Tips for your First Long Haul Flight
Just a year ago, I took my first long-haul flight! Luckily, as an over-planner, I did tons of research on what to do, what not to do, and even what to wear. Though a long-haul flight seems scary at first, even impossible for someone who can’t sit still, like me, I found ways to get through it. Even more, I found ways to look forward to the next one. Now after two more long-haul flights in my bag, I can confidently say I enjoy it now. However, it took a lot of work and preparation to get to the point I am today. There are many necessary preparations to ensure a safe, fun, and comfortable long-haul flight. I would love nothing more than to share it with some new long-haulers. Without further ado, here are tips for your first long-haul flight!
Want to skip to the must-haves on this list? Here are the links to what saved me on my first long haul flight!
TSA Approved 18x14x8 Travel Duffel Bag
MLVOC Pure Memory Foam Travel Pillow with Contoured Eye Mask and Earplugs
BlueHills Premium Airplane Flight Blanket and Pillow
Soundcore by Anker Q45 Active Noise Canceling Headphones, Reduce Noise by Up to 98%
Pack personal items wisely
First up on tips for your first long-haul flight is to pack your personal items wisely. Whether you are traveling with a carry-on or large luggage, every single airline company allows you to bring a personal item. This means a large purse, laptop bag, baby bag, or backpack. Be sure to check with your airline company so you can bring the biggest bag that is allowed. Most airlines I have researched require the bag to be 18 x 14 x 8. This amount of space is the space under your seat, where you’ll be putting your bag. You can find the perfectly sized bag here!
Once you’ve made the most of how big of a bag you can bring, then you want to pack it wisely. This means bringing a single outfit and immediate essentials you’ll need as soon as you land or during the flight. Since this bag will be right under your seat, you will have easy access to it for the duration of your flight. Take advantage by packing a few of your favorite TSA-approved snacks, a neck pillow, a blanket, device chargers, and a tablet. Click here for the most comfortable memory neck pillow, ear plug, and eye mask set, all in one place!
Then make sure to stack them in order of importance. Airline seats are usually tight on long-haul flights. You don’t want to be squeezed and bent over for minutes while shuffling through all of your belongings. Put the less important items on the bottom and the ones you’ll use most on the top.
Dress in comfortable layers
Next and one of the most important tips for your first long-haul flight is to dress in comfortable layers. I know it has been trending on social media lately to dress as if you are going to a fashion show and have your makeup vogue ready but that is the last thing you want to do. You don’t want to be stuck between people for 9 hours in tight skinny jeans and a crop top. It is simply not optimal for the environment you will be stuck in for the next couple of hours.
Instead, you will want to wear very comfortable layers. By comfortable layers I mean sweatpants or loose leggings, t-shirts, and light zip-up jackets. This way you won’t spend the next 9 hours tugging at your tight clothes and or uncomfortable. On top of this reason, Airline temperatures vary per airline. Sometimes flights are uncomfortably warm and sticky and sometimes you are stuck in an ice box. With comfortable layers, you will be able to take on, take off, roll up, and roll down anything to make yourself more comfortable throughout the long flight.
Choose the right seat
The next on tips for your first long-haul flight is to choose the right seat. I know many airline companies make you pay an extra $50 or more to be able to choose your seat ahead of time. I also know that you are paying a lot of money for a long-haul flight and are reluctant to spend more for something unnecessary. You may think it is best to take your chances and pick your seat when you arrive at the counter. You are wrong, pay the $50 and choose your seat, do it right now!
Perhaps it is okay for a short flight, but on a long-haul flight, you want to maximize your comfort. If you plan on sleeping the entire time, you don’t want to be left with an aisle seat where you are constantly bumped by passersby and asked to move when people in your row need to get up. Alternatively, if you plan on staying up and hydrated during your flight, you don’t want to pick a middle or window seat where you have to constantly bother your row mates when you have to get up for the restroom.
Know the kind of traveler you are and the plan for your flight and just pay the extra to pick the right seat. If you plan on sleeping during your 9+ hour flight, great idea, but choose the window seat. That way, you won’t be interrupted by anything during the flight and can rest on the window. You’ll be able to get a sound sleep. If you plan on stretching and walking down the aisle or if you usually have stomach or bladder issues, that is okay too, make sure you pick the aisle row so you have quick access to the restrooms.
