Making the Best of Long-Haul Flights

The miraculous invention of air flight for humans has made traveling long-distance fairly easy and quick. You simply need to hop on an airplane and wait for as little as a few hours to reach halfway across the world. However, living close to land your whole life and then suddenly spending almost an entire day in the air can be exhausting in many ways. Long haul flights can do that to you. Getting a bad jet lag is just one of the many annoying things that can happen to you when you take a long-haul flight from the UAE. Today we will discuss some of the top ways in which you can make your long journey in the air a pleasant one.

10 Best Tips for Long-Haul Flights

1. Book an Early Ticket

If you are planning to travel from Dubai to San Francisco or from Abu Dhabi to Chicago, you better book an early ticket for your flight. These and other similar long-distance journeys are going to keep you in the air for at least 15-17 hours straight. This means that you will need a seat comfortable enough to sustain your good mood for more than half a day. If you are someone who drinks a lot of water throughout the day or are traveling with children, book an aisle seat. If you tend to fall asleep easily and like to sleep during your flights, book a window seat. Some people also have a preferred part of the plane that they find the most comfortable. If you have such a preference, pick up your seats extra early so that you can get enough options to choose from.

2. Fly with Peace of Mind

Being a rather comfortable experience, traveling in airplanes comes easy to most. However, the risk of something unfortunate happening at any moment is always there. You may lose your baggage, important travel documents, miss your flight or may even have to cancel the trip. Whenever you are traveling long-distance, it is important to have complete peace of mind. Buying proper travel insurance can fulfill that agenda for you. Once you are certain that your health, baggage, documents, personal liabilities, and even personal money are safe and sound, you can travel with ease.

3. Wear Extra Comfortable Clothes

Apart from buying travel insurance in Dubai before you embark on your journey, you need to invest in some well-thought comfortable clothes. Airport fashion is a huge concept and all for good reasons too. Your outfit needs to be something that you would like to wear outside in general but also extra comfortable. You will not get a chance to change clothes once you’re on the plane so, the wise thing to do here is to wear comfortable clothes. To ideally choose your long-haul flight clothes, pick something that you can bear to wear for the whole day. You should be able to sit comfortably, walk slightly longer distances, eat and sleep for a while in these clothes. You’ll be doing all of this when aboard the plane.

4. Use Your Miles to Upgrade

Flying first or business class is a whole other kind of luxury experience that we generally keep ourselves away from. Upgrading a one or two-hour-long flight to first class may not seem like a wise action. However, upgrading a long-haul flight ticket to a first-class can make a huge difference. If you are a frequent flyer and do not use your miles often, there is a good chance that you have accumulated enough for an upgrade by now. Check to get an upgrade for the ticket.

5. Go for Smaller Upgrades if You Like

If you do not wish to upgrade to another class, you can simply go for smaller upgrades like meals. Being in the air for 18 hours means that you will have all three proper meals. Doctors say that it is harder to digest nutrients like carbohydrates when you are in the air. Upgraded meals may come at a higher or added cost but they are worth the expense. You can also choose snacks in your upgrades if you like.

6. Pack All Your Travel Essentials

Long-haul flights come with their own unique travel packing list. You will have to ideally pack luggage for the place you are visiting but you also need to pack a few things for the flight. Invest in a quality neck pillow to ensure that you get a few hours of peaceful sleep. If you are a light sleeper, don’t forget to bring noise cancellation headphones or earplugs with you. Another useful purchase can be sleeping masks if you are unable to fall asleep with lights on.

7. Start Adjusting to the New Time Zone

Getting a head start on adjusting to the new time zone you are traveling to is always a good idea. Pretend that you are already in this new time zone and start by making small changes. Adjust your watch according to the new time, change your sleeping and eating schedule on the plane. The cabin crew may not be able to change the meal serving schedule for you. But you can choose to keep the meal aside to sync it with the meal timings in your new time zone. Avoid sleeping a lot on the plane if you are scheduled to reach your destination at night. This way you can go straight to bed and wake up a lot less jet-lagged the next day.

8. Travel with Entertainment

Being cooped up in your airplane seat for hours without any entertainment is going to be excruciating. The airplane may have a few movies or shows for you but they may not turn out to be of your interest. So, another important thing to keep in mind when taking long-haul flights is – bring your kind of entertainment. Consider downloading a few movies or binge-watch a show that you have been putting off for a while now. You can also bring some books or magazines if you like to read. If you have kids, keep their unique interests in mind as well. Add a few games to your tablet for them.

9. Stay Hydrated and Walk Around

Airplanes have significantly less humidity than the outside world in general. This means that you may get dehydrated, so drink plenty of water during your long-haul flights. Keep a moisturizer handy if you have dry skin. Try and walk around the cabin every few hours to stretch your body as well. Taking bathroom breaks can also help you deal with congestion.

10. Bring a Carry Bag

Always bring a special carry-on bag with you when you are taking long-haul flights. All airlines allow one handbag to be taken on the plane with you apart from the main luggage. Use it to keep your chargers, skin products like moisturizers and chapsticks, a few toys for your kids, earphones, a book for yourself, your laptop (if you want to carry it), and some snacks. Airline snacks are not always healthy or ideally to your liking. So, you can choose to carry some in your handbag.

Conclusion

Long-haul flights are certainly very convenient when it comes to quick travels. However, it can often become uncomfortable to take these flights. But by planning a little ahead of time and staying prepared for all uncertainty, you can easily make this experience a lot more enjoyable and comfortable. Make sure you have everything on your person from the checklist above and comprehensive travel insurance in Dubai. Travel light but well-prepared and eat healthy during long-haul flights.