Surviving Long-haul

13 Aug 2019

Even for frequent travellers, long-haul flights can be a bit of an ordeal. I love flying but I'm so used to my quick little 45 minute flights to England and my 90-minute flights to Copenhagen that sometimes I forget that you can actually sit on a plane for 8 hours. 

My first long-haul flight was a 6-hour flight to Boston in 2017 and I was such a novice that I was so lost the whole time but I recently flew to Kigali in Rwanda and I've learned a few things so I thought I'd share my top tips to flying long-haul.


In-Flight Entertainment
One of the best things about long-haul is the in-flight entertainment. I always like to research what films are available on the airline before I go and I come ready with a little list of possibilities. On my Kigali flight, I managed to watch: The Hate U Give, Kingsman: The Golden Circle, and Coco (and let me just tell you I SOBBED at Coco and I'm ashamed I hadn't seen it until now). Or you could always binge a Netflix series if none of the provided entertainment appeals to you.

Live for the snacks
I lied. The best part about long-haul is the snacks. I'm so used to flying EasyJet that I forget that all snacks are provided to you included in your ticket price! I missed out on free pretzels on my Boston flight because I thought I had to buy them. Nothing makes your face light up quite as much as the air-hostess walking towards you with the food trolley knowing you're getting treated to some top quality aeroplane grub. On my last flight, I had a creamy vegetable pasta served with a salad, cheese and crackers and some bread with a lemon muffin for dessert which was TOPS and then for mid-flight snack we had mozzarella and tomato sorrentina and an apple crumble muffin (which was also tops). You also get unlimited drinks orders so make the most of them!

Have a lil walkabout
Just because you're up in the air, it doesn't mean that you can't stretch your legs. Even if that's just to the toilet. Just make sure that the seatbelt sign isn't switched on!

Have a chat
Odds are that the person you're sitting beside is also going to be bored on said flight so don't be afraid to have a conversation with them, find out a bit about where they're from and why they're on the plane, the worst they can do is ignore you but at least try to engage a little.

Have a snooze
Nobody is going to judge you for going to sleep, that's the whole reason they provide pillows and blankets. I didn't sleep on my last flight because it was during the day and there was no time difference so I wanted to maintain my sleep schedule but if you're flying overnight I can guarantee that almost everyone else on the plane will be asleep.

Travelling is as stressful as you make it. So just relax and have a good time and the time will fly! (see what I did there). What's the longest flight that you've ever been on and how did you decide to put in the hours.

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