16 Long Haul Flight Tips | How to Survive a Long Haul Flight

Hey everybody, I’m Kim, The Abundant Traveler, and welcome to the channel. Today, it’s all about surviving a long-haul flight. Long-haul flights can be ridiculously challenging. You can’t sleep, you’re not comfortable, the food is terrible, you know. And you get to your destination, you only have a week of vacation and there you are jet lagged, worn out, exhausted, tummy’s not happy and everything. So, this is all about making your long-haul flights easy, smooth, and seamless, and a lot better for when you arrive at your destination.

So, let’s talk about what to do before you actually fly. Number one, book your flight strategically. Think about where you want to sit, what part of the airplane, whether you want an aisle or a window seat. You want to be in the seat that is most comfortable to you. If you want to be towards the front of the plane – and just to let you know towards the front of the plane tends to be less rambunctious than the back of the plane. The back of the plane tends to move a little bit more, so if you get nauseous more easily, then sit at the front of the plane. If you like lots of extra room and you’re in economy, then maybe think about getting an exit row seat. But, remember, a lot of the exit row seats don’t recline. The economy seats don’t recline very much, but the exit row doesn’t recline at all, so strategically pick your seat. For me, I don’t like the bulkhead. A lot of people like bulkhead seats because you have a little extra leg room, but remember in bulkhead that you don’t have access to any of your bags. During take off and landing, you have to have everything up above you, which means getting up and down more often than sitting in a regular seat. I personally like sitting in a window seat. The reason I like a window seat is I get to lean against the window, so I’m not sitting upright when I’m trying to sleep. So, using the pillow and the blanket that are provided by the airline makes things a little bit more comfortable and a little bit warmer.

Also, if you’re traveling with two people, then maybe you want to consider booking the aisle seat and the window seat, and hopefully nobody uses or books the seat in the middle, as well, so that way you get a little more leg room. Also, for seat choices, I don’t recommend booking near one of the toilets nor at the very back of the airplane. Remember, the very last seat also doesn’t recline and near the bathrooms and near the back of the airplane, everybody is – they’re not supposed to congregate but everybody is moving around those areas all the time and it’s disruptive if you’re trying to sleep.

In addition to choosing the right seat for your flight, you want to choose the right time frame for your flight. So, for me, when I fly to Europe – I live in Texas and I would prefer to fly from Dallas to Europe than I would from New York to Europe or Miami to Europe – the reason for that is I want enough time to get a good night’s sleep on the flight and a good night’s sleep to me is not flying Miami to Madrid where the flight is only like seven hours, because by the time I take off, I I feel like I’ve only gotten like three hours worth of sleep before I’m landing. They want me to have breakfast, etc., so I would prefer a little bit longer, an eight and a half or nine hour flight, so I can actually get about six and a half to seven hours of sleep. I do much much better when I’ve had a little bit extra time on that long-haul flight to get some extra sleep and some extra rest.

The next thing about booking your flight, I recommend upgrading if you possibly can. If you can upgrade to economy plus with a little bit more leg room or if you buy your flight and possibly use some points by using credit cards, like I love the Chase Preferred Credit Card because it works for several airlines. You can actually get points on your Chase preferred and transfer them to several airlines, and, by the way, if you want to learn more about that credit card I’ve left the information in the description below. But use what you can to upgrade it – either a small upgrade or a big upgrade using dollars or points is extremely important. You want to be as comfortable on this long-haul flight as possible, because the goal is to be awake and alive and ready to go when you land at your perfect destination.

Next couple of things, before you actually are on your flight, the night before, you want to charge all of your electronics. Charge your phone, charge your computer, charge your laptop, charge a Kindle. Also, you want to make sure that you have packed everything in your personal item, because your personal item can fit underneath the seat. Your carry-on will go up above you, and if you’re like me and choose a window seat, you don’t want to disrupt your neighbors in the aisle seat. So, I go ahead and pack everything I want in my personal item. In that personal item, also, you want to make sure that it is malleable, so I always use the Samsonite backpack. That’s my favorite one, and I can put it underneath me. I carry my phone, my computer, all the things that I need. My snacks and everything and it’s easily accessible because it’s actually underneath my seat.

