The anticipation of traveling to an exotic destination should not be clouded by the foresight of spending an awful lot of hours in an uncomfortable seat on an aircraft. You feel usually tired and worn-out afterward. Unsuitable clothes for long-haul flights pinch and look like they’ve been chewed by a cow. What to wear on a longhaul flight? Buy the right travel essentials for long-haul flights and the best long-haul flight clothes. Learn also all about the basics of how to book comfortable seats and to pack light.
There are a few easy tricks that can make certain, you've got a smooth enjoyable flight.
How to Book a Long-Haul Flight
Plan ahead as early as possible, check flight comparison sites and install alerts to get the best price possible. The more flexible you are with the date and destination, the cheaper you will fly. If you fly often try to build up air miles with your airline and airline alliance to boost the chances of an upgrade.
Contact travel agents. They compare fares at a glance, and often they have access to deals that the airlines do not release directly to the public. Packages with a hotel stay and flight combined are often cheaper than the airfare alone. Turn your trip into a round-the-world itinerary rather than a simple return. It may not cost you much more, and you can break up the journey.
Sometimes return flights can be more expensive than two one way tickets from different airlines. Check out both options, an open jaw flight is cheaper. This method gives you more flexibility, too.
Consider paying for your flight with an airline credit card which rewards you with air miles. They can be redeemed against set flight routes, upgrades or products. These cards are an extension of frequent flyer programmes and cut the cost of expensive long-haul flights. The more you spend the more points you earn.
Don’t forget to upgrade your in-flight meal with your booking if offered. Travel with airlines that offer wi-fi or good in-flight entertainment if possible. It’s a good way of passing time.
Best Time to Check for Cheap Flights
Locating an excellent flight deal used to be all about booking at the last minute, as airlines were determined to cast off their empty seats. Nowadays there are such a lot of budget airlines and business tourists willing to pay big dollars at the last minute that it’s no longer the case. The most inexpensive time to book flights is approximately seven weeks for short haul flights whereas you want to go searching 18 weeks earlier for long-haul destinations.
Optimal Time to Book Flights
Although last-minute flight deals are hard to find, they do exist if you know where to look. Take the leg work out of finding cheap flights by visiting a few of your favorite airlines and signing up for their newsletters. Your inbox will soon be filling up with news of flash sales, new routes with special introductory rates, and most importantly, low fares on last-minute flights.
By Tuesday afternoon, most airlines will know if their weekend flights are fully booked. If they still have a lot of empty seats, this is when they will slash the prices and tell their subscribers.
The ideal time to book flights is in the middle of the week.
Best Time to Fly
If you can’t stomach turbulence, book a morning flight and a seat on the wing. Bumpy air and storms happen usually in the afternoon and in the middle of the plane, you feel less movement.
Best Airline Seats on Long Haul Flights
You might wonder how to survive long-haul flights in economy. The seat choice is a big one but unfortunately, depends entirely on your budget. Flying business or first class is a breeze. Before you choose, think hard about your usual preference; it may be different on a long-haul flight than on a shorter flight.
Long-Haul Flight Tips in Economy
If you don’t want to be disturbed and you are confident about not needing the toilet on a regular basis, then window seats are for you. If you like getting up and stretching, then an aisle will be the better choice. Consider an aisle or exit row seat for leg room.
Photo by Suhyeon Choi on Unsplash
Avoid sitting at the very back of a plane – it is bumpier, noisier (you’re behind the engines), it often takes you longer to board and disembark, and you may be disturbed by people queueing for the lavatories if they are at the rear. Never choose an exit row seat if you will have an infant or small child with you.
Avoid middle seats at all costs if at all possible.
If you travel together with somebody, book a window and an aisle seat. If the flight isn’t full, the middle seat is likely to remain empty, because people chose usually a window or an aisle seat. If someone does pick that middle seat, it’s likely, that he/she is going to switch with you.
Be aware that some airlines cram in more seats than others – 10 across instead of nine for example. If you can, choose a carrier with new seating, which will be more ergonomically comfortable. Do your homework on cabin layouts in advance.
Travel Light Clothing and Lightweight Cabin Luggage
Buy some travel light clothing. But remember, you don’t need a ton of clothes for long-haul flights! It’s likely you won’t use three-quarters of your stuff, but you have to lift and struggle throughout your trip. It’s not worth it.
Travel Tips for long-haul flights in economy: Be aware of the new restrictions of carry-on luggage (the luggage, which you may take on board), as you do not want to repack in front of the check-in counter or pay excess baggage charges.
