7 Tips on Preparing for a Long-Haul Flight in Coach
I’m about to get on a 20-hour flight from New York to Bangkok (with a 1.5 hour layover in Doha), and I thought of sharing these tips that make long international flights more bearable. As a person who goes back and forth between the Philippines and New York (8,000 miles apart!), I’ve come away from every single 24-hour jaunt vowing never to get on a long-haul flight again. Obviously, that’s just not feasible for a travel writer (or for wanting to live halfway around the world from my family), so I’ve come up with a variety of ways to preserve my sanity while I fidget uncomfortably in coach (needless to say, I do not —cannot yet— fly business class. Alas.).
1. Work out the day of or before you fly. I just attended yoga class, and I already know I’ll have an easier time settling into my seat this evening. Your bones won’t creak as much, your muscles will relax, and your body will be more malleable as it twists and contorts in an effort to find a comfortable position. Also, you’ll have released toxins, your blood will flow will better, and you’re fortifying yourself in some small but meaningful way against sickness. Honestly, it helps.
2. Shower and change into a fresh set of comfortable clothes just before you walk out the door. By hour 12 of a 14-hour flight, you will feel like one big dirtball. Might as well stay fresh for as long as possible. Also, stick to cotton.
3. In the same vein, I recommend exfoliating, conditioning and moisturizing. Dry air on the plane is one of the main things that makes me feel like I’m on my way to a slow death, so fortifying your body in these small ways helps you feel like a person. I highly recommend Origins Ginger Body Scrub —it exfoliates and moisturizes! which means you save time!
4. Check in for your flight online and select your seat. I can’t believe not everyone does this. Most airlines allow you to check in online up to 24 hours before your scheduled departure, which means that instead of heading to the airport 3 hours early (the safe, recommended allowance for an international flight), you can save a whole hour and spend it sitting at home (or showering). Virtual check-in means avoiding the lines at the airport and just dropping off your luggage before going through security. Also, how could you not care about choosing your seat? You’ll be stuck there for hours! Your negligence could mean a middle seat in a five-seat row on an 18-hour flight from New York to Singapore. That’s not bad luck, that’s poor planning.
5. Pack both these things: something to help you sleep (that’s legal, of course) and something to keep your brain occupied. If you’re like me and have trouble sleeping on flights for an extended period of time, sleep aids are a necessity. And if you’re even more like me in that sleeping pills (even Ambien) are only good for a 3-hour nap, then the only alternative to inducing a coma is engaging your brain for hours. Bring a good book, solve a crossword puzzle, go wild on sudoku, whatever. It’ll save you from existential crisis as you sit still while flying over a vast, endless ocean…
6. Enjoy a good meal, preferably one you won’t be able to have while you’re away. I’m heading to Thailand, Vietnam and Laos, so my last meal of choice was Moroccan. Lamb tagine with casablanca sauce and cous cous, to be specific. It will sit well in my belly tonight.
7. Hydrate. Again: dry air is dehumanizing. Water is life.
