Some Invaluable Travel Tips To Get You Through Lengthy Transatlantic Flights
The long plane rides to destinations that are in different continents are the only downfall of planning such vacations. If you are looking at a far off exotic destination like Melbourne, Sydney, Hong Kong or Bali, your plane rides can be at least 24 hours and even up to 30 hours.
Though the food is typically better on long flights than you would anticipate, you can’t eat the whole time; even flying in first class can be a boring and long chore.
Once you arrive in your exotic destination you’ll be able to get up and move about and you’ll be quite thrilled to have arrived. Some tips to make your flight more enjoyable are as follows:
1. Try not to drink. Alcohol dehydrates you. Plus, booze can affect you more strongly when you are in a pressurized cabin. It also makes it harder to get good sleep and can make you feel disoriented when you arrive. It’s best to skip the booze until you are safely in your hotel or out on the town.
2. If you’re on a 30 hour flight the last thing you want is to be trapped in the middle row; book your flight in advance and make a request for an aisle seat.
3. In order to keep your blood circulating get up and walk around the plane a little bit. This will help you be more comfortable and also is a healthy thing to do. It’s a win-win situation.
4. Look into getting a portable DVD player or a mobile multimedia platform. Instead of sitting through a movie that isn’t very good you can now watch something you would rather watch like perhaps your favourite TV show or some movies you’ve been meaning to watch. This isn’t necessary on flights like Virgin or British Airways that give you your own screen with many choices, so you might want to check the plane you’re on and its features.
5. Ask your doctor if you can take Ambien, Xanex or Valium. These prescription drugs can help you sleep for hours with minimal side effects.
6. If you smoke cigarettes or other tobacco products you should really consider purchasing nicotine patches so that you don’t go insane waiting for that cigarette.
7. Keep a change of clothes in your carry-on bag in case your luggage gets lost.
8. If you can afford it, get a business class seat. It really does make a difference. Most of the airlines offer mileage upgrades if you buy a full coach fare. It is most definitely worth the spent miles to have a first class seat on such a long journey. The ability to actually lie down and relax will not only make a difference on your body but on how you adjust to the new time changes once in say, Thailand.
9. Don’t worry about how fashionable you look while on long flights. Instead wear loose fitting clothing that you find comfortable.
10. Always have a stretch before a long flight to limber up so you can be as relaxed as possible during your flight.
11. If you would like to listen to your own music bring a device such as an iPod. The selection almost always lacks with the built in music and video provided on flights. The last half dozen or so trips I’ve made to Thailand I have noticed a number of people listening to iPods. I always have mine.
12. If you have a business class seat, many of the airline lounges in Tokyo and Hong Kong have free showers. It really does make a difference to jump into the shower and get fresh before the last leg of your journey.
13. One of the most important things is to make sure you have your hotel already booked and waiting when you get to your destination. You don’t want to end up flying half way across the world and then when you finally get to your destination of say, Melbourne, have to frantically try to find a hotel in Melbourne when really you should be able to just collapse into your hotel bed.
Carlye S. Donovan was raised in Melbourne and now calls Sydney home. She travels all over the world and writes for several travel magazines in addition to writing her own blog where she does a review on each cheap Melbourne hotel she visits.
