Our Experts’ Guide to Staying Comfortable on Long Flights
Your dream vacation is approaching, but there’s one thing standing in your way: a long flight. We all worry about leg room, airplane food, chatty neighbors, fussy children. But at the end of the ride is your dream vacation. So how do you plan to stay comfortable during your flight? We’ve polled some Go Next experts for their favorite tips for mile-high comfort, and these are some of our favorites.
John, President & CEO of Go Next, suggests bringing comfortable clothing, snacks, and fully charged batteries for all your electronics. Another tip is to eat dinner before your flight so you can skip the airplane meal option and focus instead on relaxing and trying to get whatever sleep you can while you fly.
Jean recommends you get an open seat next to you, which is easier said than done!
Kathryn always brings a blanket in case she gets cold.
Emily has this Travel Pillow, which she says is the best neck pillow ever. And for especially long flights, she recommends compression socks to combat swelling, increase blood flow, and prevent blood clots.
Brett recommends wearing a scarf, earphones, or a hooded sweatshirt if you’re looking to signal to others that you want to sleep or relax, not chat.
Robyn drinks plenty of water to stay hydrated while in high elevations for extended periods of time, and also makes sure to hydrate her skin by bringing lotion. But be considerate of other travelers! Don’t bring super smelly lotions as a courtesy to scent-sensitive passengers.
Mike brings noise cancelling headphones. And if he’s working, he’ll try to get a seat at the window, which makes it easier to write or use a laptop. He also recommends waiting to be last off the plane if you have gate-checked bags, so you don’t have to mill around in the jet bridge.
Tracy says this: watch a movie that’s been on your list. Bring slippers or cozy socks to keep your feet warm, and dress comfortably, in layers. If you’re a contact wearer, bring your glasses for the evening. Take along crosswords, sudoku, or a good book to read, and make sure to have something high in vitamin C to mitigate exposure to onboard germs!
To avoid jetlag, Anita tries to acclimate to local time on arrival by staying up until a normal evening bedtime, which means not napping even if she’s tired.
Stay safe and comfortable. Happy travels!