Unless you’re lucky enough to travel first-class and sip champagne out of little glasses whilst stretching out on your comfy bed thing, long haul flights can be hellish. Crying kids, dodgy food, no personal space, no sleep, air that makes your skin’s moisture evaporate and being in the same clothes for thirty-six hours isn’t exactly fun. But the experience should be chilled out, so you can get some shut-eye and emerge fresh ready for the fun of your holiday. Follow the advice below to make sure that it is…
- Layer up
Plane temperature is like Troy’s emotional state throughout the High School Musical trilogy: rarely stable. (Cue ‘Bet On It’ and ‘Scream’ playing in the background). Plan accordingly and layer up so you can stay warm or cool depending on how you feel.
- Pack anti-bac
Again, only really a necessity if you’re not in first class. Planes have a rep for being one of the dirtiest and germy forms of transport out there. If you’re someone who will freak out about this, bring anti-bacterial wipes and wipe down the arms of your seat, your little table and create a little bubble of clean to help you relax.
- Bring snacks
You’re going to want to be able to eat and drink on your own schedule and not when plane-people think that you should eat or drink. Load up on the snacks and water (KEEP HYDRATED) at the terminal and view the whole experience as one big movie night. But beware anything squashable: bananas are a risky travel snack choice unless you like the inside of your bag super gooey.
- Move about
We’ve all heard about a scary thing called deep vein thrombosis (DVT) which should be scary enough in itself to make you stand up every so often on the plane. Even if you can’t do this and are hemmed in the middle seat by a person either side, make sure you give your ankles a rotate or do something to move your legs – keeping the blood circulation good will make you feel better in general.
- Do a celeb
We commonly feel disgusting when we get off a long-haul flight and I don’t know about you, but I wish I looked a little more like Victoria Beckham as she breezes off a plane in leather trousers and with perfect hair. It’s an unrealistic aim but we can mimic it! Bring mini toiletries (within hand luggage requirements obvs) like toothpaste, body spray and lip balm to make you feel a little more human and when in doubt? – don a massive pair of sunglasses.