Pack Light
Packing like a PRO is one of the international flight essentials and the first thing you have to learn is: Pack light! It can be a challenge to pack for light traveling to a cold climate or on a cruise ship where you need to wear changing outfits! Prepare and plan your wardrobe. Usually, you can wash your dirty long-haul flight clothes just after arrival at the next coin-operated laundry or at the hotel.
Lightweight Cabin Luggage or Travel Backpack with Wheels
You may want to challenge yourself in finding the best lightweight suitcase for international travel! If possible only travel with lightweight cabin luggage. All it takes to travel light is foresight, preparation, and clever packing. Whether you use a wheelie bag or a backpack with wheels, research the lightest possible one you can find.
Find the best lightweight suitcase for international travel!
Advantages of traveling light are:
- with carry-on, you have no waiting time for bags at the baggage claim
- you can get in and out of public transport and hotels easily
- you are flexible when changing travel plans
- limiting your wardrobe makes dressing decisions easier
- you can lift, carry and run with your own bags – no need to rely on someone to help you!
Travel with Minimal Toiletries
Buy toiletries at your destination to avoid the possibility of having your cosmetics dumped at customs. -remember, you can carry only 100 ml containers through customs. Take your overnight flight essentials in a practical toilet bag.
Leave your Travel References at Home
Read blogs, websites, books – make notes, chart your course and research places to visit. You might build up a file of notes, some handwritten and a few printouts. Research first, and then leave your (heavy) reference books at home. Photograph anything you need – references, coordinates, hotel details – and capture those on your phone. Use the photos app as well as your calendar for booking details.
Use WiFi for Internet Access
It is challenging these days to travel without communication tools and social media. Ensure you have internet access when overseas. Use wi-fi wherever possible, for example in hotels which include wi-fi in their price. Most countries only offer expensive international data roaming. Purchasing a cell phone overseas means switching mobile numbers.
A good option is a portable wi-fi hotspot router, in which you put a local sim card or take a jailbroken cell phone with which fulfills the same purpose. Usually, you can access free wi-fi at public places, but it is most probably quite slow.
Limit your Electronic Devices
Think first if you really need this camera or video device, laptop, and iPad as you will need a lot of cables and heavy chargers, too. To travel light means also to cut down on electronic devices.
Bags and Tags
Buy a bright, generally unpopular color for your luggage with a tag or put a tight colorful ribbon on the handle and lock it. This way you’ll identify your luggage easily after landing and no mistakes which can happen accidentally. We heard many stories of travelers whose bags were taken accidentally by another traveler or the other way around. It’s always an unpleasant experience.
Put all of your overnight flight essentials in either a duffle that meets personal item dimension requirements or a daypack that fits smoothly underneath the seat in front of you.
Preparing and packing your personal items ahead of time with a long-haul flight checklist will streamline the boarding process and make life easier for you. I’m a last-minute packer and I’m likely to run late for my flight because of last-minute errands. Maybe I should follow my own advice here!
Join us and get your International Flight Essentials List!
How to Prepare for your Long-Haul Flight
- Do you need some long-haul flight outfit ideas: what clothes to wear? What long flight travel essentials do you need to purchase?
- Scan or photograph all essential documents and upload them to your cloud or send them to yourself by email.
- Pre-download any shows or movies on any subscription services you have that allow this feature, like Amazon Prime or iTunes in case there isn’t much choice in the in-flight entertainment, or none at all.
- Charge all your devices the night before your flight, just in case your seat doesn’t have outlets.
- If you use contact lenses, consider wearing glasses instead – your eyes will dry out during the flight.
- Hydrate well the night before the flight, preferably with electrolyte drinks.
- Don’t drink alcohol the night before the flight.
- Avoid diuretics such as coffee, soft drinks and even chocolate (all of which contain caffeine).
- If you have no issue with ulcers, take a baby aspirin the night before and day of your flight.
The days are long gone, when you dressed to impress on airplanes or hoped to get a free upgrade just by impeccable appearance for your long-haul flight. What clothes to wear is pretty simple nowadays: Dress comfortably in loose-fitting long-haul flight clothes – you’ll be sitting down for hours!
Dressing for long-haul flights comfortably is crucial.
Slip-On Shoes or Sandals
Correct dressing for a long-haul flight is not only about clothes but also about shoes. Some long-haul flight outfit ideas for your poor feet! Easy shoes without laces or sandals. Slip-ons will get you through security faster and are easy to remove on the plane. Your feet will swell during your flight. Shoes with extra space will be the most comfortable. Don’t wear boots. They are a pain to lace and unlace at security, and the same applies to the flight if you want to take them on and off.
