Top tips for long haul flights
Australians love to travel so it’s no surprise that we’re one of the most well-travelled nations on earth. But unless you’re hopping across the ditch to NZ or jetting off for a sunny holiday in the Pacific Islands, overseas travel generally means long periods of time cooped up in a flying metal capsule – and that often means you arrive at your destination feeling groggy, dehydrated and generally uncomfortable.
If you’ve got a long-haul flight on your planning horizon, here are our top travel tips to make the most of it and beat the jet lag.
Choose your seat
Our top tip to combat jetlag is to get in early and choose your seat - and it’s definitely worth paying a little bit more to secure a seat with extra leg room so you can stretch out. If you want to stick with a standard seat selection, a window seat is usually best for trying to get a little shut-eye, and an aisle seat is best if you want easy access to the bathroom.
Prepare yourself
The day before your flight, make sure you get out in the fresh air for a little exercise. Try to get plenty of sleep the night before your flight so you’re feeling well rested before you hop on board.
Checking in
When you check in for your flight, always ask how full the flight is and whether it’s possible to move to a row where no seats are taken – that way you’ll be able to lie down for a comfy sleep during the flight. If the flight isn’t full, a lot of airlines will happily reassign you and block the remaining seats in your row so you can stretch out and relax.
Stretching
Sitting in one spot for a long time can be pretty uncomfortable so it’s important to stretch your body and exercise when flying. Here are a few things you can do without disturbing your fellow travellers:
- Do some neck rotations – just look over your left shoulder and then move your head around to look over your right shoulder.
- Stretch out your upper back by placing your hands behind your head, breathing out, rounding out your spine and placing your head between your knees.
- Your legs will thank you if you give them a good stretch, and these are ideal to do while you’re waiting in the queue for the bathroom:
- Stand on one leg and then move the foot of your other leg back and up towards your bottom. Hold onto the foot with your hand to pull it closer to your buttocks for an extra stretch.
- Place one leg forward then lean down with your hand resting around the knee of your other (bent) leg. You should feel this stretch along your hamstring of the leg in front.
Get some sleep
Make sure you wear comfortable clothes and always pack a sleep kit including an eye-mask, earplugs and a travel neck pillow that supports your head so it’s not lolling all over the place while you’re trying to doze.
Keep hydrated
The difference between stumbling off the plane feeling like a dose of the flu is about to hit you and stepping off the flight ready for the next part of your journey can often come down to hydration. When you’re dehydrated, your mood and energy levels drop considerably, your skin feels dry and flaky, you can experience headaches and you’re likely to be irritable. So it’s super-important to drink water frequently (even if you don’t feel like you need it) and try to go easy on the alcohol to combat dehydration.
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