Surviving a long flight is a fine art if you ask me. Not doing things the right way can really change the experience you have on a long flight. In fact, it can change the experience of your holiday or trip overall.

Getting it right is essential.

Luckily, there are lots of easy and achievable ways in which you can manage things the right way on a long flight. Getting it right doesn’t have to be a hidden secret only known by a few people. It can be something we all manage to do successfully.

Even luckier for you, we have created this blog to help share our long flight success knowledge with you. We have curated a list of our top 7 tips to help you survive a good long trip on a plane to any destination. These are the things that we have found genuinely helpful and successful over the years and we want to share them with you.

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Wear comfortable clothes

The most important thing to prioritise on a long flight is comfort.

When it comes to picking your outfit for the day ahead, don’t think of what people will think of you in the airport or what kind of outfit will look good on social media. Just think about something you will be comfortable wearing in a small seat for a long period of time. Things that are soft, comfortable on your skin, and not too tight are usually your best bet. You don’t want anything too rough, stiff or with too many annoying zips.

Keep it comfortable and you will definitely thank yourself later.

Wear your flight socks!

When it comes to a long flight, flight socks are essential. You might not feel super cool wearing them and it might feel a little strange if it is your first time doing so. But DVT is no joke.

No one really wants to hear about health things that are scary. I get that. But it is important to keep yourself safe and well on your long flight, and wearing flight socks is one of the easiest and best ways to do that.

You can buy them at lots of chemists, pharmacies, and supermarkets. You can also get them online. They don’t look too fancy but they are great at keeping the blood pressure in your legs at a healthy level so you don’t get a clot when you are travelling.

Avoid caffeine

While it might be tempting to stock up on your caffeine fix in the airport lounge, caffeine can actually make your long flight experience more difficult. Caffeine makes us much more alert, meaning we will stay awake for longer and even become anxious more easily. This is the opposite of what you want on a long flight. If you can relax and even get some sleep instead, this will make things much easier.

Try and opt for a decaf version of your Starbucks favourite if you have time to kill before your flight. Might seem boring now but you will be very grateful later when you are able to kill 3 hours of a 6-hour flight with a snooze.

Avoid heavy meals pre-flight

Another tempting pre-flight ritual is to for a big meal. Airports are filled with nice restaurants and food places to try, no matter what time of day it is. As such, many of us opt for a big meal to fill up our time and our bellies pre-flight.

However, having a heavy meal before a flight can leave you feeling not so great throughout your time in the air. Having a heavy stomach can easily have you feeling nauseous on the flight, especially if you hit some turbulence. It is also more likely to keep you awake as your body tries to digest everything you have eaten. Both of these results can lead to an overall less pleasant experience while flying.

It is better to go for some small, light snacks leading up to your flight and head for something bigger to eat once you land. This means you also get to avoid using an aeroplane bathroom a little more, which always helps.

Bring your own headphones

In-flight entertainment is a huge part of keeping yourself happy during a long trip. Watching movies and TV shows is pretty much an essential practice in long flight culture. However, the headphones you get on planes usually aren’t great. They don’t cover your ears, the sound quality isn’t great, and they certainly don’t block out any of the screaming baby noise around you.

If you can, bringing your own headphones on a flight can really help you be more comfortable and relaxed during the flight. Noise-cancelling headphones are particularly great if you have any of those lying about. At least dimming the noise of the screaming babies really helps.

Bring your own freshen-up kit

There is nothing worse than feeling unclean on a long flight, especially if you have somewhere to go as soon as you land. You can make yourself feel much better on your trip by bringing your own little freshen-up kit with everything you will need to feel clean and refreshed on the flight. Things like makeup wipes, dry shampoo, deodorant, tissues, and clean underwear are great ideas.

Stretch your legs regularly

Finally, make sure you get up and move about on any long flight that you take. Again, you need to keep yourself safe and healthy while you fly long distance and it is key to keep your blood moving about freely. Getting a little stretch in at least once an hour is a good plan, even if it is just walking to the bathroom and doing some extra stretches before you sit down.

There are lots of ways in which you can make yourself happier and healthier on a long flight. They don’t need to take long, cost lots of money or be too difficult to manage. It is the little things that add up to an overall more comfortable and safe experience.

Safe flight everyone!