Greetings from London! It's Day One, and I've literally been on planes, trains, and automobiles...all in a span of 24 hours, with little sleep, and no clue what time it is anywhere. In fact, I'm writing this on adrenaline alone, so please forgive any grammatical or spelling mistakes...But putting aside travel weariness, here's the question I'd like to propose to all of you dear readers: How do you handle long trips and jet lag?
Thus far, I've concocted my own essentials to dealing with long plane rides in particular: With space at a minimum, it's hard to get comfortable (unless you are prepared to drop some coin on a first class ticket with those fold out seat-beds!), so here is my list of must-haves that I bring along in my carry-on:
1. A headrest pillow. I always kick myself when I forget it because when I start dozing off, I do the head-bob jerk which is the worst. Or I find myself in an awkward situation if I happen to be sitting next to a complete stranger and wake up leaning on their shoulder.
2. A sweater or a blanket. No matter if it's the dead of summer, airplanes tend to get chilly; so it's always a good idea to bring an extra layer of protection.
3. Water. With security measures being what they are, I tote around an empty Nalgene bottle and fill it up at a water fountain.
4. Xanax. (Just kidding. But not really.)
5. Entertainment. Although this one is becoming obsolete. So many planes now offer a vast amount of in-flight movies, TV shows, and music; i.e. my flight had about 60 movies available to watch on demand.
What are some of your travel tips to make longer trips more comfortable? Share it with us in the comments!
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Use miles whenever possible to upgrade to Business or First - If you can only do this one way, I always choose the flight home for my upgrade.
Fly foreign-flagged airlines whenever possible (the service and food are far better)
I agree w/ bringing water - but also food, particularly if you're in coach on a domestic flight. I always plan on spending @ $25 in the airport on bottled water and nibblies to bring on the plane.
I'm headed to China this weekend and just made a stop at the drugstore to prep. Ambien for getting to sleep in the new time zone. Xanax for relaxing on the plane (Doc says no ambien on the airplane, it could disorient you). And perhaps most interesting...Provigil.....not covered by health insurance, but apparently it will help turn off signals to sleep in the middle of the day, so I can actually get some work done (this is a business trip).
That and ALWAYS taking advantage of the gym/pool facilities at the hotels. Amazing what even a half hour work out can do to help your body adjust.
Download enough This American Life podcasts to get you there and back again. A wretched flight becomes a wonderful chance to catch up with Ira and the gang!!
as a frequent longhaul traveller, the best way I've found to deal with jetlag is just not to think about it at all. for instance, do not take a nap when you get to your destination if it is morning there, likewise, do try to sleep if it is nighttime (take a pill if you have to). if you cheat and take a nap, you'll sleep for 6 hours and be screwed up for the whole week!
I never thought it was necessary to bring water on longhaul flights because they always servce plenty of water once you're on the plane. British Airways also offers free snacks during the flight...
The picture of the guy in the eye and dust mask is hysterical. Pretty much sums up my feelings about flying too, which is probably why I found it so funny.
Apparently, I am puddle, sans make-up.
My sister travels between Nairobi & Atlanta each year, for twenty years. She recommends:
Wear easy on-off shoes and take them off immediately.
Bring clean socks in case socks get dirty, e.g., in the toilet
We have found melatonin (a "natural" hormone) to be helpful in resetting time clock. On a night flight, I take it right after the meal and fall asleep about .5 to 1 hr later.
Use destination time as soon as the plane takes off.
Use 2 pillows: one for the lower back and the other for the head. The headrest should bend forward at the sides.
Bring an eyeshade / noise-cancelling earphones.
Try not to sit on the aisle; the middle section lets other people exit via the other aisle if I'm asleep.
Do lots of stretches, especially my arms over my head; wander to the bathrooms and lift knees high.
The flight crew will give you water and even snacks if you go to the back and ask. I overdo the water as much as I can.
Take a walk in the airport between flights--some chocolate shops give free samples.
Even some US airports have chaise-type seating where you can get your feet up, but you have to look for it. They are almost always available in European airports.
In many ways, long flights just call for endurance.
I don't think I would get on a plane with the guy in the picture - looks like he is a carrier of some freaky disease, what is wrong with some people.
As a frequent long-haul flyer, my recs would be: water, Bose headphones, British Airways business class, and sleeping all the way.
