How To Handle A Long Flight

Let’s admit it- as much as we like flying, sometimes we just can’t wait to get off the plane. Not because it’s so stressful to be on, but because the longer the flight is, the bigger the chance for us to get bored.

Flights up to five and a half hours have never been a problem for me. I consider them short, so I don’t even bother to think about how to entertain myself during them. Well, being on board for more than that definitely requires a little bit of thinking on how to handle it.

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Some people are “blessed” with the ability to fall asleep wherever they want. Some people, like me, only “enjoy” watching their travel buddies sleeping. And of course, we are a little jealous that we can’t do the same. No, I can’t sleep on a plane or any other kind of transport. It sucks, especially when you know you’ll be stuck there for ten hours plus.

For those who can sleep on a plane, handling a long flight can be pretty easy- they just know they’re going to spend half of the time sleeping and they don’t think of ways to kill time. The “lucky” ones like me need to come up with some strategy, otherwise we end up counting down the minutes until we land.

It’s crazy how at first sight small things can affect our mood while flying and make our time in the sky extremely unpleasant. On a short flight you can be uncomfortable to the point that it feels like you’ve been there for much longer. And the opposite- you can be on a ten plus hour flight and have the feeling that it’s way too short. It all depends on whether you feel comfortable, cozy, and entertained.

One of my flights from the West Coast to East Coast, which was supposed to be a short (five hours and a half) trip overnight, turned out to be one of the worst flights I have ever been on. I called it Flightmare.

Despite all the layers of clothes I was wearing, I was still freezing and no food, not even snacks were provided, which made it even worse. I hate being cold and I hate even more being hungry. So those two things made me feel like I was onboard for much longer than the actual five plus hours. I have the opposite story as well- one of my ten and a half hour flights from London to San Francisco felt pretty short, thanks to the bigger legroom I had and the frequency of the snacks being provided. Oh, yeah! This does affect my boredom.

Since we all are different, we handle long flights differently. Some people sleep the whole time, but some struggle with killing time and not being able to stretch.

Here’s a few tips on how to handle a long flight! Make yourself feel comfortable enough to hopefully take a nap or sleep and entertain yourself the rest of the time.

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Staying up before or sleeping on

If your flight is over the night and you usually don’t have any trouble falling asleep onboard, you are probably all set and you will just wake up at your final destination. When your flight is in the early morning though and you’re going to fly for about 6+ hours, you might consider staying up the night before and sleeping on the plane.

Pick your outfit carefully

Those clothes will be on you for the next, let’s say ten hours, so make sure they are comfortable enough. Pick something stretchy, warm enough, and always have an extra layer! Overseas flights can be pretty cold and even if you’re provided with a blanket- sometimes it’s not warm enough. My go to is yoga pants or sweatpants, t-shirt or top, and a hoodie/light jacket/cardigan, running/gym shoes or anything that feels good after hours of wearing them.

Find some female (here and here) and male comfortable clothes to put on a flight

Needed items on hand

Make sure you have everything you need in your piece of luggage under the seat. One thing I honestly hate when being on a plane is to realize that something I need is in my carry on, up in the compartment. By having everything important right next to me I don’t have to worry about asking to go out or wait for the flight attendants to pass by with their cart so I can put down my carry-on and search for whatever I need.

Find the must have items when traveling

How to entertain ourselves

If you are a light sleeper like me, you need to think of a few ways to entertain yourself during the hours. International carriers always provide movies, TV programs, music and other screen entertainment. However, we feel like it’s not enough when you have to stay there for, let’s say 14 hours… Sometimes we watch one, two or even three movies, and we check the time just to realize we still have 7 or 8 hours left. 

I like using the sky time for organizing and deleting photos on my devices. Just going through them and erasing what I think I don’t need anymore. I end up having fun reliving some memories and also clean up my phone storage which is always needed. It works with anything you’ve been postponing to do when it comes to organizing or deleting stuff. How long have you been forcing yourself to get rid of useless documents and screenshots? Now is the time. You get to kill some hours and end up with probably gigabytes of free storage.