In addition to charging all of your electronics, I also recommend downloading the airline apps. When you download the airline apps, you are going to have access to all of their entertainment. You’re going to be able to upload your personal credit card in case you need to buy something and they’re a cashless airline. It is also a great way to be able to check the seat assignments as you’re boarding the plane, so you can see what seats might be available to you that are not filled where you can sneak over there and get a good night’s sleep.

In addition to downloading the airline app, I recommend you download all of your favorite podcasts, your Netflix, your YouTube videos, anything that you want to watch for entertainment, download any books on your Kindle, etc. The flight entertainment is available to you, but you may not enjoy what they have to present, so download everything you need and then you’ll be good to go. So, the airline app and all of your other goodies, so you have some energy, entertainment while you’re there on the flight.

Now, let’s talk about the morning of flying. The first thing I recommend to you is pack everything in a space where you know where it is. For me, when I travel, I probably – I mean I’ve been to 65 countries and lived in five, I’ve traveled long-haul flights a lot, a whole lot – and what I do is actually pack everything in the same space all of the time. So, inside my personal carry-on my Samsonite backpack, I pack everything in the same location. I also travel most of the time with a Lululemon jacket that I love that has zippered pockets, and in those zipper pockets I put my passport. Actually, my passport and my boarding pass go over here on the left side and I always put my phone and my earbuds on my right hand side. That way, no matter where I am in the airport, in the airplane, trying to sleep, jet lagged, whatever, I know exactly where they are. Same with my Samsonite backpack. I know exactly where everything is in that backpack. So, pack that way.

Also, I recommend going to the airport early. So, flying can be stressful – getting everything organized, getting the kids together, not getting the kids together, getting your packing, getting everything done, and getting to the airport can be extremely stressful. So, you’re not likely to sleep when you’re all stressed out. So, my recommendation is get to the airport as soon as possible, give yourself some extra time, give yourself a window of time to relax, chill out, get through security, not be stressed, check in your bag, do whatever you’re going to do. Maybe go to the airport lounge if you have access and just relax before you get on the flight because that’s extremely important. You want to be cool, calm, and collected when you get on the airplane because you want to be able to go to sleep almost immediately.

I mentioned my Lulu Lemon jacket that’s one of my favorites, but other clothes that I recommend; I recommend bringing a pair of compression socks. I recommend, you know, yoga pants and that type of thing. Anything that is super comfortable on a long-haul flight, whether you’re sleeping overnight or trying to stay up coming back home necessarily, then I suggest you want to be in the most comfortable clothes possible. Comfort means an easier flight for you.

Now that we’ve talked about clothing and what to pack, how to pack, and which seat is best for you, organizing everything and getting to the airport early, let’s talk about food. Okay, I always bring food with me and there’s a reason for that. Not only am I gluten free and allergic to chicken, I don’t like eating on an airplane. Eating the food on an airplane when you’re at altitude, you taste less, it is not as interesting on your palate, the food. So, what they do is they add a lot of sugar, they also add a lot of salt to it, and it’s typically a lot of carbs. What that does is it makes your tummy full, it makes your tummy gurgle, it makes your body unhappy for digestion, and if you’re trying to sleep on the flight or you’re trying to take it easy and watch some movies and relax; if you’re not going to sleep, then eating all of that heavy food is not the best idea. What I typically bring with me is I bring some nuts, a couple of granola bars with me, um, something quite simple to eat. You want to be able to eat a little something, but you don’t want to over indulge, especially with the food that is provided on the flight.