Without the business class, but still on a foreign carrier: skip the plane food and free alcohol, stick to water and long nap.
U.S. based carrier: give up on both the on-plane food and all comfort -- but not the water.
Last winter, I was leaving Virginia for good and went to france before moving to texas.
As the last day was getting more and more emotional, I got the pleasant surprise of being upgraded to business class during the overnight flight from East Coast to Paris.
It might not have made everything better, but it definitely helped me relax after I had left my friends of 4 years for good.
Jet lag you just have to suck it up, there's really no easy way around it. I have trouble sleeping on planes, regardless of how long I've been awake, or how long the flight is, or how many Benadryl I've taken.
I generally have two magazines, an iPod. In the future I'll have to go out and get a NintendoDS or something.
Ever since I was laid over for a night in that pit-of-hell also known as Dallas/Ft. Worth three years back, I'll always carry extra socks, underwear and a t-shirt with me.
If you're not doing first class, then try and request the emergency exit row. You get extra legroom, but on some planes you don't get under-seat storage.
Finally, only fly on airlines that have TVs in the seatbacks where you can choose what you want to watch (READ: NOT American Airlines).
noise canceling earbuds/music (as much for layovers as the plane itself)
individually wrapped face cleaner pads
lip balm and lotion
sweater or jacket
chewing gum
water
tvs in the back of the seat are great.
same as puddle (the clean underwear is key) but add:
noise canceling headphones
antibacterial wipes for the plane itself (handrests, seat back, window, airvent, light button)
lip balm
eye drops
Evian face spray
Listerine sheets
journal and pen
I'd add to the above lists: Advil, Tigerbalm & breath mints. Tigerbalm on the temples does wonders tension/tedium headaches, though I apply it well before getting on the plane, because it is strong-smelling. Breath mints are in case of a sewer-mouthed seatmate....
I sort of became an expert at this as I used to commute to europe all the time for work and could not indulge jet lag. I had to be ready to go the morning after arriving, no yawns or midday sleepiness. Here is how I did it.
Always take the last flight out to your destination (or the flight that gets you to your destination as late in the day as possible.)
Stay up late the night before you go - I usually start packing at 9pm, finish with all my household preparations by midnight and then watch a movie. I go to bed as late as possible - sleep a full 8 hours or more, sleep as long as you can. Take a Tylenol Simply Sleep if you have trouble indulging sleep. Then wake up, get dressed, go to the airport. My favorite flight out of LA was the 8:30pm British Airways. That would mean I would get up at 3:00-4:00pm, leave for the airport at 5:00-5:45p.
Here is the important part: DO NOT SLEEP ON THE FLIGHT. No sleeping. Read your books. Watch your in flight movies. No sleeping.
When you arrive, you will be tired. It will be 3:00pm-ish in London. Get your bags, go to the hotel. (5:00pm-ish), go eat dinner and go to bed around 7:30pm. Take a Tylenol Simply Sleep and sleep as long as you can. 11 hours of sleep has you up at 6:30am London time ready for breakfast and a full day at work.
For the limited amount of travel I've done, the tips mentioned (especially don't sleep on the plane and drink lots of water with your shoes off ;^) ) worked for me.
That dust mask, though -- I feel smothered just looking at it!
This picture is too funny! It reminds me of my husband when we travel back and forth from SFO to Stockholm.
Picture if you will:
headrest
zippered fleece zipped all the way up over his chin
eye mask
headphones
scarf wrapped around his shoulders, neck and halfway up his head covering his mouth, nose & ears.
blanket around the rest of his body and tucked in around the sides.
seriously, it's like he spends the flight in a cocoon.
ipod, eyemask, pashmina, clean socks, hoodie... and I'm good to go!
My tips for longhaul flights:
1) Fly foreign carriers whenever possible, unless the price difference is just too great that you're willing to sacrifice your comfort to fly a US carrier.
2) To echo the previous poster, do not sleep on the plane if you're flying back and schedule to arrive in the evening.
3) If you arrive at your destination in the morning, try to stay up with whatever means possible so that you can sleep soundly at night. This way your jetlag will be adjusted instantly. Just suffer through the first day there and you'll be fine.
