How to Fly Long-Haul

I’ve just got back from a 22 hour flight, and aside from having the sudden compulsion to listen to Prince I think I’m feeling pretty alright. I thought I’d share my wisdom for others going on long-haul or any flights really.


What to wear:

• Cabins are always freezing. Unless you’re flying somewhere hot, in which case it will be freezing whilst flying and boiling during decent and landing. So wear layers – you’ll need a cardigan/jumper/hoody.
• Slip-on shoes. For going through security, (depending on which airport) and because it’s just easier to put them on again quickly when you get off the plane.
• It doesn’t really matter what trousers you wear, I nearly always change into pajamas. Just don't wear a skirt.
• Remember that if you’re dressed smartly, you’re more likely to get upgraded. But sometimes it’s not worth wearing uncomfortable smart clothes to get upgraded, so I’m not so bothered anymore.
  

What to take:

• An empty water bottle (preferably 750ml or more)
• Pen and paper – because being confined for a long period of time is the perfect opportunity to get some writing done
• A book
• A laptop (check with the airline first to see if they can charge them up for you, because some only do that for business class – cheeky sods)
• Flight socks (the socks they give you aren’t flight socks – they’re shite socks, so buy proper flight socks)
• Pajama bottoms (they’re far more comfortable, and who cares what you look like, I’m not risking DVT by wearing skinny jeans for 15 hours)
• Ear plugs (or noise-cancelling earphones)
• An eye mask
• Any food you might want (remembering you can’t take fruit, vegetables, seeds etc. off the plane)
• Any other entertainment you might want (but to be honest, I find the films enough entertainment and the rest of the time is spent sleeping)
• A pillow (the ones they give you are crap)
• A spare top (because sometimes a change of clothes is nice, especially if you’re planning on having a shower in a stopover)
• Your frickin' passport
  

Must be less than 100ml containers, and in a see-through zip-lock bag:

• E45, or any good moisturiser
• Eye drops (I use Optrex)
• Deodorant spray (Nivea do a small, non-aerosol spray)
• Vaseline
• Face wipes (with moisturiser in)
• ‘Liz Earle’ Skin Tonic (which is made in small aeroplane sizes too)
• Toothpaste and toothbrush
  

Other Tips:

• Sleep! As much as you possibly can! To hell with time difference, sleep when you can.
• Drink! Water that is! If you don’t drink you’ll emerge from the plane so shrivelled you’ll look more like a raisin than your passport photo, and they won’t let you in the country. I use a rule of 1litre of water per 6 hours of flying.
• You may (as I was today) be sat next to a particularly smelly individual. For me it was an old lady sat on the other side of the aisle to me who smelled like pure evil. She really did. And no, it wasn’t my mother for a change. A way to sort of get round this is to be sneaky whilst going through duty free – spray your sleeves of your cardigan/jumper/hoody with your favourite perfume so you can sniff that in case of any smelly buggers in the vicinity.
• It’s always a good idea to get an alternative meal, as they are often nicer. But then again, if it’s nice food you’re after – I suggest you bring your own.
• If your seat is broken: complain, because they will probably upgrade you.
• Online check-in is your friend. Just make sure you don’t get seats near the back of the cabin at the end of the row, or you’ll have people queuing for the toilet next to you whilst you’re trying to sleep.
• If you have a stopover, then most airports have showers you can use. They give you a towel all that jazz - once we got a free drink. These are usually about $5, but really they’re invaluable.
• Most airports also have places where you can get massages/facials/etc. These are a good way to spend stopover time, and they’re usually quite cheap.
• If you have a stopover in Singapore, there’s a free cinema on the 1st floor near the hotel. We had 6 hours in there once and watched this terrible Eddie Murphy film about a haunted house, but it was better than spending 6 hours in duty free or sat in a corridor.
• If you have a choice of airlines, I thought Singapore Airlines was the best, but BA and Virgin are also good. Emirates aren't fantastic, but they gave me noodles for breakfast so I'll forgive them.
  

Ok, so it's all pretty basic knowledge, but it's handy to have a reference and I shall certainly be following my own advice on the next long-haul flight I go on.