Hey, hi, hello! It’s me. I wanted to whip up a little blog post about long haul flights, and by the title above – we’re trying to make them less miserable! Okay, so first and foremost I don’t sleep on planes… It sucks and I’ve never been able to because I sleep on my stomach/side at night and I just can’t make it happen on a plane UNLESS I have the entire row to myself to stretch out and lay down. The last time I had a 30+ hour travel journey I passed tf out for a total of maybe an hour combined and was miserable. This time, I came prepared – my new bff ~dramamine~. I’m not pushing meds to make you sleep but girl, I’m not not doing that either. I took 2 50mg dramamine tablets and slept for 6 hours on the 15.5 hour flight which is GIANT for me!
Here’s my Amazon list – I’m a big fan of these products (and variations of them)! I’ve included a few different price points and options for most products.
Random (but good) Tips:
- snacks. babe, don’t skimp on the snacks. bring protein packed snacks, sweet ones, salty ones, crunchy ones, candy, do whatever you gotta do to make it through!
- PUT AIRTAGS IN YOUR LUGGAGE. ALL OF THEM. EVERY SINGLE PIECE OF LUGGAGE. I hide my AirTags and attach them to straps in the suitcase itself so they’re not easily found/removed. I’m not paranoid but I am VERY prepared to track down someone who either accidentally or on purpose grabbed my suitcase. Also, if you see your luggage is casually in Paris when you’re in Vietnam, you can tell the airline that/give them proof vs just taking their word that it’ll arrive the next day 💀
- I normally bring a backup outfit in case my luggage goes missing if I have just 1 suitcase, if I have multiple I don’t bring a full outfit in my carryon, just underwear and socks and basic skincare stuff
- wait as long as you can before being on your phone! I rarely purchase the wifi on flights because it’s disappointing at best and tiktoks take 2948348 minutes to load. Okay I’m being dramatic but I see it as a challenge. I just had a 15.5 hour flight at the beginning of September to Thailand and I didn’t use wifi at all, mission accomplished!
- get a good pillow (my faves are memory foam, they’re more bulky but more supportive)
- bring an eye mask or use the one provided – just do it, seeing 13842384 people around me when I’m trying to sleep isn’t the vibe. pretend they don’t exist.
- pre-order meals (you can do this FOR FREE through your airline’s website usually about 30 days before the flight if meals are included), anytime you pre-order/request a specific type of meal they come out before the rest of everyone’s meals.
- don’t fall asleep until AFTER the food service and the trash is collected, don’t sleep through it. That usually begins 30-45 min into the flight and all is finished 45 ish min later! Boom, an hour and a half knocked out already!!
- if you’re crossing a bunch of time zones try to sleep as close to your NEW night time as possible. Trust me, it’ll help with the jet lag!
- make a playlist or two on Spotify (or whatever you use) and download them to make sure they work on airplane mode. I like to have one with my fave songs and one with instrumentals or calming music to listen to when I’m trying to sleep.
- your seat is your own, do what you want to feel comfy! I’m not condoning being a dick to the person in front or behind you but you’re allowed to recline your seat fully for the flight other than take off/landing and put it back up during meal services but other than that, babe you’re good to be comfy! Put your neck pillow on, put your backpack on the floor and put your feet up, wrap up in your blanket and live your best life. We’re couch rotting, but on the plane.
- bring an extra pair of socks and underwear, change them if you have a layover!
Clothing:
- idk, this is up to you… I do recommend compression socks, I didn’t wear them this last 15.5 hour flight and my ankles were swollen for 4 days after. Cankles weren’t the vibe tbh.
- I wear a stretchy crop tank either cotton or spandex/nylon, a button up flannel or 3/4 zip, and flare leg yoga pants. I like wearing my bulkiest tennis shoes so I don’t have to pack them, cotton thong for breathability, and no bra. These get stripped off as soon as I get to my apartment in Thailand and I hop in the shower so honestly not trying to impress anyone with this outfit 🙃 I normally change underwear and socks during a layover so I feel more refreshed.
Electronics:
- Kindle – this is my fave thing to bring on a flight! I download a few books (pro tip: make sure you open them when you’re connected to wifi just in case they decide to be weird and not download fully! That would suck mid flight.)
- Phone – duh. Obviously this is coming with you BUT download a few games that don’t require an internet connection to play, you’d be surprised how many games DO require it. Candy Crush, Plants vs Zombies, Fallout Shelter, Stickman Wars, Catan, and 1945 Air Force are my go to games for flights. 1/2 of them have limited lives but the other 1/2 don’t so truly endless entertainment!
- Nintendo Switch – this one is fun if you’re traveling alone or with someone! You can download and purchase physical games before hand and have hours of game play during your flight!
- Laptop/Tablet – download shows, most of the time the movies on the in-flight entertainment are pretty good but the shows suck. I don’t have the attention span to watch a 2 hour movie.
Activities:
- if you wanna be a basic bish (me) you can organize your notes app and photos during the flight and kill a solid 45-60 min!
- play games both on your phone and physical games like sudoku, solitaire, other puzzle games, etc.
- draw, color, doodle, journal or hell, bring watercolors if you want to paint!
- I have plenty of other activities written out above but these are a few more randoms.
Refresh + Skincare
I know the girlies on TikTok are all about doing skincare on the flight but babe, that’s gross. I’m sorry, I don’t want to burst your bubble but you’re in a giant metal tube with 100+ strangers and their gross germs + bacteria. The water in the bathroom isn’t meant to be consumed soooo I’d deduce that it shouldn’t be on your sensitive skin (aka your face). Do your skincare in the bathroom at the airport, do it at home before your flight, just do it anywhere else. 🙃
If you want to feel refreshed before, during and after the flight let me tell you my routine!
Before:
- I wear makeup on flights but when I say makeup I mean I have on mascara, aquafor for my lips, and tinted sunscreen (I reapply regular sunscreen to my face, neck, chest and hands right before the flight bc you’re literally 30,000+ feet in the air CLOSER TO THE SUN sooooo there’s that)
- drink water, drink whatever else you want bestie 🥂but drink water bc airplane hangover is real and it’s worse than on the ground…
During:
- water. drink lots of it. I bring my own water bottle and even if I’m not thirsty when the food + bev service is happening I still take water and pour it into my own bottle so I have it mid flight if I need it!
- facial mist (unscented so you aren’t spraying perfumey scents in your neighbors’ faces)
- lip mask or a juicy healing ointment like aquafor (the ones meant for lips comes in a tiny travel size tube too)!
- deodorant – apply a few times
During a Layover:
- skincare in the airport bathroom (I prefer the lounge bathroom – get priority pass if you are a frequent traveler, it’s worth it!)
- change your underwear + socks
- drink. more. water.
- charge your devices
- walk around + stretch (stop worrying about people watching, they literally couldn’t care less if they tried 😉)
- stay off your devices, you don’t need to be entertained right now – just people watch
After:
- shocking I know, but drink more water
- avoid touching your face with your gross airplane + airport hands, grab your bags and go to your destination
- you’re gonna be tired but def strip off those travel clothes, take a shower and get ready for your day. Try not to nap if you’re in a different time zone and just go to bed at a reasonable time (9pm your new time) no matter how exhausted you are before then, it’ll help shorten your jet lag!
Here’s my Amazon list – I’m a big fan of these products (and variations of them)! I’ve included a few different price points and options for most products.
Hope these tips are super helpful!
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