It is a truth universally acknowledged that an international student going home for Christmas must face the plane ride(s) back. You can ace exams and survive a shared kitchen no one seems to know how to clean, but the moment you step into that airport terminal, you’re staring into some existential abyss, wondering how you can be leaving home but also going back to one, and if you’ve picked up that Scottish accent everyone’s been begging you to put on back home.
So, here’s a small survival guide to help you navigate that existential abyss, from an Australian who’s done the miles… and the emotional labour that comes with them.
1. Remember your headphones. Please.
If you forget your headphones, I’m sorry – you’ve already lost. Do not make the mistake of thinking that you’ll be fine, because the airline provides them. ‘Headphones’ is a strong word for whatever flimsy piece of plastic they’ll provide you with. They’ll hurt your ears. They’ll break mid-episode. And they absolutely will not cancel out the sound of the baby shrieking in 42B.
Tip Number One: Remember your headphones. Please.
2. Find that airport crush
There’s always one of them. They’ll appear once. Probably somewhere in Duty Free, smelling like overpriced perfume and looking perfectly put together at 4:30 in the morning. You’ll be in trackies and have probably already spilled something on your sweater. There’ll be a moment where you make eye contact, and you imagine that you’re their airport crush, too.
Maybe you are. Maybe you aren’t. It really doesn’t matter, anyway; they’re not going to board your flight. They’re not going to sit next to you. You’re not going to see them again.
And that’s precisely the point. Their entire role is to be a fleeting distraction. An escape from the delayed flights and spotty airport wifi. A way to pass the time when you can’t stretch your legs and the kid behind you has made it their mission to kick your seat down.
Tip Number Two: Romantic daydreaming aside, people watching is actually a great grounding technique. Whether you’re anxious or bored, observing others is a great way to pass the time and pull you out of your spiral. Don’t underestimate the power of an airport crush.
3. Don’t listen to Phoebe Bridgers
Look, if you want to have a breakdown over the Indian Ocean at 3 am, then Motion Sickness is right there. But music is genuinely key to staying emotionally stable mid-air.
On my flight to university, I asked my friends to make me a playlist. It ended up being about 24 hours long. Someone added Karma by JoJo Siwa. Someone else added the Gummy Bear Song. But it gave me something to do – guessing who added what, smiling because oh, Stella definitely added this one. It reminded me that people were waiting for me on both sides, even after the goodbyes.
Tip Number Three: Make yourself some playlists in advance. Divide them into moods so you don’t go from the Hamilton soundtrack to Phoebe Bridgers. Ask friends and family to add songs to a shared playlist. It’s a tiny reminder that you’re loved from every time zone.
4. Accept that you won’t sleep
You can prepare. You can hydrate. You can watch every TikTok under the sun recommending that 360 blackout neck pillow or a leg hammock for your tray table. You can be running on five hours of sleep across two nights.
And still, sleep will not come.
I truly believe that long-haul flights exist to humble us: temperature? Both freezing and boiling at the same time. Leg room? Metaphorical. Seat neighbour? Probably a child or a man-spreader. There’s no way you’re getting any restful sleep in that economy seat that somehow drained half of your life savings.
Tip Number Four: Invest in some sleeping aids, but don’t expect miracles. Bring your eye mask and your neck pillow, and avoid caffeine. If (when) you can’t sleep, close your eyes and try to rest instead. Think of that airport crush or listen to your friend’s playlist. It might feel like you spend years trapped in that seat. I promise the time will pass anyway.
5. Jetlag: The Final Boss of International Student Trave
When you land, you’ll be a confusing mixture of thrilled, exhausted, dehydrated, and you’ll swear that you’re ‘never doing that again’.
Then you’ll blink and find yourself at Christmas dinner with relatives all asking the same three questions:
‘So, how’s school?’
‘Made any friends yet?’
‘What do you study again?’
Try not to pass out on your mashed potatoes.
Tip Number Five: Stay awake until local sunset time. Don’t fall into the trap of ‘just taking a quick nap’ when you land. It’s never a quick nap.
The flights are long. The airports are stressful. The jetlag feels like it’s made a home in your head. But what waits is worth every cramped second. You’re not just going home at the end of the day. You’re going back to a version of yourself that missed you. And no matter how many miles you fly, that version will always be waiting.