Wear Layers
Cabin temperatures vary hugely, even during the course of a flight. The airline will most likely provide a blanket, but it’s a good idea to have a jumper, fleece or cardigan too. Bring an extra layer for warmth. If your plane feels like an icebox you are ready to tackle the cold. Make sure you have ways to keep warm or cool without a change of clothing.
Clothes for Long-Haul Flights
Loose, stretchy fabrics and pants with an elastic waist make for a comfortable flight. Don’t wear a belt. It’s uncomfortable and you’ll have to take it off at the security everytime.
Hoody
A hoody works well and can be used to cover your head as a not-so-subtle “do not disturb” sign to your neighbors.
Scarf
A wide scarf can come in handy as a useful extra pillow or blanket.
As attractive as it seems to hope to sleep on a long flight, you might not for one reason or another. Board your long-haul flight well-rested. You will catch a few winks anyway. Even if you don’t care about any beauty tips for long-haul flights, you’ll be definitely in a better mood to continue your journey.
Adjust your Flight Seat
The ideal posture on your flight seat is at a 135-degree angle. Unless it’s mealtime, take off and the touchdown, adjust your seat back.
A long-haul flight gives unscrupulous travelers plenty of time to size up the location of your wallet, wait until you fall asleep and make a move on your luggage. Secure your valuables deep inside your carry-on bag under the seat in front of you or keep items like your passport, credit cards and cash on you.
Take Care of Your Health
What minimal travel essentials for long-haul flights you need, depends also on your personal health. Prepare well and seek your doctor’s advice if necessary.
Hydration:
Maintaining electrolyte balance is important. Consider drinking electrolyte solutions like Gatorade being the best known, instead of solely water. You don’t want to become completely diluted with water.
Medication:
Don’t forget your personal medication and add some in-case medicine, too. Dehydration can cause headaches. Sinus problems are common with changing cabin pressure and allergies or stomach issues occur regularly. Keep your medicine ready in a handy pill case.
Deep Vein Thrombosis:
The combination of being immobile along with the effects of dehydration increases the risk of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) on long flights. The formation of blood clots in deep veins is a known risk on longer flights. The risk of developing DVT increases when flights go longer than four hours.
Walking up and down the aisles of the plane; moving, flexing and stretching your legs to encourage blood flow, especially in your calves; wearing loose and comfortable clothing; drinking plenty of fluids, and avoiding alcohol are the key recommendations. If you’re at increased risk for DVT, your doctor may recommend wearing compression stockings while traveling or taking a blood-thinning medicine before you fly.
Colds, Flu, Bacteria, etc.:
Water coming out of aircraft sink faucets is often rife with bacteria from sitting in murky holding bins. Seats, pillows, and blankets on planes are more germ-ridden than your laundry basket. Your tray table is probably dirtier than your own bathroom floor and that the seatback pockets—well, you don’t even want to know, do you?
Despite these facts, it isn’t the air quality which makes people ill or recycled air — it is our body’s compromised ability to deal with normal bacteria and viruses that put us in danger of getting sick after a flight.
Photo by Sofia Sforza on Unsplash
Things to Do on a Long Flight
Electrolytes, compression socks, movie after movie, and aspirin don’t change the fact that you are stuck inside a metal can for a whole day. You will want to have a rock-solid plan for frittering away several hours of your flight. Keep reminding yourself that this too shall pass won’t work. Follow some of my long flight tips to feel human when you get off the plane.
Fly Exercise and Workout Plans
Get yourself some ideas for fly exercise and workout plans. It’s important for your health to move around as much as is allowed during long flights. Get up, stretch and do some exercises to get your blood circulation going. During the night you may walk the aisle as well.
Listen to your favorite music on your iPod or read a new book. Watch some of your uploaded movies and games on your mobile devices, in case you’ve no onboard entertainment or you don’t like the programs.
Best Ways to Get to Sleep on a Long Haul Flight
Avoid thinking of complicated matters, which will keep your mind awake. Caffeine, certain alcoholic drinks, and screens keep you awake. To picture clouds passing by or to count sheep jumping the fence may not work for you either.
For me, it works best to read a few pages of a book and not to worry if sleep will shorten my journey. Most of the time I can have a quick power nap which is more refreshing than a deep sleep. Airlines advise not to take any medications to sleep.
