If it did, it gives you a confirmed reservation and charges your credit card for the price of your bid. If not, you pay nothing more but remain in the cattle car. Airline agents sometimes offer ad-hoc upgrades at check-in or even at the departure gate. On an intercontinental trip you can expect to pay at least several hundred dollars. You want these hours to disappear almost without a trace. Think headphones and Hollywood blockbusters. Getting a lot of work done is fine—rarely do you have 15 consecutive hours without phone calls or texts to disrupt you, so I encourage bringing some work—but work will fail you when you get to the brutal middle hours of this ordeal.
Fun things to do on a long flight include watching every movie, playing the games on your seatback TV, binging on your favorite shows, or listening to music or podcasts download them onto your phone in advance. While checked baggage fees are inspiring travelers to carry on more and more stuff, on a long-haul flight this could burn you; anything that is under the seat in front of you just means less legroom and a more cramped living space for 15 or 16 hours.
In general, I am not a gear guy. As I noted above, your total carry-on haul should be limited, but you may want to consider some of these in-flight essentials.
Your body and brain will thank you for every small comfort you can provide, and the inconvenience of packing and carrying these around is dwarfed by the misery of 15 hours in flight with crying children, pilot announcements, engine noise, and a major crick in your neck. Gear up. Wearing contacts for 14 hours straight is unsafe, according to my ophthalmologist. A long-haul flight gives unscrupulous travelers plenty of time to size up the location of your wallet, wait until you fall asleep, and make a move on your luggage.
Secure your valuables deep inside your bags where it would take a TSA X-ray machine to find them. A few years ago a friend gave me an Ambien pill for a red-eye flight from Honolulu to New York City, and the drug acted more like a stimulant than a sleep aid. I was awake the entire flight and felt wretched to boot. These drugs can vary greatly in how they affect individuals, so you will want to try them at home before you rely on them on the plane.
Hosea also says that, as the team doctor, he does not take any medication while flying with the squad in case someone needs care. His approach is appropriate for other travelers who need to have their wits about them, such as folks flying with children, for example. If someone could potentially need you to be percent during the flight, you should forgo any sleep medication. For more advice, see Sleeping on Planes: 13 Tips for Travelers. You will be on the plane long enough to catch a few winks even if you are somewhat rested, and my advice is to take it when it comes; if your eyes start to droop, get out the eye covers and earplugs, and go with it.
If you throw away a solid two-hour nap on a few extra rounds of Angry Birds, you might be angry at yourself later. Secondly, sticking to your usual pre-bedtime routine can sometimes help you prepare your body for sleep.
On the flight back from Sydney mentioned above, I called ahead to get my seat reassigned to an exit row—big mistake. Unbeknownst to me, the exit row seat I chose was a window seat at one of the big, thick exit doors, which encroached on my leg area such that I had to sit sideways in the seat for the entire flight.
Eventually I went around the aircraft collecting all the unused pillows and blankets I could find, piled them up in each of the three seats, and created a workable but in truth not very comfortable platform across all three seats—and got a very few winks of sleep during the flight. I guess it was comical, as friends all took pictures of me during the flight for their amusement. Glad you had a fun flight, guys.
Keep it loose and comfortable — you're not here to impress anyone. Remember to bring layers for when it gets cold — a cardigan or sweatshirt is always good to have on hand.
Do whatever it takes — meditate, listen to some calming music, do some breathing exercises — not only will it help you sleep more easily, but it's also good for your psyche in general. Don't bring anything too thick remember, it has to fit in your carry-on , but make sure it's enough to keep you warm when the plane's air-conditioning is going full blast.
In-flight entertainment systems are not always reliable. They sometimes fail, and when they do, you'll be glad to have something to do in reserve. The absolute last thing you need is for your iPad to run out of juice one hour into an hour flight. This is especially true if your in-flight entertainment system isn't working.
Listening to podcasts uses up less battery life than watching a movie, and they are often more distracting than music. You can get through an entire flight on podcasts alone. Sitting in a cramped metal tube for the better part of a day or more is not good for you. Fight off dehydration and deep-vein thrombosis — your two biggest enemies in the sky — by regularly drinking water, stretching, and walking around the cabin.
This is for everyone else's sake as much as your own. Bring toiletries in your carry-on and make sure to brush your teeth, throw on some deodorant, or even change your clothes.
Just make sure you do it in the bathroom, please. You rarely get the chance to sit down for such a long time, more or less distraction-free, so why not make the most of it? Bring a notebook, a sketchpad, or whatever else you need to give the right-hand side of your brain a workout.
If you have your laptop with you, this might be a good opportunity to catch up on any busywork that needs doing. Bonus: Everyone else on your flight will think you're a sophisticated jet-setting businessperson, right up until they notice that Netflix tab you have open.
Simply not being horrible to the flight crew is a given, but you could always go one step further and make an active effort to be nice. Not only will you up your chances of preferential treatment, but you'll also be doing something lovely for the folks who look after you up there. Airline food is not usually plentiful, even on long-haul flights, and it's important to stay well nourished.
No need to overdo it, of course, but no one was ever sorry to find a couple pieces of fruit or granola bars in their carry-on. It's important to acclimatize yourself to the time zone of where you're heading. As soon as you get on the plane, change your watch to the local time of your destination, then alter your routine accordingly.
Some passengers enjoy a glass of wine or beer often free on international flights to accompany their in-flight meals and entertainment. That said, don't treat booze as a way to cope with your flight. You'll end up using those tiny bathrooms far more frequently, plus alcohol is dehydrating and will mess up your sleep pattern. Keep it sensible. Please view our advertising policy page for more information. Skip to content.
Advertiser Disclosure. Samantha Rosen. Take care of your skin Remember what we said about air on planes being really dehydrating? Drown out the sound Splurge on the best noise-canceling headphones money can buy, and then drown out all the gloomy sounds of economy.
Related: The best starter credit cards Will your long-haul flight in economy to the other side of the world be the best one of your life?
Sign up for our daily newsletter. Sign up. I would like to subscribe to The Points Guy newsletters and special email promotions. The Points Guy will not sell your email. Please enter a valid email address Please check mailing preferences. Sign-up Successful! Welcome to The Points Guy! Samantha Rosen is the Lifestyle Editor at The Points Guy, where she connects the dots between travel, retail, dining and credit cards.
The top 7 new tourist attractions around the world. Hyatt adds 11 new luxury hotels, including a French winery and a Japanese ryokan. Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels.
0コメント