Long Flight

[leeh]

DIDN'T KNOW WHERE TO POST THIS, SO....HERE I AM !

 

On our next cruise, we're going to have a 12 hr. flight from LA to Auckland. How do you survive that long in the air ?? I start getting antsy after 5 hrs to Hawaii !!

 

Hopefully, it may be a night flight,which means ..maybe...I'll sleep part of the way...but if it's daytime, what do you do >> Do they show more than one movie ? And how about excercising ?

 

This is my first LONG flight, so really worried about handling it.

 

Thanks for any advice you can give.

 

Lee

[CrossMyHeart]

I experienced the same thing last time on our way to Sydney. I just took lots of magazines and, depending on which airline you take, you can watch anything you want as much as you want :)

[odblnt]

When I was in the Army and stationed in Korea, I used to brief my soldiers before they left...

 

"Remember, drinks are free on international flights."

 

I'm sure it depends on the carrier, but I think it is still pretty much true.

[leeh]

Great..that's all I need...free drinks !! They'll roll me off the plane !! LOL

 

Lee

[Bookish Angel]

an eye mask and earplugs helped me on a flight from Buenos Aires to Washington, D.C.

[edwinaw]

It's a bit like having a baby once it's over you forget the pain. :) They usually show two or three movies, on most flights, they "put you to bed" - turn off the lights and expect you to sleep. I never sleep but I do try to relax and listen to music. On our last two flights to the USA we were lucky enough to travel business class and were very comfortable with plenty of room to get up and move around. In economy you just have to go for a walk up and down the aisle. If 12 hours sounds bad feel for the poor Aussies traveling to London 21 hours or there abouts. These days I always opt for a stop over in Asia on the way. You should be fine what's 12 hours discomfort for a great holiday. New Zealand is stunning, shame about the way they talk :D

[joybelles9]

12 hours! Mate try 23 hours We are flying from brisbane australia to athens 21 hours in the air and returning from rome 23 hours in the air

so any advice on knockout drops welcome

[Avariel]

I hear you and feel your pain.

 

And to think I'm complaining about the 16+ hour flight from Singapore to London.

 

Bring a book. Or try to sleep. That's what I normally do.

[mr green]

For long flights alcohol and caffeine are considered No Nos. However you should ask for lots of liquids, and get up and walk around at least once an hour, [see liquids:) ].

Check your seat location prior to boarding, and try to get an aisle seat, [easier to get out], most lines try to help.

My wife and I always take a deck of cards along, we play rummy by the hour.

Set your watch to the new time zone, this will help as you cross the date line.

Good luck.:)

 

john

[katyj]

Not all airlines provide free alcohol which is bad for jet lag and de-hydration anyway, but make sure you have plenty of soft drinks.

 

If you have contact lenses it is also a good idea not to wear them on long flights, as your eyes are one of the first places to lose moisture and you can end up with sore eyes for the duration of your holiday.

 

Some GP's will provide a sleeping pill or two for long flights, if you struggle with sleep for them, or adjusting to jet lag.

[alicam]

Just try to sleep when you feel sleepy..don't worry...you're on a plane and you're not going to miss anything (ok...maybe a bad movie)....I've flown Toronto to Hawaii (10 1/2 hours) then sat in Honolulu airport for 1 1/2 hours, then flown Honolulu to Sydney Australia for another 11 1/2 hours = 23 total hours (and I still don't know what a washroom on a jet looks like...hahaha)..... don't drown yourself in alcohol because you will feel like a piece of crap when you get off

[ArizonaRalphie]

We're doing the same LAX to AKL leg as you in February. Longest flight we had taken previously was LAX to Tahiti and back just this last February and because the jerk in fron of me had his seat in a fully reclining position from prior to takeoff until 5 minutes before landing, I suffered on the way back.

 

Having learned a little from that experience we made sure we booked Air New Zealand for this one as it has an extra 3" pitch (seat seperation) over that afforded on other airlines. I like the idea of removing contacts. That's new to me.

 

Also I recently found out about http://www.1stclasssleeper.com/ and have ours on order and will give them a try on our red eye to Miami this November.