Chose an overnight and sleep
In regards to the last tip, I’ll piggyback and recommend picking an overnight flight. Most long-haul flights are 9 to 10 hours. Do you know what else takes 9 to 10 hours? A very good, much-needed sleep. For some, flights are very stressful, long, boring, and uncomfortable. You are stuck in a giant moving tube with about half a thousand strangers. The air is cold, people are coughing, and everything has the possibility of making you uncomfortable. And when you are uncomfortable on a flight, there is really nothing you can do about it but head to the bathroom and take a few deep breaths. If only there were a way to time travel through it all and not have to experience it.
Oh, wait! You can! Just go to sleep. Sleeping on a long flight is the absolute best way to get through one. Whether you have a fear of flights or just a genuine dislike for the environment, sleeping will make your whole experience easier. Book a flight during the time you usually sleep so your body is already tired and prepared to fall asleep. Also, on an overnight, they dim all of the lights. There is mostly no light from any open windows, and most passengers are quiet and asleep as well. If you have trouble sleeping on planes, store everything you’ll need in your personal item bag to help you fall asleep. This means a black-out eye mask, ear plugs, and a blanket. Also, I recommend drinking chamomile tea while waiting to board, that way your eyes can start drooping and your body can start calming. Click here for a contoured eye mask, memory foam neck pillow, and earplug set that helped me survive a 10-hour flight from Miami to London!
Download your entertainment and bring noise cancelling headphones
If you swear against sleeping during a flight or if you can only find daytime flights, my next tip for your first long-haul flight would be to download your entertainment. Yes, all flights have built-in televisions on the seat in front of you with hundreds of entertainment options, but they are all boring. Trust me, I have been there. I once left my tablet at home because I trusted there would be entertainment options but there were only b-movies I have already seen and child television shows.
Though some may be okay rewatching something boring, it is best to bring something you want to watch, that way you are fully focused on your entertainment and have a distraction from the long flight. The best thing you can do is utilize the download capabilities on your streaming service. Luckily it is included with all streaming services, from Netflix to Hulu, Disney +, and even Paramount +, which nobody uses. Save watching a specific show or movie for a flight and download it a few nights before your flight. That way, instead of watching boring reruns, you can focus on the new season of the great British Bake-Off!
Here is where you want to make sure to invest in some noise cancelling headphones. Among all the overpriced and underwhelming headphones, I found the Soundcore by Anker Q45 to be able to turn the loud ringing and hum of an airplane into a silent calming white noise. These headphones cancel up to 98% of sound without sacrificing the quality of what you are listening to. Click here to find it on amazon.
Take a walk
Also, in relation to those refusing to sleep on the flight, the last tip for your first long-haul flight is to take a walk. This is an essential tip that I recommend to everybody. Get up and walk around, do some exercises, do some stretches. If you are not asleep, then you should be in a middle or aisle row. Here it will be easy to step out of your seat and move your body.
Many may be embarrassed or think it would be frowned upon, but on my 9-hour flight from London back to Miami, so many people were walking laps up and down and stretching by the doors. No one batted an eye. In fact, everyone copied and got up to stretch once or twice. If you are not sleeping, get up every two or three hours, take a walk from the back restroom to the front restroom, and do a few stretches or small movements. Your body will thank you for it. On a long-haul flight, it is easy to get muscle cramps, hip tightness, and all types of stiffness issues. You are allowed and encouraged to move, make use of that so you don’t go crazy in your seat.
Have a nice flight!
All in all, flying is sometimes stressful, and a long-haul flight might seem impossible, but it doesn’t have to be. There are so many steps you can take to ensure your first long-haul flight is a comfortable one. There is no reason you should be suffering through it. Do the most to make yourself comfortable, whether it be downloading your movies, sleeping, or dressing lightly. With all of these tips for your first long-haul flight, you’ll surely be able to brave it with no fear! Godspeed!
Taking a long-haul flight with toddlers or young children? Check out my tips for flying with a toddler!
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