5 Long Distance Flight Tips

Whether you're traveling east to Europe or west to Asia it's going to be a long flight. I have made several long journeys in both directions. Las Vegas to London is over 9 hours, Beijing is over 12 hours, and Sydney by far the longest at 15 hours. I learned quickly how to make these long flights less stressful and even a time to rest and relax. I highly recommend these 5 tips for long distance flights:

Amarnath Tade - Unsplash

1. Drink plenty of water. Airplane cabin air gets very dry. Avoid excessive amounts of coffee, tea, and alcohol. If you don't want to spend $6.00 on water bring an empty bottle on the plane and refill it from the snack trolley.

2. Bring your own snacks on board. Meals are included on overseas flights, but I have experienced delays in service due to weather. I always stow cereal bars and dried fruit granola in my carry on bags.

3. Reserve a good seat. I love to get up a walk around several times during long flights and an aisle seat is essential for me. Hint. Flyers with babies are usually booked in the forward rows on international flights.

4. Not a great sleeper on a plane? Take advantage of all the free in-flight movies, tv shows, and games. Individual screens are on most seats now, and I like to play trivia games with my fellow insomniacs on board.

5. Wear comfortable clothes from head to toe. Unless you deal with swelling when you fly, you will need to invest in a pair of compression socks, especially if your feet don't touch the deck when seated.

Flying is already stressful enough. Worrying about connections or God forbid mechanical failure can cause experienced travelers concern. Remember it is still the safest way to travel. I try to think of the flight as part of the journey especially the first time I visit the location. Welcome aboard!