A trip from New York to Singapore is currently the longest one-way flight in the world at 18.5 hours long. A single flight from Houston to Sydney Australia is approximately 17.5 hours long. You can get from Atlanta to Johannesburg on one plane trip lasting 15 + hours.
The point being, International flights are long and mentally exhausting.
The free movies and slightly extra space in economy do help ease the stress and make the trip a bit more bearable.
However, a 15-hour flight is still 15 hours in a compact space without the ability to lay down and your random walks to stretch your legs are limited to the length of the cabin.
Here are a few ideas (some you may already do) that we recommend for easing your experience on International flights:
- Take bi-hourly walks up and down the aisle to stretch your legs and get your blood flowing. Of course you may sleep for 6+ hours straight on a 15 hour flight but something to remember while you’re awake.
- Purchase some of your favorite dry snacks from your local convenience store a few days before your trip. Make it a fun ritual for your longer trips. This way you don’t have to worry about finding the perfect snacks at the airport last minute or paying the extra price for them.
- Make electronic copies of your important documents including your passport, driver’s license and frequently used credit/debit cards in case one goes missing. Save the images/pdfs to your email or Google Drive (link to here …. https://www.google.com/intl/en-US/drive/
- Bring 1 or 2 of your favorite thermal water bottles in your backpack or carry-on. This way you don’t have to worry about when the flight attendant will be bringing the next round of water. Staying hydrated is a cliché but it is uber important for your body’s health and stress and is something easily forgotten on a long plane ride. (Reminder: make sure your water bottles are empty before going through security of course).
- Bring your favorite comfy headphones/earbuds with an extra charger in case you lose one! You will especially want headphones for longer flights. Noise canceling headphones even better. Soothing playlists will help you relax and help enable you to rest deeper and sleep harder. There are several great headphone brands and models out there. Here is a specific one we recommend with great features including magnetic tips to allow you to enclose it around your neck so it doesn't get lost when not in use which is a fantastic feature! Beats Flex Wireless Earbuds
- Make sure you bring your favorite carry-on bag/backpack of some sort with lots of small compartments where you can quickly store and access your passport, wallet, headphones, blanket, travel pillow, books, snacks, water bottles etc.
- Pack some basic toiletries in your carry-on in case your checked luggage gets delayed for some reason. Just the basic items you can’t go without for a night in case you have to stay somewhere without your checked bag.
- Don’t be afraid to ask if seat upgrades or unsold premium seats are available. Sometimes these seats go un-selected and great empty seats are available for a budget deal last minute. If you don’t at least ask, you won’t know what you are missing out on. So there is never harm in asking the gate agent, especially on 5+ hour international flights where comfort is of the utmost importance.
- Bring a fully charged external battery pack with at least 3 different types of commonly used chargers and adapters specific to the country you will be visiting – A lot of people do not plan ahead on this and it can be invaluable and save you plenty of time stressing about your electronics dying out when you need them most while in transit.
- If on a work trip, plan ahead and purchase a second or third identical laptop charger for your laptop/iPad. Leave one at home and bring one or even two identical chargers with you if you happen to be traveling internationally. Especially if you will be frequently country or hotel hopping internationally and accidentally leaving a charger in your hotel room could be detrimental to your work schedule.
- Last but not least: Bring your Travel SLOODIE and accessory Throw bag to aide you in achieving comfort, privacy and further control over your surrounding environment. Airports and planes are loud, dirty, public and crowded environments. Make things a bit easier on yourself.
It’s possible that you already do many of these things in preparation for your International flights and that is excellent !
International flights do not need to be more stressful ! If you follow some of these tips, we can’t guarantee anything, but you may possibly feel more prepared for your next International flight - and often with preparation and predictable travel routine comes a greater sense of calm.
It’s not all about the destination, the journey is important as well !
Travel well,