Complete some tasks

If there’s something you can do by writing or your computer/phone- do it now. You have all the time you need and it’s going to feel really rewarding once you’re done. One task left for after your vacation!

Check your itinerary

You have plenty of time on a flight so why don’t you take a look at the plan one more time and see if there’s something you can improve? This way you’re saving yourself time after you arrive. I personally hate to figure things out while traveling. I love going there prepared and already knowing the answers.

Read a book or a magazine

Sometimes it gets our eyes tired enough to fall asleep, sometimes it gets so interesting that you keep reading and get lost in the story. The more you read, the less time until landing you have. The airline magazines look pretty basic and like no one ever reads them, but sometimes there are actually pretty good articles on them. Check them out too, you may be surprised.

Find some books and Kindle options

Get up and stretch as often as you can

Don’t worry about telling people around you to get up so you can go out- everyone knows that on a long flight people need to stretch to prevent body cramps and discomfort. I have even exercised once with a small group of passengers, while waiting for the restroom to be available. Everyone is trying to stay comfortable and entertained during those long hours while being stuck on a plane. Getting up and stretching even for a little bit is good  for your blood pressure and legs especially.

Keep some of the snacks

If you can’t finish everything you have been given, just save it for later. Even if they are going to give you more food later on, having something and being able to open it right away once you’re hungry is always better than having to wait for it. A snack pause while watching a movie or reading a book is another few minutes spent time that really counts on a long flight!

Do your night routine

Sleeping on a plane is hard but it might be easier if you follow the steps of your night routine. Think about what you do before going to bed- do you spend time without your phone? Do you read books? Completing your skincare routine? Do the same even when you’re onboard, so your body feels like you’re preparing to sleep. It will be even better if it happens to be around the time of your usual bedtime. Go brush your teeth and drink something warm (if drinks are available at the moment). “Trick” your mind that you’re really going to bed. Sounds silly but it actually helps.

Use a sleeping mask, neck pillow and ear plugs

Even if it’s bedtime on the flight and all the cabin window shields are closed, the atmosphere is still far away from what your body is used to when going to bed. With all the screen light coming from different devices across the salon, wearing a sleep mask for me is inevitable. Ear plugs are a must too, since not everyone has common sense in those quiet hours. Take melatonin gummy if needed.

Neck pillow is essential for any kind of flight for me. No matter if I have a window seat, an aisle one or a middle one, no matter how comfortable those seats are and how much they recline- a neck pillow is a must.

Find some sleep masks, ear plugs and neck pillows

Listen to relaxing music

Forest and water sounds or chill music are perfect to put us down to bed.

Find headphone sets and case for them

Use the internet provided

You can also pay for access if you really need it. With so many entertaining options provided on overseas flights, I have never felt the need to be online. I actually enjoy the offline time a lot, so I never care if there’s internet access or not. Even though, if you think you have exhausted all other options to not be bored- go ahead and take advantage of this extra. Note that most of the time the internet provided only works for sending and receiving messages, not for browsing.

Play a game with your travel buddy

If you travel in a group or with just one more person, you can always come up with a funny game to play. I love playing uno cards at the airport while waiting to board and also on a plane. There are also other games that don’t even require bringing anything. The more bored you are- the more creative you become!

Talk to the people around you

If the person next to you is obviously struggling with handling the flight- start a conversation. This is a great way to kill some time and to hear someone else’s story probably. Be aware of your surroundings, don’t start a deep conversation if everyone else is sleeping and you’re going to bother them. Make sure the person next to you actually wants to talk and you’re not bothering them. In the course of the conversation you’ll know if they want to keep talking.

Restroom brakes

Take advantage of the aisle being empty and go to the restroom regardless if you need it or not. How many times have you waited for the flight attendant and their cart to be gone so you can go to the restroom? I’ve waited many times. I would say once the pace is clear, just go. Even if you don’t use the restroom, you’ll at least stretch a little bit.

Stop checking the time every 15 minutes

The more often you check, the longer the time would feel like.

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What are your ways to deal with the endless hours in the sky? Let me know in the comments below!

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I’d rather have a passport full of stamps than a house full of stuff.

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