[KC_fn]

Take your shoes off as soon as you're at cruising altitude. Every hour or so, get up and move around if you can. Or do some in-seat foot and knee excercises (make circles with your feet; alternately lift each knee then stretch it out as far as you can).

[Gem Girl]

any good natural remedies to get some shut eye? We want to be able to tour Barcelona at least a little bit the day we get in. Sleeping on the plane would assist us in doing this! :)

[45014]

any good natural remedies to get some shut eye? We want to be able to tour Barcelona at least a little bit the day we get in. Sleeping on the plane would assist us in doing this! :)

 

 

Melatonin

[westward]

what about all us Brits who fly to US in our millions every year.

 

We have an 8 hour flight to Florida - usually with kids in tow. We get packed like sardines on some airlines and get frustrated very easily:(

 

But we come because we love the US. So we believe that it's only the beginning of our vacation and the rest will be fantastic.

 

You need to focus on the landing and what follows next. Coming home always seems to take quite as long - why is this:confused: :confused:

[southerncomfort]

We have discovered audio books. First using cd's and have graduated now to iPod. Great on planes and ships. You can listen and still watch all the action. Takes virtually no space and no extra weight.

[Dewsmom]

We have discovered audio books. First using cd's and have graduated now to iPod. Great on planes and ships. You can listen and still watch all the action. Takes virtually no space and no extra weight.

 

 

Books on Tape is an excellent idea.

 

My worst flight was to Beijing, by way of Tokyo. We sat on the runway in Chicago for SEVEN HOURS before we took off on our 14 hour flight to Tokyo. When we landed in Tokyo we had obviously missed our Bejing connection, so we were immediately put on a plane to Hong Kong (4 hours away). We were in Hong Kong for about 3 hours and then put on a plane to Beijing (another 4 hour flight). In a 32 hour time period we were on airplanes for 29 hours. There is nothing you can do to keep your sanity for that long. Three movies, five airline meals (yum!), and a day-and-a-half later we arrived in Beijing -- probably the snarliest group to ever set foot on the "mainland". We should have gotten one of the "I survived . . . " T-shirts.

[t_nix]

If you are looking for something to help you relax/sleep then I would suggest going to your doctor and explaing your long flight and nine times out of ten they will write you something that can help you. I would also suggest wearing flip flops and bringing sock to wear because after sitting that long your feet tend to swell and it makes it hard to get your shoes back on when you land. I also suggest bringing snacks and drinks in case you do not like the ones served, a pillow, small fleece blanket, and some clorox wipes (Target has travel size ones that easiley fit in your purse. This way you can wipe the toliet before you go and you know it is clean or any other surface you will touch durring the flight- yes I am a nurse and a germ-a-phobe :) )

I hope that you have a safe flight!

Oh, one more thing- Delta has three types of planes (777, 767-400 and one other one) that have connections for your lap top so you could bring that to entertain yourself and watch your own movies. You can also use it to off load your pictures from your memory card so you wont run out of room for more pictures. Hope this helps!

[travelmatron]

Those goofey looking sleep pillows really can be helpful. There is one I've used that's is a total collar so when you fall asleep you don't wake yourself up with a nasty head bob. I got mine through the Magellan Catalog for about $25.00, but I'm sure you could find it other places. Shawls or fleece blankets are great. Lots of time it's cold, or there is a draft. They are can also be helpful padding. Someone has also mentioned bringing socks to walk around the plane, and stetchy or adjusting shoes to accomodate your feet swelling. Ear plugs are as important as eye shades if you hope to sleep.

[StPaulCruiser]

All of the other posts have great ideas. But when I get on my 10 flight from Minneapolis to Honolulu, I take Benedryl just before take off. It makes me sleepy, and once I get to sleep, I'm good for a couple of hours, at least.

 

Peggy

[mark3232]

It is a long flight so take along several things to pass the time. At least your going to a time zone that is pretty easy to adjust to. I would not count on the drink being free unless you are at least business class. I always try to set my watch to that time zone. Then at the appropriate time I take something strong to help me sleep. Usually Rx. It’s not the flight there that gets me but the flight home.