In addition to that, hydration is extremely important. Be careful about drinking a lot of caffeine. Also, be careful about drinking a lot of alcohol. When you’re on a long-haul flight, alcohol goes to your head quicker. Also, drinking caffeine will dehydrate you, so my recommendation is bring an empty water bottle with you, fill it up before you get on the airplane, and make sure you’re drinking six to eight ounces every hour if you’re awake, and as often as possible if you’re trying to sleep. Additionally, fizzy drinks like sparkling water and Coke and whatever those fizzy bubbles will act up at altitude, so it’ll make your stomach even more upset. So, be careful about fizzy drinks, as well, when you’re taking a long haul flight.

So, just a personal tip for me that I do on every long-haul flight, typically when you take off, they, within an hour, they’re going to be serving you a very large meal. They serve lots of carbs, it’s a, you know, pasta and chicken and vegetarian and beef and whatever else. Your digestion system is like, what the heck is going on? Full of salt, full of sugar, and way too heavy for you to try and go to sleep. So, as a result, I don’t sleep when I’m eating a big meal. What I typically do on a long-haul flight is, at the airport before I take off, say it’s a 6 PM flight, at three o’clock in the afternoon when I get to the airport, that’s when I eat my big meal. As soon as I get on the airplane, I go ahead and I prepare my body and my systems for going to sleep or I prepare my body for let’s just watch a video, let’s just hang out, but let’s relax and overcome this nine hours of sitting on the airplane.

So, now we’re about to get on the flight, a couple of things I suggest that you do, I suggest that you actually get on the airplane early. That way, you can get settled earlier, you can adjust your system and your body to, okay, it’s time to downgrade and download and relax. Also, you will be able to put your luggage directly above you, so you’re not hunting back and forth if you have to get up and get anything out of your carry-on. Also, as you’re getting on the flight, I suggest that you check – remember that you downloaded the airline app – check the seat map, because it’s very possible that right around you somewhere close are a few seats together where you can actually get a little bit horizontal and take a nap or relax or just watch a movie and be horizontal rather than sitting up vertically. Most of the time, people are not checking the seat map; they’re just looking around thinking, just you know, if somebody’s not going to take the seat. So, you strategically know which seats are not filled, so as soon as they say the doors are closed, you can pack up your stuff and jump over to those four seats where you can lay flat and actually enjoy your long haul flight.

Now that you’re all organized in your seat, I recommend that you change your watch, if you wear a watch, to the new time zone. That’ll help you get organized, uh, in your brain and hopefully your body, as well, to the new time zone. I also suggest don’t watch that flight map. It is so hard to see that little plane, and it just doesn’t move. It makes your long haul flight seem so much longer by watching the flight map. Remember, you’ve downloaded all your goodies, so all you have to do is watch yet another movie.

I also suggest on any long-haul flight to get up and move around as often as you can. I also suggest stretching in your seat. Either, you know, raising your arms and stretching, flexing your ankles, rolling your toes, reaching, you know, having, you know, pulling up your legs up to you and stretching out underneath your seat doing whatever you can to keep that blood flow going inside your body. Don’t be moving your body when it is nighttime at your new destination, so when it is the time frame at your new destination that you should be sleeping, then what you need to be doing on the airplane is deciding that it is time to sleep.

So, let’s talk a little bit about the perfect night’s sleep on an airplane. Now, if you’re in business class, then you actually have the opportunity to lay down and be horizontal. And when you’re horizontal, it’s so much easier to sleep, but when you’re in economy, there are struggles when you’re trying to sleep. So, let’s talk about a few of the things to get the perfect night’s sleep on a long-haul flight. I guess, when you’re in economy, a couple of things in preparation for going to sleep; one, commit to sleeping. Don’t say, I can never sleep on an airplane, I can never sleep on an airplane, because you know what’s going to happen? You’re not going to sleep on an airplane. So, commit to actually going to sleep. Secondly, do your night routine, whatever you normally do at home, go ahead and do that on the airplane. If you get up and you brush your teeth, if you brush your hair, if you take your makeup off, whatever you actually normally do at night for a night routine, go ahead and do that when you’re on your flight. It’ll trigger your body to start to relax and go, oh wait, it’s time to go to bed, even if it’s like five o’clock in the afternoon. You need to trick your body into wanting to go to sleep. So, do anything that is possible to trick the body.

