Learn me: long flights

for a large portion of the last 12 years Ive been flying back and forth to Denmark.     There's a reason airports have bars and they are always open ;)

Aside from that, as others noted noise cancelling headphones.

Melatonin.

The more time I can sleep the less I have to think about the cramped space Im in.

mr2s2000elise said:

I disagree "planes are hot." I think long international flights  are actually very cold. You see 99% of the people on long flights, with blankets on top of their sweaters/etc.  

 

 

However, when I fly LAX to PHX or LAX to LAs Vegas, planes tend to be hot and stuffy.

 

 

Food wise, I think it depends what you preference is. I prefer Asian food. I find China Eastern/Cathay food to be delicious along with Singapore and Malaysian. THough I stopped flying Malaysian. 

 

Worse food IMHO is British (worse than dog food), Fiji (terrible imitation of Indian), Turkish (unlesss you like bland kababs), American (flights to Tokyo)

We flew United. It was uncomfortably hot the whole way, very few blankets were brought out and even then.....you can see thru them

Booze, sleeping pills and headphones. 

Stay up as long as possible under those conditions and hope for the best.

Jet lag is going to kick you in the ass no matter what.

The best outcome is business class plus the above.

Aussie land is worth it.

Thanks for all the tips folks, and thanks for the info on Mjolner. I've put that in my phone. As long as I get away before the freezing rain and snow arrive today, I should be in good shape. 

One more point about noise canceling headphones: The cheap ones work fine. I have a $40 over the ear pair from Amazon that are nearly as good as my Airpod pros. 

To late for this- but for long flights, we have an airlines CC to get points, and that lets us fly first class.

Also- alcohol used to work, now it makes me feel like crap.  so YMMV.

(I need to look into noise canceling ones)

Saline nasal spray and eye drops can help with the dry air conditions in a plane,  I once had a job that required multiple flights from Minneapolis to Taiwan.   Including connections, total travel time was about 24 hours.  I can't sleep on a plane anyway, but flying west wasn't so bad - by the time I reached my destination and checked into my hotel it was nighttime there so I could go to bed, wake up the next morning, and ready to go.  Sleeping on the way may delay your adapting to their time zone.

On the other hand, traveling east when returning home was a lot more difficult, I'd get back here in the morning and then have to go for the rest of the day before bedtime arrived.

If you fly with a cranky 18 month old, you get to walk all the way from Toronto to Edinburgh.  Keeps the deep vein thrombosis at bay, anyway.

I sat in the back of a C-130 from Virginia to Montevideo, Uruguay, yours  sounds like a party.

In reply to 914Driver :

Given the way economy is going on a lot of airlines, the C130 might be preferable these days.

eastpark said:

Thanks for all the tips folks, and thanks for the info on Mjolner. I've put that in my phone. As long as I get away before the freezing rain and snow arrive today, I should be in good shape. 

You may need to get reservations for Mjolner, it's very very popular.

Like.....I knew about it years before I went to Australia

are there any Noise canceling earbuds at a cheap price ?

I am not going to be able to sleep with Noise canceling headphones on my head  ,

 I normally use the 31 DB  foam earplugs from 3M .

Thanks for your help

Good movie selection and good game selection on the touchscreen.

Load up an iPad or similar with content "just in case".  Last February the inflight entertainment system on my Detroit to Tokyo Narita flight did not work.  I was lucky that I had that alternative.  Most fellow passengers were not at all happy.

Being of the older generation, I'd recommend bringing a good book instead of relying on an entertainment system.

stuart in mn said:

Being of the older generation, I'd recommend bringing a good book instead of relying on an entertainment system.

and read the first chapter before you go.......just in case its a terrible )

I download a few movies/tv shows on my phone and take Ambien shortly after I board.  Then I sleep most of the trip and it helps me with jet lag if I arrive rested.  If I don't sleep the whole way, I have entertainment to keep my mind busy.

Tom Suddard said:

One more point about noise canceling headphones: The cheap ones work fine. I have a $40 over the ear pair from Amazon that are nearly as good as my Airpod pros. 

