Tips for Surviving Long-Haul Flights

This may be my first trip to Italy, but I know what to bring with me in order to survive long-haul flights.  I have been to Greece, Colombia various times and many other countries that are considered long-haul. Many people were asking me on my youtube channel to do a blog post or video about this subject. Thank you guys for asking!

How to Survive those long Flights Overseas?

1. Bring your own snacks and food on the plane
   This is something you should do on every flight since most airlines don’t serve food anymore. I always have an orange or two with me along with some mixed nuts and a protein bar.  Now, specifically for long flights depending on the time, I might grab a sandwich or a salad and place it under my seat.  I try to stay away from things that will spoil if I don’t eat it right away.
   On the other hand, if you are in business class, you don’t have to worry about this but do take into account that sometimes food isn’t great in planes and it’s certainly not healthy. Even the healthy options contain lots of salt in them because food needs to be preserved.
   *TIP: Don’t get tuna or food that will stink the airplane! I say this because my neighbor in one of the flights decided to take the stinkiest food ever! Of course, my fiance and I had to suffer for hours!
2. Hydrate
   I know the first thing people think about is “let’s start this vacation or business trip right”, so why not celebrate with some wine or hard liquor? I’m I right on this? I would advise you not to go that route and instead stick with water. Not to be that person to spoil the fun but being in the air, dehydrates you. Not to mention if you are drinking alcohol it would be worst!
   I read an article a few weeks ago that you should drink eight ounces for every hour that you are up in the air. Now, this does seem like A LOT of water that you have to intake! Plus you will need to sit on an aisle seat to be able to go constantly to the bathroom. What if is a twelve-hour flight? The advantage of drinking that much water
3. Get up and move around
   I usually drink a lot of water on the plane, I get up often to use the restroom.  Even if you don’t do this,  you should still get up and stretch your legs on long flights. An important thing to know is that if you stay seated in the air for a long flight, it can actually cause blood clots! That’s why I’m recommending you to stand up and stretch every few hours.  You don’t have to do anything crazy but is vital to keep the blood flowing!
4. Get on schedule as soon as possible
   If you have an early evening flight, and your destination has a big-time difference like (12 am), you should try and go to sleep in the plane.  Before going to sleep make sure to secure your belongings.  I usually do this if I’m going from New Jersey to somewhere in Europe because is about 6 hours time difference. When you wake up, you will be close to landing and be right on schedule with the locals.  You will avoid the jet lag, which I never understood until just about 2 years ago.
   *Tip: If you are a person that doesn’t sleep easily, take Melatonin or another sleeping aid to help you sleep.  The more you sleep the better you will be when you wake up.
5. Skincare Routine
   I know I mentioned in tip number 2 that is important to stay hydrated. Remember you need to also maintain your skin moisturized, is extremely important. When your skin isn’t moisturized, it gets dull. Everyone wants the glow but for that, you need to have a skin routine like this one. I usually don’t wear any makeup to the airport because I tend to love early morning flights since I know that the airport is usually not as crowded.  On the contrary, if I do decide to wear makeup, I always use my favorite makeup remover wipes. Besides that, I like to carry a travel size balancing facial oil and Toner to keep the moisture locked in.
   This skincare routine seems to work for me every time! Lastly, about 30 minutes before landing, I put de-puffer eye gels for about 30 minutes. It works miracles!
6. Wear comfortable layers
   This always tends to be my problem! I always end up freezing on the airplane or looking for something to get some type of cover…
   Blankets in the airplane are usually so light and you end up still being cold. Well, that’s if you get lucky because some airlines don’t offer blankets anymore. I always suggest you take a cozy sweater or a fleece blanket from home. I know sometimes space in your bag is limited so wearing your cozy sweater is an option. Usually, for a long-haul flight, I like to dress comfortably in leggings, nice shirt, and sneakers but then again depends.
7. Eye masks and noise canceling headphones
   I’ve had long-haul flights where there’s someone talking super loud or there are babies crying and lights shining at you while they are trying to read. I’m sure people can relate. It can get annoying! You can’t seem to get to sleep.
   So in order to avoid this make sure to have noise canceling headphones and eye masks. Most planes provide eye masks but they can be flimsy and light can go through.
8. Book or Netflix
   Make sure to keep yourself entertained in the long-haul flight. I usually try to finish a whole book (200 pages or so). A lot of people ask “why do you read on a plane”, why not! There’s so much time in your hands when you are up in the air, take advantage. I usually do since on a daily basis I’m either working, traveling, or blogging. You come to realize that there is less and less time for reading. When you live in a big city like New York, the only time you have to read in when you are commuting unless you drive.
   Netflix is my best friend when it comes to long-haul flights because I binge watch a show during my trip, however, the downside to it is I arrive groggy at my destination. Hope these Tips help you out during your next long-haul trip!