There are a couple of things that I bring with me when I’m going to sleep. One is melatonin; I have a time-release melatonin I go ahead and take that when I’m getting on the airplane, not after I’ve, you know, after the plane’s taken off. And, again, I don’t eat the big meal. I go ahead and take it the second I got on an airplane because 30 minutes later I feel like I’m ready to go to sleep, and they haven’t even served the big meal. It gives me the opportunity to sleep longer. A couple other things I bring with me; I bring noise-canceling headphones. They’re amazing; noise-canceling headphones. I also bring an eye mask with me, and I bring my neck pillow, which is a cabeau. So, if you’re interested in all the things that I bring in my carry-on, you can go to the description below and download my free guide or you can watch my video all about the carry-on. But for me, for sleeping, those are the primary things that I need.

One, I want to block out the light. You sleep when it’s dark outside, so I put my mask on and my body thinks, oh my God, it’s time to go to sleep. Also, noise canceling headphones; think about it, when you’re at home and the slightest noise in the middle of the night will wake you up, well, in an airplane, there are so many small noises, so you actually are never getting a good night’s rest. You’re never sleeping very soundly because you’re hearing all these noises, so noise canceling headphones are amazing. Even if you don’t have those, then use the earplugs, um, the cabeau head or the neck pillow is, also, I think pretty amazing, because it’s got an attachment on the back that will attach to the back of your seat. That way, when you’re sleeping, your head doesn’t fall over. So, those are huge, huge for me. Anyway, they work for me and it’s all about what works for you. Find out what works for you!

A couple other tips for what is good for a good night’s sleep; go ahead and tell the flight attendants that you do not want to be disturbed when you are sleeping. If you’re going to use a blanket, I suggest you put your seat belt over the top of the blanket, because at times the flight attendants have to come by and ensure that you are wearing your seat belt and if it’s underneath your blanket, they’re going to tap you on the shoulder, wake you up to make sure you have your seat belt on. So, just go ahead and put it over the top of your blanket.

So, now that you’ve had a decent night’s sleep – probably not the best, but a decent night’s sleep  – in the morning, what I recommend that you do, I recommend you do your morning routine. Get up, wash your face, brush your teeth, if you’re going to have coffee, etc., whatever. But, make sure that you’re doing the morning routine at the time that you would be doing morning things at your new destination. If you’re a big breakfast person, make sure you’ve brought some extra food and make sure to eat the breakfast that is available to you from the airline.

Another thing I recommend in addition to doing your morning routine and eating or doing whatever you do, raise that window shade and turn your body towards the light. You want to be getting light on your chest here and on your face. That’s what happens, your body will start to wake up if you get light and brightness here and that’s extremely important if you’re trying to adjust to your new time zone and it’s morning when you’re about to land at your fabulous destination. It’s all about creating for your body, creating the perception that it is time to go to sleep or the perception that you’re supposed to wind down and just relax, because a long-haul flight there’s nothing you can do, there’s nowhere you can go. You’re just stuck there for as long as that flight is, and I can tell you some flights are really long. Like flying from the U.S to South Africa, that’s pretty insane. But a 9 or 10 hour flight is pretty easy to accomplish if you’re just prepared do the things in advance, do the things to prepare yourself, drink lots of water, do a little exercise, and just relax on that long haul flight.

So, I’m Kim, The Abundant Traveler. Thank you so much for watching! Make sure to check out my other videos on flying, including fear of flying, jet lag, my carry-on, and everything and I cannot wait to see you on some amazing flight very, very soon! Let me know if you have any suggestions for what you do on a long-haul flight. I’d love to see your recommendations and suggestions. Take care and I’ll see you on the next video!