Tips for Long Flights

I have several clients preparing for long flights. Long flights are often daunting and can be the hardest part of your vacation. Motion sickness and longer-than-average legs make long flights difficult and cramped.

 After taking several long flights myself, I have compiled a list of my top tips for a long flight. Honestly these tips can be useful for any length of flight.

1. Walk around

I understand, there is not a lot of space on an airplane and you may feel like you are constantly in way of the flight attendants, but getting up to walk around, even just to the bathroom will help you to keep your blood circulating and help you feel more refreshed. It also helps so much with jet lag, because who wants to be jet lagged when they start their vacation?!

2. Wear compression socks

Since it may be difficult to walk around as much as you really need to, I suggest wearing compression socks! They help keep the blood in your legs flowing when you are squished into a tiny airplane seat. Again, clots are a concern when you are sitting for so long and that will help prevent them.

Pro Tip: Buy 2 pair so you will have a fresh pair to wear for the flight home! Doing laundry on vacation is no fun and not convenient.

3. Drink plenty of water!

Staying hydrated is the biggest key to surviving a long flight. Dry cabin air will make you extra thirsty and you can get dehydrated quickly. Staying hydrated will help prevent jet lag and help to keep motion sickness at bay. An added plus to staying hydrated is that it will keep you going to the bathroom which will allow you to get a couple extra steps in (see tip 1).

Pro Tip: Bring an empty water bottle with you through security. You can fill it up once you get through security and won’t have to pay for overpriced airport water bottles.

4. Wear Seabands

As I mentioned before, I get very motion sick on a plane. For my last trip, I purchased a set of Seabands and it was a miracle worker! I was so skeptical before purchasing them. I still have no earthly idea how they work, but this is my first long flight ever that I have not gotten motion sick. They are cheap, you can get them on Amazon and they are super tiny so they won’t take up much space in your carry on.

For anyone who doesn’t know, Seabands are similar to sports bands that go around your wrist and have a little piece of plastic that is supposed to hit a pressure point that keeps you from getting sick. They are in the picture and you can get them from Amazon.

5. Bring a neck pillow

I actually never had a neck pillow until my most recent flight, thinking that my cool travel pillow was just as good. The neck pillow allows you to get a little bit of shut eye in a more comfortable position than other travel pillows. My husband and I bought ours in the airport (not the cheapest option) and both loved them. You can also find plenty of options on Amazon.

6. Wear comfy clothes and layers

Remember that you’re going to be on this plane for the next several hours so prepare to be comfortable! I also suggest dressing in light layers, that way if the plane is cold you can wear your cardigan/light jacket or if it’s hot, you can take off a layer. Sometimes the airline will provide you with a blanket, but you may want to prepare for a flight without a blanket unless you know for sure they will have one for you.

7. Bring headphones

This one really only applies if you’re picky about headphones. I have pictured the headphones we got on our last flight below, but if you only like to use one certain type, you may want to bring those with you. They will likely have a little screen in front of you with some movies, games, and tv shows. The headphones are necessary if you want to hear anything.

8. Toiletries

At the end of the flight, you are probably going to feel gross! I always bring face wipes, hand sanitizer, toothpaste/toothbrush, and deodorant with me. These help me to get off the plane feeling fresher and ready to get to your hotel and get settled in at your destination.

 

These go-to tips for flying will hopefully make flying a little less daunting. The destinations that require long flights are amazing! Please don’t miss out just because you don’t want to get on the plane for that long.

 Comment below if you have any other tips!