How to Survive Long Flights

How to Survive Long Flights


After flying to L.A. in March and now flying to and around China, I've pretty much become a pro at handling long flights. I've learned a lot of lessons along the way and I wanted to share so that anyone flying long distance can fly in peace. 


First, I always bring my own pillow and blanket. I have a memory foam Hello Kitty pillow and fleece blanket I bring on every long car trip or flight.  I've read online that they rarely wash the blankets and pillows on the plane so having my own saves me from being crazy. It's also nice to have something from home when you get to a new place. For longer flights, I also  suggest an eye mask so that you can sleep as much as you want on the plane without your neighbor's light bothering you. 


Second, I use the screen in the front to help me to get to sleep. I watch movies when I need to stay awake and always leave the screen with the time left in the air on when I am sleeping to know how much time I can sleep and time walking around on the plane. The first long flight I took, my feet swelled like potatoes because I did not walk around enough. Any time you are awake, walk around once an hour or do stretches in your seat. You will thank me later. 

Another weird thing I do is to try to adjust myself to my location's time zone. I try to time my sleeping on the plane with the time zone I am entering. For example, on the way to China I slept most of the flight there and landed at 10 am. I was pretty adjusted to the time zone and that made my trip so much better. On the way back, I slept for most of my first flight but stayed awake during the second one. 



Third, request a vegetarian meal if possible. You get a ton of fresh veggies and fruits which really helps me to up my natural energy before landing. I loved how my meal was ready first on most of the airlines as well. I will say that Lufthansa had the best food but the Chinese airlines I took had great snacks! 


Lastly, try all of the different foods they have on the different airlines. Swiss had a swiss specialty called Rivella that I loved! I can't believe I never had it before but I am hooked! I cannot wait to go back to Switzerland and drink some more of this weird milk soda that reminds me ginger ale. 

Hopefully, these tips can ease your next long flight.