Have you ever been so bored and uncomfortable on a long-haul flight you’ve wanted to pull your eyes out of your head and throw them on the floor just for something to do? Me too, but over time, I’ve gotten a lot better at making flying more enjoyable. I know a lot of people pop a little pill and go to snooze town, but if that’s not your jam, here’s my advice for making the waking hours of your flight a little less painful and hopefully, actually a little bit fun.
1. Book the aisle seat (or go for the window seat if you prefer) and avoid sitting near the bathrooms
I like to get up and stretch every hour or so on a plane to reduce boredom, reduce cramps and reduce the risk of deep vein thrombosis. I hate having to ask people to move when I want to do this so I like to book an aisle seat.
It also means I can access my carry-on luggage stored above easily if I need it. If you know you sleep well on planes and don’t get up much, you might prefer to go for the window seat.
No one likes the middle seat – avoid this one if you can, especially if travelling solo. Bathrooms can get noisy and even smelly on planes, so try and sit at least a few seats away from them.
2. Fly in the daytime, or at least in a mix of daylight and nighttime
Some people (probably those that have medicinal sleeping aids) deliberately book overnight flights so they can save on accommodation. Unless you know you’re a great sky-sleeper, in my view it’s not worth it. There’s a reason these flights are known as ‘red-eyes’.
Fly in the day if you can. You might even get to see some mountains or deserts from above, but you’ll also go less crazy.
Those flights that are 12 hours of darkness where you feel bad for even having your reading light on for an hour and everyone is trying to sleep from departure right through to arrival are painful if you’re not the type to be able to sleep well on a plane.
2. Fly with a friend
If you’ve got a situation where you could reasonably either fly on a separate long haul flight to your friend / partner / relative etc. and meet them somewhere, or fly with your friend to somewhere, fly with the friend if you can.
They say that grief shared is grief halved or something like that. I think the inherent boredom and discomfort of long-haul flights is also halved with a friend and can definitely make flying actually fun.
3. Make a new friend (or at least, a new acquaintance)
I have had many a great conversation on a flight with the random people next to me.
Frankly, it doesn’t always go as well as hoped, such as when I cheerily asked a woman if she was flying for ‘business or pleasure’ and she answered, stony faced, that she was flying her mother’s ashes home, but it usually goes better than that.
Obviously, not everyone wants to shoot the breeze. You can tell pretty easily when someone immediately dives into a newspaper or business papers that they aren’t down for chit-chat. However, I’ve had some great flights where we had the whole row of three strangers chatting away together. I’m also sure more than one person has met the love of their life sitting next to them on a plane, so there’s that. 😉
If you think you won’t actually enjoy socialising mid-flight, I’d like to bring your attention to this experiment, that showed that even when people on public transport believed they’d be happier commuting in solitude, in reality they found a journey more enjoyable when they chatted with strangers.
4. Dress like a celebrity
Celebrities fly a lot compared to the rest of us, so it’s wise to look at what they do and take a leaf out of their book. While they often get to live the high life in a private jet, they still dress at the airport as though they are slumming it at the supermarket on a Sunday in the snack aisle. They know the dress code. Airplanes are for:
Track pants.
Hoodies.
Loose Waistbands.
Scarves and ponchos that double as blankets (as airplanes are often quite cold, so definitely wear layers).
Celebrities are also big on the oversized sunnies and I think they’re onto something here too. If the person three rows up from you wants the window open while you feel like napping, if the views outside are spectacular but glary, or if, for whatever reason, you need to have a little cry on your flight, either due to the in-flight movie or your own circumstances, sunnies are your friend.
I once flew shortly after a break-up and cried quietly the whole way home. While I’m sure people around me could tell I was upset, at least no one could actually see how puffy my eyes were and I like to think my sunglasses made me look interesting, (maybe even mysterious?) and sad, and not just sad.
5. Buy a book you really want to read and don’t begin it until you get on the flight
One of my favourite things to do for a flight is buy a book that I think will be a real page turner and that I really want to read. It means I have something to look forward to on the flight as a little treat. I can while away a good hour or two with a great book on a plane.
6. Buy a magazine at the airport newsagent
Books not your deal? Magazines make a great alternative, or a great supplement. I don’t ever buy magazines in my regular life so splurging on a copy of New Scientist or The Economist at the airport newsagent before my flight makes me feel oh-so-jetsetter-y. The articles in most good magazines vary in length from short to longer than I would ever read anywhere but on an airplane and you can pick and choose what interests you as you flick through, which I love.
7. Bring along a guidebook for the place you’re visiting
History is always more interesting when you’re in a place or about to set foot there. I find myself most able to absorb reading about the history or culture of a place when I’m on a plane flying to it. Once I’ve arrived, I’m busy being a tourist, and before I’ve left, it falls down my to-do list. Buy a Lonely Planet guidebook or other guide or history book on your travel destination and read it on your flight.
8. Bring Snacks
I don’t know if you’ve heard, but airplane food, especially in economy, isn’t usually fine dining. There’s a reasonable chance you might not love everything on your plate, so it’s a good idea to have some of your own snacks in your bag. Furthermore, I really enjoy having some lollies or chocolate while watching a movie on the plane to really get myself into the movie marathon mindset. It’s also nice to share snacks with your new seat buds.
9. Bring wet wipes, a water bottle, a neck pillow, a toothbrush, comfy long socks, ear plugs, a fresh change of clothes and a pen and any medication
The air inside an airplane is really dehydrating and you’ll often want more water than is readily being provided. Having a water bottle you can refill or ask to refill will give you a more turbulence-proof way of drinking than a plastic cup.
To freshen up, I highly recommend wet wipes and a toothbrush, and a change of clothes is great in case you spill something all over yourself or your checked luggage gets delayed in transit.
Having your medication in your carry on will also prevent stress if your luggage is delayed.
A pen will mean you can fill in all your immigration forms on board and comfy long socks will mean you can take your shoes off on board, which is highly recommended as feet swell at altitude.
11. Get something done
Need to sort through your holiday snaps? Got a bunch of Christmas cards to write? Work emails to catch up on? You can get through a lot of things on a to-do list in a plane seat. It might not be a ‘fun’ activity but it can be a productive way to use up the time and can definitely while away a few hours that you might struggle to find at home.
12. Be cautious with the fizzy drinks, caffeine and booze
All the sitting on a really long flight gives me a super crampy tummy and I’m sure I’m not the only one. Over the years I’ve realised this is only worsened by carbonated drinks, too much coffee and too much alcohol. While it’s nice to have a free drink or two, on longer flights, I tend to avoid the bar-cart and stick to waters and juice.
However, on a shorter flight, I have found that a strong rum and coke can take the edge off any anxiety I’m feeling regarding turbulence or lightning strikes outside the window. Just one Mexican free-pour can take me from ‘this is terrifying’ to ‘whoa that’s really cool’. Salud!
My rule of thumb is to only drink alcohol on flights less than 6 hours.
13. Accept it won’t all be roses and lower your expectations
Flying long haul (especially in economy) is always going to have moments of boredom and discomfort. This is an inevitable outcome of sitting in one small seat for up to 18 hours.
Set your expectations low and just know that it will all be over soon enough and worth it when you get to your destination. It used to take months of discomfort to travel across the world. Now it takes less than 24 hours. You can do this. And think of all the movies you can watch.
Do you fly long haul often? Got any tips to improve the experience? I’d love to hear your suggestions in the comments.