Things I tend to bring on flight:
lip balm: the most moisturizing kind that you can find (hard lesson learned)
throw/jacket (in flight blankets are usually not warm enough)
travel size mouth wash
facial wipes and moisturizer
a book and a magazine
What I always take:
- an audiobook on my iPod plus music as per usual
- a magazine and book
- earplugs and eyemask
- moisturizer
- snacks and empty water bottle filled on the plane (not in water fountains due to hearing about too many science experiments about fountains and the bacteria left on them)
- pashmina to use as a blanket (lightweight but warm)
- toothbrush and toothpaste
- heavily edited makeup bag
- stationery to write letters if I can't sleep
Apart from meals, ry to nap as much as possible on the flight. Upon arrival, try to get into the time zone as much as possible otherwise your Circadian rhythms will be out of whack the whole trip. If you don't want to take earplugs, you can use your headphones as ear plugs even with no music playing.
I dunno. I think that surgical mask is disguising a ball gag.
As Allen said in "The Hangover," thanks, Bin Ladin.
i just found out from a friend who works airlines that the air quality on planes got worse when smoking was banned. why? with smokers, planes had to rotate in fresh air constantly. after it was banned, airliners now only recycle air, because otherwise they'd have to burn more fuel to bring in fresh air. gross. i learned the hard way, coming in from hong kong -a 13 hour flight - that breathing recycled air can make a family quite ill. so my essentials include:
echinacea
vitamin c
plenty of water
hand sanitizer
tylenol
once i'm on the ground - rinse with salt water, and massive amounts of echinacea. and trying to get some solid sleep.
Always wear comfy jeans and t-shirt. A sweater and clean undies is a must.
A good book, ipod and noise-cancelling headphones (swear to god, it makes the inflight entertainment 10x better!)
Paracetamol or aspirins are a must, you'll never know when a headache hits.
Small bottle of water, but you can usually buy this after security.
Dude, I TOTALLY get this guy in the pictures...now only if they made a travel size plastic bubble with built in ventilator that I could inflate and crawl into. It would also serve as a flotation device.
May I suggest a N95 respirator mask that will actually block the flu virus and other nasty things. It's still soft like a dust mask but much more effective (found at Rite Aid)! 2 to a pack, one for the way back. Plus with no one knowing or caring that you should cover your orifices when you cough or sneeze, it's a must. Those tiny snot particles travel about 4-6ft in front of you and a very fast rate.
Water is a must! Buy the large bottle, the dry gross air on the planes dehydrates you (also making you more likely to catch something). For drinks cart-get juice.
Snacks and antibac wipes/gel before you eat them. I bring a healthy meal w/dessert with me. You feel so much better having a non-overly salted tasteless greasy meal than salty snacks.
Always nice to have a brush and some face wipes, lip balm and something to freshen up the mouth. Before landing, visit the bathroom to freshen up.
Yes to books, magazine and music! Don't count on the airlines equipment working-they can't fix it mid-flight.
I am just DYING at the picture above and the descriptions
I totally agree that people pass on germs through the recycled air in the cabin but.. I am just picturing that one husband mentioned above totally covered from head to toe LOL!!!!!
My top picks:
- iPod & Good noise cancelling headphones (I load videos in MP4 on there too, watching Sex and the City)
- A book in case you get tired of music
- A sweater/blanket to stay warm
- A travel pillow for your head
- Comfy slip on and off shoes (PLEASE WEAR SOCKS)
- Some snacks. I hate airplane snacks.
The mental image of Cocoon Man gave me a chuckle. Lots of good tips in these comments! For me, the essentials are:
- pashmina
- eye drops
- sleeping pills
- iPhone loaded up with books and music, plus noise-cancelling earphones
- baby wipes for freshening up (especially essential if going to a tropical country)
- if stopping in/going to a tropical country, a folding fan to make the humid airport bearable
- work-out plans, massage booking (if at all possible) and super-moisturising face mask, for post-flight recovery.
Also, a usually sceptical friend of mine just recommended Bach flower remedies for jet lag, so I'll try those next flight. Anyone else tried them?
3 or 4 times a year I have an 11 hour flight to Hong Kong. Airline food as everyone knows is not always the best but with a wife like mine that doesnt matter. I can tuck into corned beef or roast lamb sandwiches lovingly prepared by my wife. On several occasions I've noticed the person sitting next to me looking at my sandwiches with undisguised envy.