Flying can be one of the most anxiety inducing, nerve wracking, stressful situations for a lot of people. This can make traveling extremely difficult, especially when the flight is on the longer side. As someone who has been on multiple long flights (the longest being almost 10 hours), I have learned some of the best ways to ensure not only my comfortability on these flights, but also my safety and how to relieve my stress to make the journey as smooth as possible.
The very first thing I do when I have a long flight ahead of me begins the night before. I like to ensure that I have everything that I need for my trip packed and ready to go. The best way to do this is to write down a list of everything you need and tick things off as you go. For things that you might need in the morning (your toothbrush, hairbrush, deodorant, etc), I would make sure they’re on that list so that when I check the list before I leave, I can ensure that I have packed them after using them. This takes away the stress of not knowing if you have packed everything that you need for your trip, which for me, is always a huge cause of worry. If I don’t do this, I spend the entire flight wondering if I brought my toothbrush or not, which is unneeded stress that will only add to the anxiety of being 30,000 feet in the air. This is a very simple, yet effective, way to make the travel day a bit better and easier.
The next thing I do is probably something that you do anyway, which is getting to the airport early. I think the sweet spot is two to three hours before your flight starts boarding. For international flights, boarding time is usually 45 minutes to an hour, so in total you’ll probably want to arrive at the airport three or four hours before your flight departs. Luckily, my childhood home is only about 20 minutes away from the airport, so I don’t have to leave my house incredibly early. For people who don’t live super close to an airport, definitely account for the time it would take for you to arrive so you make it on time. Arriving at the airport early is great because the absolute worst thing is to feel like you need to rush, especially when you have almost no control over how long security will take, or how long it will take to get to your gate, or if you get held back in security for whatever reason. Overall, the airport is the last place you want to feel rushed.
Eat. Eat. Eat. Please eat a good, full meal before you get on a long flight. Even though the airline will most likely provide you with a meal inflight, I still recommend eating before the flight. You can definitely eat something before you get to the airport or something at the airport or both. Either way, you do not want to go through the first half of a long flight on an empty stomach. I’m lucky that I have access to some airport lounges so I like getting to the airport early, going to the lounge to get a meal and wait in comfort before my flight starts boarding. I also love taking some extra snacks onto the plane including nuts, chips, anything small because eating is a huge stress reliever for me, and it’s nice to have something to munch on to take your mind off other things.
Take as much entertainment as you possibly can. Bring a book, download movies or tv shows you like, have a way to access your music offline; have just some way to keep you occupied for the duration of your flight. I know that I always swear I’m going to be sleeping for the majority of the flight but actually end up completely unable to get any sleep, so having things that will entertain me for hours is a must. Most flights now have built-in screens that will give you access to select movies, tv shows, games, and flight maps, but sometimes I have a movie or show that I really want to watch so I will download that to watch on my own device during the flight. I also have a really cool device that allows me to connect my airpods to the plane’s built-in entertainment system, so I don’t have to use their cheap plastic earbuds they provide. Having something to do on the plane, whether it’s reading, watching a movie, or playing a game, calms my anxiety and keeps my mind occupied so I don’t scare myself.
The last thing I do to make long flights easier is wearing something comfortable. Recently, I’ve seen it become a trend to wear a full face of makeup and nice clothes when traveling and if that’s your style, go ahead, but for me personally I will be in sweats and a bare face. I don’t even like wearing my contacts on flights, opting to wear my glasses instead — especially on long flights. If you aren’t as comfortable as possible, long flights can become so difficult to manage. Wearing something soft, that you can sleep in, and that will make sitting in those incredibly uncomfortable seats for hours manageable, is so necessary. I would even consider wearing pajamas for a long flight so that sleeping is a bit easier. Clothes can definitely make or break how easy a flight is.
Each of these simple steps have made traveling so much easier for me and have made those long, terrible flights feel like a breeze.