lotion facial moisturizer and ChapStick just make sure it's under the 3.4 ounce liquid requirement set by the TSA because planes are so dry you're also going to become dehydrated faster so as we transition into a couple of comments about food and drink I'm gonna make some recommendations about water first off you're going to want to make sure that you're properly hydrated before your flight now don't over hydrate because that can actually have a reverse effect next make sure you bring a great refillable water bottle I've linked my favorite below once you go through airport security you can then fill that water up typically with various water fountains or stations throughout the airport and I know they're expensive but we also tend to buy at least one big bottle of water in the airport and that'll be our one major airport expense that way on the plane if the flight attendant won't fill up your refillable water bottle you've at least got some reserves and don't have to keep getting refills one tiny cup at a time in terms of what else to eat or drink on your flight a couple more tips remember alcohol can dehydrate you so even if it's free there is a cost to consider so to speak and I know plain food is polarizing but I always eat it because I'm a pig and I like free things but if it grosses you out or let's say you have dietary restrictions or food allergies you may want to bring some snacks just in case okay let's talk about how to spend your time for a long flight you're definitely going to want to bring something to keep yourself occupied most international flights these days have plane seats with personal screens that have large libraries of content but in the instance that the plane doesn't have it or if let's say your screen is broken or something I always recommend downloading some shows or movies from Netflix or whatever streaming service to your phone or tablet or whatever to see what your flight is going to have you can look on your Airlines app or use a free site that I'm about to tell you about you can also bring a book or a Kindle or to save space download the Kindle app on your phone another consideration is how you're going to keep your device charged especially if you're consuming content on it while the flight is happening a lot of planes these days have standard Outlets or USB slots so at a minimum make sure you've got your phone charger or cable with you but I also recommend bringing some kind of power bank just in case another recommendation for how to spend your time is to move around if you remember I mentioned circulation earlier when I was talking about compression socks it's important to move around every couple of hours or so when you're flying to reduce the risk of blood clots don't be that person that's like pacing up and down the aisle or hovering over someone else's seat don't don't be that guy but a way that I manage this is like every time I get up to use the restroom I will stand for a bit maybe move around and kind of try to loosen up this is just going to help prevent blood clots help promote circulation and keep you from getting stiff okay next up is some thoughts on where to sit picking a great seat can make a huge difference in your comfort level on a long flight now personally I love the aisle seat if you're on a long-haul flight in economy especially one of those ones that has a middle section it can be really nice to be on one of the aisles in the middle section for two reasons the first is it gives you quick access to get out of your row that's true of any ilc but the second is it gives other people in your row a different way out of the row than just where you're sitting let's say you're asleep and someone else in your row has to go to the bathroom there's a good chance that they could go the other way and not have to wake you up one of my favorite seating scenarios is when my wife and I can have a row of three to ourselves and leave the middle seat empty between us that's what's going on here in this clip and that's actually from that same flight from Frankfurt to Phuket what had happened was We were supposed to be seated a few rows ahead and then once the boarding door had closed and we noticed that no one was in that row we asked if we could move back there the flight attendant was cool with it and we had a much more comfortable seating arrangement for that flight now this isn't always going to work for you but what I will say is don't be that person that like goes and sits there while people are still getting on the plane don't do that go sit in your assigned place the time to do it is once the boarding door has closed see what's available and ask the worst someone can say is no if that feels risky to you and you don't want to take chances on kind of the luck of the draw which is very much what we did I highly recommend checking out the free website seat Guru which will help you figure out in advance which seat to purchase seat Guru allows you to look up your specific plane and it'll help you find the best and worst seats as well as in-flight amenities and User submitted reviews of course one of the best ways to get amazing Comfort on a long-haul flight is to fly business or first class with a live flat seat we've had the blessing of flying business class on a couple of international flights now and it's definitely worth it if you can make it happen for example when we flew business class on a 12-hour flight from Singapore to Istanbul where as you can see my feet barely even reached the foot rest because we had so much leg room or an Incredible American Airlines Flagship business flight from Rome to Chicago where I got seconds and even thirds on dessert which was a Sunday bar now I don't say any of this to Bragg it made our flight very very comfortable but for me the best part is those flights were both essentially free because we booked them using points that we earned through credit card welcome bonuses if you want to learn more about that I've linked to my favorite card that helped me pull off that flight from Singapore to Istanbul and I've also got a list of my favorite credit cards for earning travel rewards that I review and update monthly you can see that link below as well okay let's talk about sleep because getting quality sleep on a long flight can be kind of tough but if it's an overnight flight or you just want to try to get some sleep there are a few things that you can do the first thing I recommend is bringing an eye mask to block out any light you may not be the kind of person that normally sleeps with an eye mask but on a plane there's all kinds of light and this is just going to help you if you want to get some shut eye the next thing is and I probably should have recommended this earlier is to bring some noise canceling headphones this is going to help block out any sounds that may be going on okay another thing I like to do and this is not medical advice but consider if you want to bring some kind of non-habit-forming sleep aid like melatonin this can just help your body adjust to whatever time you're trying to get on and it can help you get a few quality hours of sleep okay if you're wondering if you should buy or bring one of those travel neck pillow things this could be controversial but my boat is no it is comfortable on the plane but you've got to Lug that thing around with you for your whole trip I usually just skip it they typically and I'm not going to say always so don't get mad at me but they typically will hand out a pillow or if you ask for one they'll give you a little plain pillow and a blanket on the plane another big consideration when it comes to sleep and long-haul flights is how to deal with jet lag in this video I break down my exact strategies for how to overcome jet lag so I can hit the ground running when I arrive at my destination thanks so much for watching if you got value out of today's video please hit that thumbs up button it actually helps and let me know in the comments below if you've got a long-haul flight essential or tip happy travels foreign foreign foreign yeah

Channel: Away Together w/ Nik and Allie

Views: 397,497

Keywords: long haul flights, travel hacks, travel tips, how to survive a long haul flight, long haul flight, long flight tips, tips for a long flight, tips for long flights, long haul flight essentials, What to Wear on A Long Haul Flight, Example Long Haul Flight Outfit, travel pillow review, How to Stay Hydrated on a Long Flight, Best Travel Credit Card, How to Sleep on a Long Flight, long haul flights tips and tricks, travel essentials, surviving long haul flights, project untethered

Id: NbZ8jIJLrKI

Length: 12min 30sec (750 seconds)

Published: Sun Mar 26 2023