How to Survive A Long Haul Flight With Your Sanity Intact
You are either reading this because you have come to the bohemian travel point in your life and are pulling an “Eat, Pray, Love” moment or maybe because you are stuck traveling long distance for work. Regardless of your reasoning, we understand.
The thought of an international long haul can come with a lot of great emotions (excitement, fear, wonder, irritation, etc.) and maybe a bit of stress when it comes to just how you are going to keep yourself sane on the plane. Luckily, we just went through it and here are our tips for your next trip.
Know yourself and plan accordingly
Are you an anxious person or are you always calm? Maybe you land somewhere in the middle? Regardless, for a trip like this you need to be honest with yourself and understand where you stand emotionally. And once you figure that out, find the things that are going to help make you the most comfortable.
What do I mean by that?
If you are a highly anxious person and the thought of sitting still in a small airplane seat stresses you out then find the things that will help pass the time and keep you occupied without thinking of the situation you are in. If you can zone into a movie, load more than you can possibly need. Are you an artist? Bring your colored pencils. The list is endless.
Get in the comfort zone
Traveling as a hard and fast rule is not meant to be comfortable. Yes, even for first class. You are squishing yourself into a smaller space with limited: movement, atmosphere control, volume control, and even food/beverage control. This may seem silly but these are all aspects of our everyday lives that we use for comfort and totally take for granted.
So before putting yourself into this situation, start by getting yourself as comfortable as you possibly can before you even get to the airport. Eat your favorite foods, get a massage, take a hot shower and spend extra time cuddling in bed the morning/evening of your journey—whatever it is that will put you in your most peaceful mindset.
Make a backpack checklist
This also has to do with making yourself comfortable. A few days before your trip start making your ‘backpack checklist.’ A backpack checklist should have everything that would increase your comfort levels during your flight for almost any situation.
Mine usually includes:
-phone charger
-to-go toiletries, hair ties, and medications bag
-sweater/light blanket
-neck pillow (depending on bag space)
-noise canceling headphones
-small, non-messy art supplies
-computer/phone with downloaded entertainment
-sandwich/snacks
Remember, you are going to have limited space so pack smart. If you can have digital versions of anything, download them. The purpose of this list, which you should be making in advance, is so that you are well prepared eons before you find yourself shoving things into a bag at the last second.
Dress like you intend to travel in the worst conditions
As they say in The Twelve Chairs: Hope for the best, expect the worst. And when you apply this theory to dressing for long term travel, you can never be too uncomfortable on the big day.
Before some of you jump to conclusions, no, I don't mean to plan for disaster, but dress in a way that prepares you for any situation.That means to layer your clothing, wear something soft, comfortable, and durable, bringing extra hair ties, and for the love of all things in this world always wearing something with pockets. Fashion be damned, you will need the pockets.
It’s all about you!
As much as we would all love to kick the annoying person next to you off to the next flight, you can’t go about making outrageous demands when you travel (sorry to disappoint). But that doesn’t mean that you can’t make it all about you!
So wear the outfit that makes you feel best, watch whatever you want to watch (yes even cartoons if you feel like it lol), eat the snacks that you want (diet be damned), and don’t be afraid to ask the flight attendants if there is something that you need—they can be super helpful if you ask!
Lastly, remember that traveling is a very personal thing; accepting and embracing that will help you find the best tips and tricks for the ultimate-long-haul-flight-comfort strategy.
Happy flying!
