Working as flight crew and also being a seasoned traveller, there are a plethora of things that I do to make any flight, especially long haul more bearable.
Today I am sharing with you my top 15 tips to have a comfortable and easy flight.
The ranking of these tips are different for everyone so here we go in no particular order...
#1 Hydrate- Staying well hydrated is an essential aspect of your flight. Humidity levels in the cabin of the plane are far lower than on ground. By drinking lots of water you will feel much less groggy, leaving you feeling refreshed when you arrive at your destination...well as refreshed as one can be after a long haul flight. Mild dehydration can cause headaches, dizziness, dry skin and many more symptoms.
Did you know that an adult tends to lose 1.5-2 litres of water on a 10 hour flight? So keep drinking!
#2 Hydrate your skin- Following on from the last tip we mention that dehydration can cause really dry skin. The combination of drinking plenty of water and moisturising your skin will help fight off the dry skin. I never fly without my face cream, lip balm and hand cream and neither should you. For people like me with dry skin, this tip is crucial.
#3 Avoid drinking tea, coffee and alcohol- Caffeine and alcohol are diuretics, therefore you’ll have to go to the bathroom more often and as a consequence you will feel more dehydrated. Just stick with water and if you fancy something different with your meal, try a fruit juice.
#4 Fuel up at the airport- Have a quick bite to eat at the airport before your flight. I have flown many times when the catering on the plane was unexpectedly unavailable, luckily I had already eaten something in the terminal.
#5 Bring snacks - Always have some snacks with you, especially if you have any dietary requirements. I learnt this the hard way when I endured a 9 hour flight with just an apple that the cabin crew kindly offered me from her personal lunchbox as the nut free meal was not loaded on board. If you can also bring some water with you on the flight, so you can stay nicely hydrated.
Bringing your own snacks and drinks is a bonus for anyone who likes to sleep on their flights, if you sleep through the inflight service, you can sleep peacefully knowing you have plenty of supplies to get you through the flight.
#6 Make the most of your inflight meal- In a plane the way you taste food changes, food always seems to taste more bland that it would on the ground. Did you know that low humidity and a higher cabin altitude actually impacts our sense of smell and taste, making it more difficult to pick up on sweet and salty flavours? I always prefer choosing a curry over the chicken as it tends to have more flavour. Bringing some chopped fruit or veg in a zip lock bag can be a great to add flavour and jazz up the boring salad or fruit selection in front of you. Try bringing some small sauce sachets with you, I love packing seasoning or chilli sauce to give my food an extra kick. Most companies also don’t offer straws with your drinks so if you can’t drink your Coca Cola without a straw bring some with you. Try bringing a reusable straw so we can try to eliminate single use plastics.
#7 Stretch your legs- Getting up and stretching you legs is the best way to move around and decrease the chances of aching muscles and cramp. This is also a vital way of drastically reducing the possibility of deep vein thrombosis on long haul flights.
#8 Prebook your seat- While we all know you are most comfortable in first or business class, for the vast majority of us that’s simply not an option. Try to find the best economy seat for you. I love window seats for short flights but for long haul flights a little more thought is required. If you are someone who sleeps through the entire flight, consider a window seat so you are never disturbed. If however you are someone who always needs to go to the bathroom or wants to stretch your legs, consider the aisle seat, the downside of the aisle is that is you do fall asleep you will often be woken up by your fellow passengers when they wish to use the bathroom. If you do have the possibility to upgrade to extra legroom seats, I really do think that they are worth it when travelling long haul.
#9 Save air miles- Air miles are a great way of earning upgrades, from free checked luggage to upgrades to business class. Whenever I fly with a new airline I always like to sign up to their loyalty program.
#10 Entertainment- Bring your own entertainment, do not rely on the inflight entertainment on long flights, I think the vast majority of seasoned travellers have experienced an inoperative entertainment system for the entire flight. Bring some ebooks, download some music, movies, games and maybe even bring a puzzle book. If you’re travelling with kids bring their bear, activity/colouring books and some games, as most airlines do not have anything for children. Also try to bring entertainment that isn’t noisy for other passengers, working as flight crew I know how frustrating it is for other passengers and crew when parents bring noisy toys and play games on an iPad without turning off the volume.
#11 Escape the noise- Bring some earphones or earplugs with you. I always suggest not to bring noise cancelling headphones as you need to be able to hear the crew at all times, especially in emergency situations, which you may be unaware of as you can’t hear the crew. It’s also best to not bring earphones/headphones that require bluetooth as a lot of companies do not allow bluetooth to be used during the flight.
#12 Getting to sleep- Bring an eye mask and if you like a small neck pillow, normally only medium to long haul flights offer blankets and pillows, so be prepared. Try an inflatable neck pillow so you can save space when you’re not using it. If you’re trying to sleep keep your seatbelt fastened and make sure it’s visible to the cabin crew so that in the event of turbulence, the cabin crew do not need to wake you to see if you are wearing your seatbelt. During turbulence cabin crew must check every passenger is wearing a seatbelt without fail, so if you do not wish to be woken up, keep your seatbelt fastened over your blanket.
#13 Get comfy- Try to find some comfy clothes while still looking well put together. Emptying my pockets really helps me. Flights tend to be quite cold, I’m not going to go into that right now but the cold temperature in the airplane is actually for your safety. So bring extra layers and some warm socks even if your final destination has a tropical climate.
Take this from a flight attendant, wear comfortable shoes. I see many people taking off their shoes and socks and walking to the bathroom. Trust me you don’t want to be doing that, let’s be frank, that is not water on the bathroom floor.
#14 Be friendly- Be friendly to the people around you and particularly to the crew. As flight crew, we aim to help everyone onboard, but a smile from you really goes a long way. We will be much more attentive to those who greet us and are polite compared to those who are rude and don’t show us respect.
#15 In flight kit- Have a small bag underneath the seat in front of you with all you need for a comfy flight. I usually include my earphones, iPad, some snacks, a bottle of water, a power bank, medication, hand sanitiser and some moisturiser. You can even add your eye mask, comfy socks and any entertainment for kids, keeping all your comfy flight essential together in one easy access place.
I also recommend some pens if you know you need to fill out any landing cards or other documentation.
“Happiness is looking down on your next destination from your plane window” - Unknown
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