10 Tips For Surviving Long Flights.

At one point I thought the 5 hour flight to the Southern Caribbean when visiting Trinidad and Tobago for the annual Carnival, was exhausting. That was until we had to endure the 14 hour trek to Seoul, South Korea a few years back. While it was one of the most pleasant flight/service I’ve ever experienced in all my years of flying, those same years of travelling had me better prepared for such an aerial ‘expedition’.

My goal when visiting a new city is to always hit the ground running. I’m curious by nature and love to explore so being well rested and ‘sore’ free and generally ‘fresh’ is something I focus on. With that in mind, here are my top 10 tips for handling long flights (even bus trips) like a boss!

• comfortable clothing is a MUST! Even if you have to change while in-flight in the awkward bathrooms. (on our Korean Air flight they even provided us with slippers) I’d also recommend wearing layers, so you can remove as needed if the plane gets hot.
• In my case I ALWAYS wear compression socks (yes they work..if you’re like me and end up with severely swollen feet when flying)
• neck pillow (I have one with cooling beads so it doesn’t overheat around my neck)
• eye mask to help you get some shut-eye.. you could be stuck sitting next to the person by the window who cloud-watch the entire trip
• noise cancelling air phones (listen your music or to drown-out chatter and cabin noise)
• pack food, snacks and water (avoid coffee). With cut-backs most flights don’t even offer the free peanuts any longer. IMPORTANT: DON’T overeat and be mindful of ‘what’ you eat.
• bring your own entertainment – books, music on your phone, laptop, tablet loaded with your fav movies
• get up from your seat, stretch and walk. I usually remove my shoes and do some stretching down by the galley area as there’s usually more room there
• wet naps or cooling face wipes, toothbrush and makeup remover if you plan on touching up before you land
• I’ve found that by sitting on the plane’s wing I experience less movement from turbulence. Something to do with that area being the plane’s center of gravity

These tips will not guarantee you will be full of energy and ready to go once you land, but from personal experience I can tell you that you’ll be in better shape to at least take on the airport or connecting flight, immigration and journey to your hotel.

Do you have any tips for surviving long flight you’d like to share? Please leave a comment below of hit me up on Twitter @obzokee.