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How to Survive a Long Haul Flight


A long flight is often the promise of a great trip and a change of scenery. If you live in Italy, that means leaving Europe, with what it implies in terms of exoticism and cultural differences. My personal record is a flight of more than 30 hours including stopovers. On arrival, you are dead! the longest flight that exists is a Doha-Auckland connection: 4:20 flight! It is therefore important to sleep a minimum so as not to be too far west on arrival and still lose travel time. Here are my tips for better living a long-haul flight:


1. A travel cushion You will always find a cushion provided by the airline for the flight. But this one is really light in general. Above all, it does not allow you to sleep with your head straight with your cervical rested. For a long flight, I often take one with me. The best is to take a model that compresses easily to save space in your bag. There are also inflatable models, but I find that they are not very comfortable. Also, take a night mask with you in case it is not provided by the airline.

2. Quiet balls The essential accessory to living a long flight well. In fact, it is even an essential accessory for any trip and mode of transport. I have a box of quipped balls that never leave my backpack. Between the noise of the engines, the passengers and the crew, a flight is noisy. According to a study by SWISS, 10% of people would like to enjoy a quieter flight. With quipped balls, you will find sleep easier. On the other hand, the risk is to miss the service on board. Otherwise, you also have noise-canceling headphones. As you can see, getting ready for a flight requires some preparation beforehand!

3. Choose the right place on the plane!

Are you more of a porthole or a corridor? I prefer the window for a long flight, more comfortable, we can rest on the wall. On the other hand, if you have to go to the bathroom often, it can be painful to disturb everyone each time. Ideally, there are places next to the emergency exit: more room for your legs. Some people would like to have more space to comfortably extend their legs. Also, think of the emergency exit when choosing your seat when purchasing your ticket. They are in great demand and leave quickly. Above all, avoid the places located right in front of the toilets, or in front. It is a horror! It happened to me once, I had trouble closing my eyes. Since then, I have done everything to avoid them! In addition, why not try an upgrade in the upper class? If you have miles, the price may not be much higher. In case of overbooking, the company can also offer you this option. This is why clever little ones do their check-in at the last moment hoping for this. But hush, I didn't say anything, huh. Are you superstitious? Do you want to avoid row number 13? Rest assured; many airlines are too. This is often deleted and replaced by a row 12A for example :-).

4. Stay active during the flight Very important during a long flight to avoid the risk of thrombosis. You have to move a minimum. To reduce the risks, these rules should be followed: ▪ get up regularly to walk down the hall. ▪ drink water regularly. In addition, it forces you to use the toilet, and therefore to get up. ▪ wear loose clothing to be comfortable and easy to move to ▪ avoid alcohol. Move, don't be afraid to disturb your neighbor! I remember a friend who did not dare to disturb her neighbor to get up during a 6-hour flight. She felt a terrible pain in one of her legs, so sad!

5. Take something to distract you Of course, there is already plenty to do onboard with the films on offer. And then, you may prefer to read a good book or work on your laptop. For my part, I always had trouble in flight. In anticipation of the hours spent on board, can you be one of the 35% who buys magazines at the airport? For my part, I very often buy one or two pocketbooks. Besides, we talk about "station novels", well, we could also speak of "airport novels" :-). Sometimes I opt for kindles that I read on my tablet or smartphone. That said, for a long flight, I generally prefer a good old book, no problem with the dead battery during the flight! I also take the opportunity to listen to the podcasts that I like. I always prepare a stock.



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