Long flights can be exhausting. Our flight to my home country, the Philippines on our recent summer vacation took us 19 and a half hours (2 hours from Asheville to Chicago, 13 hours from Chicago to Tokyo, then 4-1/2 hours from Tokyo to Manila) not including our flight from Manila to my hometown, GenSan which took us an hour and a half the following day and the two hour layovers in between each of those flights from Asheville to Manila. But although it can be exhausting, I would still do it over and over again because you can definitely make it enjoyable.
So today, I decided to create a list based on my experience on how to survive a long flight. The three of us survived that long-haul so you can do it too. 🙂
1. Wear comfortable clothing
Both my husband and son wore pants and t-shirts. I wore leggings and a long-sleeved tee. And bring a jacket or hoodie. The plane provides blankets and pillows, but you still would want to have that extra layer because it can really get chilly inside the plane.
2. Wear comfortable shoes
You will sit for long hours in the terminals and on the plane, walk miles to get to your gates and stand in line going through security. Both my husband and son wore sneakers. It was a breeze for me to wear my comfy slip-on sneakers because I didn’t have to tie and untie shoelaces while going through security.
3. Stay hydrated
Experts say air travel is dehydrating so drink water throughout the flight. The flight attendants serve water, but I didn’t want to ask for water from them every time they walked through so we brought a bottle of water with us that we bought at the airport.
4. Bring snacks
They serve snacks on the plane, but traveling with a kid who is always hungry, you definitely need to bring snacks that he can munch on until the next snack or meal is served. You don’t want to travel with a hungry kid, do you? 🙂 I packed protein bars.
5. Stretch
Sitting for hours is tiring and is not good for you physically so, you would really need to do some stretching from time to time. Walk the aisles to and fro and stretch those legs or even arms. And do some head and neck exercises while seated too.
6. Bring things that would entertain you
Some planes have a seat-back TV, but the choices of movies or games are limited so bring something to entertain you like books and puzzles. The hubs and I brought books and the hubs brought his puzzles too. Our son had his iPad.
7. Make sure your devices are fully charged and bring the chargers
Either you have plans of calling or texting somebody while on your long flight or just using any of your devices for playing so, make sure to have them fully charged before you leave. And bring your chargers too in case of long layovers or delayed flights.
8. Bring extra clothing
We had to stay at the airport in Manila for the night before our flight the following day to my hometown. We arrived in Manila at 9 o’clock in the evening and our flight the following day was at 6 o’clock in the morning so, we decided to spend the night at the airport. That’s why I decided to bring an extra shirt and undies to change for our trip the next day. But this is a good idea too in case of a delayed flight.
9. Don’t bring too much stuff
Each of the three of us had one carry-on bag. A backpack for my son where we put his iPad, cellphone, my laptop, his hoodie, my jacket and his snacks. I brought a medium-sized handbag where I put extra clothing and some other girl stuff. The hubs brought himself a messenger bag which was filled with books and puzzles.
10. Enjoy the ride!
And that says it all.
How about you? What was the longest flight you ever took? Anything you can add to these tips?
I’ll be on a long flight tomorrow lol. I always make sure to stretch, bring snacks, and a neck pillow!
The longest flight I have ever been on was 4 hours. But I have had an 8 hour layover before and it was brutal. I think I’d rather be on a plane than just sitting at an airport.
YES to all of these! The longest flight I have been on was only 4 hours but it still seemed like forever!
These are all excellent tips. I have used the majority of them myself.
WOW! I thought our trip to Spain last year was long; but, 19 hours? That is quite a haul! I like your travel ideas, like wearing comfortable clothing and staying hydrated. Those will be invaluable, should I ever have to do a marathon travel.
Staying hydrated is SO important during long flights. I once took a long flight and broke out because I feel like I didn’t get enough water to drink.
We will be taking a long flight in several weeks. These are great tips to make the most of the time on the plane!!
We flew to England many years ago and it was the longest flight to date. We didn’t have kids with us, so we just had to entertain ourselves. We slept a bunch!
I love these tips! I flew from Kansas to Costa Rica once and while I did sleep a lot it was nice to have a lot of small things that were light to carry but entertaining! Comfort is a MUST!
I am dying to go to Australia one of these days, but I honestly don’t know if I could survive that inanely long flight. These are great tips!
Thanks – good list. With respect to tip #3 – stay hydrated – you can save some cash and the planet by taking a large, reusable water bottle. Most airports have free bottle-filling stations, so take it through security empty then fill it up once you are inside.
Thank you for the tip, Danny. 🙂
I always get hydrated when I travel, and I hate it! I never want to drink too much because I don’t want to have to make stops on a road trip or have to keep using the airplane bathroom. But, it’s not good to let yourself get dehydrated – I almost always get an awful headache as a result.
These are all great tips. I’ve never even been on a plane before. These will come in handy if I ever do get one one.
This is such a brilliant idea for those who are traveling. A long flight can be stressful and these are some things to do.
That looks like quite an experience. That is a long flight, not sure that I could do it.
When you’re hitting the 12+ hours of flying is when you’ve got to skip the budget airlines and go for something that will allow you to stretch, rest, and not go crazy. I tend to be an overpacker, but I’m going to take your advice and tone it down next time.
I’ve been on my fair share of long flights and these are some great tips.
Longest flight I’ve ever been on has been from Detroit to Los Angeles, California. It was broke up though with a layover so not that bad. I’d actually like to be on a really long flight because it would mean was heading someplace far away like Asia or Australia which would love to visit someday.
I went on a flight to South America years ago and the flight was so long. I wish I had these tips back then!
These are really great tips. My longest flight so far has been 7 hours and I used quite a few of these tips then.
Wow, I am so jealous that you already have your vacation to our dear Philippines. Wish I can go home this year too so I can visit my Mama in Manila. I totally agree with those awesome tips!
I am always worried when I need to do long flights! And I always need to have something to entertain with!!!
I went to Zambia on a fellowship 2 years ago and it was one heck of a long flight. Actually it was 3 flights for me from Toronto, Ontario and all told the fly time was about 23 hours. I was so exhausted that on the last leg I almost fell asleep in the airport. That could have been harsh. Imagine missing the final one hour of a 23 hour journey!! Anyways my tip is compression stockings. I wouldn’t fly long haul flights without them any more.