I prefer Cowin E7 pros. Long life flare at sound and super comfy. Liked them better than the Bose the mil bought us

Melatonin and if you need it a benadryl.  That combo will knock you out cold and you'll sleep the flight. 

I've tried all the tricks to try and match myself to the timezone and none really work.  If you are tired. Sleep. I usually try to spend the flight sleeping. Because when I land I instantly adjust to the destinations time zone.  So. If you land at 8am whatever places time after flying 20 hours. You stay up no matter what until about 9pm. Then try to sleep. It usually takes 3 days to adjust. 

I put in 150k miles last year. Not awarded miles. Actual miles. I guess its. Not last year anymore I guess.  Ain't a perfect way to do it  

In reply to einy :

I've seen this happen more than I care to mention.  Good airlines will give you miles for the inconvenience.  Mediocre airlines shrug their shoulders. 

In reply to Fueled by Caffeine :

Delta gave me 5000 miles, which was nice, but that would have been a poor swap for 14 hours of nothing much to do if I wasn't lucky enough to have a fall back.  Somebody with a bag of books to sell that day would have made a killing I suspect!

Just did something like this. Korea and back. Fly routinely. Decent headphones or earphones. As mentioned, the dry recirculated air can reek havoc with sinus. It does mine. Saline nasal spray helps. I've also found Sudafed helps on long flights. Comfortable clothes and shoes. Get up and walk up and down the aisle and do feet stretches in the seat, like what is often in the airline magazine. I've found the don't give enough liquids so I bring a bottle of water and a bottle of Coke Zero. I'm pre-diabetic so I avoid sugar and rarely drink soda but sometimes want flavor and can't find my favorite Green Tea in airports. A lite smack might be a good idea, especially if you aren't fond of airline food. Don't turn down any water they hand out though. Most long flights have a selection of movies on them now, especially overseas. Most newer planes have USB ports for phones/tablets which are good for distraction type games. I prefer simple games. And naturally some reading material for when you don't want to watch movies or play games, GRM & CM are my go to. I keep this stuff in a backpack at my feet for easy access. Also, since you are going overseas don't forget a pen to write with. Helps to have that customs form completed before you land.

There's some great advice in this thread!  I used to work and travel through Asia very often in my past life.  I did over 250k miles a year in planes for three years, a lot of those being the dreaded NYC-Hong Kong 15hr nonstops.  My advice in order of importance-

- Fluids fluids fluids.  Planes are the sahara-level dryness. You'll have a bad enough time when you land with jetlag.  if you're dehydrated on top of it, it can be a very bad time.

- I actually don't recommend alcohol UNLESS you know without a doubt that you sleep well with it in you.  I've tried this method several times, only to be pinned wide awake, slightly drunk, and trapped in an aluminum tube for 12 more hours.  Again, less than ideal.

- Any sort of entertainment that swallows time for you.  for me, it's crosswords and solitaire.  Think brainless, non-motion games or activities.  Important note- planes are a terrible place to play motion-based games.  It induces motion sickness very quickly.  Avoid them. 

- Emergen-C before during and after.  Chances are, you're gonna get a cold either on or upon return of your trip.  It's just facts.  Recycled, isolated air with hundreds of strangers' worth of germs. Use proper sanitary measures, but even then it's difficult to avoid...  

Aside from thast, have fun with it!  Most airlines infotainment systems are amazing, to the point that I no longer even really bother with a tablet anymore.  Australia is amazing, you're gonna have a blast!

Thanks, Australia was a blast and I had a great time. I followed all the advice given and had a really easy time acclimating to Sydney time. On all the flights I refrained from caffeine and alcohol and drank a lot of water. I think this worked very well for me. It actually took me longer to get back on Eastern time than it did for Sydney time. 

eastpark said:

Thanks, Australia was a blast and I had a great time. I followed all the advice given and had a really easy time acclimating to Sydney time. On all the flights I refrained from caffeine and alcohol and drank a lot of water. I think this worked very well for me. It actually took me longer to get back on Eastern time than it did for Sydney time. 

Did you get to go to Mjolner?