Going alone? On a wide body if the middle has 4 or 5 seats, move to an inside aisle seat next to a couple or group of three, respectively. They’re more likely to disturb each other to get up for bathroom breaks than you. If you can do this with one seat between, that seat will be one of the last to fill.
I love me some window seats, but on the long haul it sucks to have to wake peeps to go take a piss.
Do get up and walk the plane. Your legs will thank you.
Buy a little sign that sticks on your seat to let the flight attendants know to wake you for food or do not disturb.
As a frequent flier I’d say the most important thing is what you do before and after your flight, not during. Go in well hydrated (get those electrolytes!) and well rested. If you’re flying far east/west, adjust your eating and sleeping ahead of going, to make sure the adjustment is not so hard on arrival. If you’re arriving in the morning, try to sleep on the plane… if you’re arriving in the evening, don’t sleep on the plane. Additionally, when you arrive, wait until the appropriate time to sleep/eat as not to prolong jet lag.
My wife and I bring water bottles we can fill up after going through security, and packs of pedialyte powder to mix into it.
Heh, we do the same. I appreciate that Changi airport has bottle-filling fountains at every gate.
I really appreciate Haneda airport for having bottle scanners, so you can just bring your filled bottles through security. Saw this at an airport in Europe, too, but can’t remember where (domestic Athens maybe?).
The food thing really is a game changer.
Adjust your meals to match the meal time where you’re going day or two ahead of time.
Your body will respond.
Drip drops. Thank me later.
Yeah, this kind of thing. We have pocari sweat powder.
try to sleep on the plane
That requires a good travel pillow to avoid a massive crick in the neck that can produce immense pain.
I picked up a set of AR glasses for my last flight and was surprised how much of a game changer they were. I plugged them into an older Samsung phone and the Samsung Dex software let me switch the main phone screen off. This gave me something like 9 hours of video time on a larger screen that I could watch in any head position, with shows I brought myself.
What brand/model did you get? How much was it?
I got a Viture One on sale last Prime Days for $300. I also have an Xreal Air 2. The Viture One has a better case for traveling - it has a separate compartment for the cord - and it’s better if you want to share it because it has focus controls on the glasses. But I’m still trying to get the nosepieces into the right place to get full top to bottom clarity. The Xreals need a prescription lens insert, but that means they’re better if you want to use them as real glasses, and the nosepiece is more comfortable and adjustable. The case can hold the cord, but there isn’t a separate compartment so there’s a risk it’ll scratch the lenses. I can’t recommend the Xreal Beam accessory, the battery life is really short.
Buy the upgraded seats.
On the flights I had, it was something like
Regular seats - $500
First class - $3000
They also had “upgraded” seats which were just regular seats but in the center of the plane for an extra $200.
As a fan of sitting in the back, I never find them worth it.
Those goofy inflatable neck pillows really do work
When I flew intl I asked a doc to give me a prescription for two zanax (one each way) to be super chilled out and ended up asleep most of the way. Not sure if that’s common, but I think it might be worth asking. Note: had we had an emergency landing, I would not have been able to protect myself, but that’s because I mixed it with a bit of alcohol (which you should not do).
Good pair of ANC headphones are an absolute must
Then a Battery bank, tablet with your fave music + shows + Books.
Or a laptop with your favorite games.
But the headphones are still a must have
Real bed pillow
Once you try it you will never go back to the horseshoe neck strain weak sauce
Counterpoint, a good horseshoe neck pillow. I’ve got great, thick one made out of a real dense memory foam. Acts more like a slightly mold-able neck brace, keeps me from being that guy leaning on the passenger next to me. I’ve used it on 6+ hour flights and never had any pain or comfort issues.
Steam deck
I was concerned about battery life with my international trips that I mostly played classic/retro looking games. the flight I had didn’t have outlets, only USB ports which did slow trickle charging.
im glad I did because I was at 10% power left after like 5 hours of gaming.
I normally mix in some retro games with an inflight movie and it usually covers the time. I also have a phone with some music and a kindle loaded with books using calibre
Crocs or sandals. Wear them with socks. This keeps your feet dry so they don’t smell and you can easily remove them for comfort and put them back on to go to the bathroom.
And
Any noise cancelling headphones with something to play music or podcasts. Even if you sleep through it, planes are loud, you should protect your hearing.
2 beers and a NyQuil.
I wouldnt recommend alcohol and meds.
If it’s not the extra side effects, it’s the diarrhea.
I mean, obviously test it before you go. But I’ve never had a problem and I sleep like a baby on a long haul flight.
A neck pillow and cookie package. A pair of headphones for your device and a power bank.
Power banks are not allowed to be used on most long haul flights I’ve been on (trans-pacific), and when transiting through China they even confiscate them if they are over a certain capacity, but all flights have AC plugs at each seat.
Not sure about US companies, but I’ve never seen an AC plug on European and Asian companies’ airplanes. They do have USB ports but they’re underpowered (barely enough to keep my battery at the same level while playing music on BT headphones) or straight up don’t work. Ask a flight attendant in the latter case, they’ll reboot your screen which might fix the issue.
Yeah, make sure it’s not above a certain voltage. You can find this information on the website of your airline. I think it was 12500mAh for most, but I could be wrong.
That’s crazy. I never had this experience and I pack at least 2-3 power banks during my flight to Europe/Southeast Asia because I’m a gadget nerd.
Then again I never flew to China and stick to western airplanes because that’s what my company pays for.
Definitely the neck pillow! A nice proper one if you have the space, but at least an inflatable one! And a big bottle of water once you’re through security.
An empty bottle, you often can refill them for free after the check in. Thanks for reminding me.
An isle seat.
Before you get on your flight, get a bottle of water and chug it as fast as you comfortably can. Have another one to drink throughout the flight. This keeps swelling of your hands and feet down. You’ll have to get up and pee a lot, which is why an isle seat is a good idea, but you’ll be so much more comfortable during and after the flight.
But remember water at the airport is quite expensive. So if the airport has refill stations get a small bottle and refill. Also when you board just directly take of your shoes. And bring some warmer clothes if you easily feel cold.
Other option is to empty your bottle before going through security and fill it back after. Keep the bottle and do it every time and you will always have water.
Noise-canceling headphones. Eye mask (some planes might provide one, but get a nice one that fits you). A good mask (planes can be very low-humidity so even if you aren’t worried about anything else, this can help keep you more comfortable).
Wear loose-fitting clothing (except compression socks if that’s something you want to do) or otherwise comfy clothing.
Other than that, get up and stretch every couple of hours if you can and are not sleeping.
I have flown from NY to Tokyo multiple times (which is like 15 hours depending upon weather).
I got a Manta Sleep mask on the recommendation of a friend last year and it is so, so good. I take it everywhere with me now, and use it on any flight where I need to get some rest. That and good earbuds make a huge difference if you’re a light sleeper like me.
Which type of Manta did you go with. They apparently have quite a few variants, and I might invest in one for my next flight.
I’ve had the basic one (not the slim - parts of the band on the slim are bare elastic and it’s not comfortable) for years and I love it. I’m a side sleeper and I don’t have much trouble with the mask getting pushed off, but I do dream about getting the pro version.
I have the Pro version because I’m a side sleeper and their site said it was great for that. They were right! Other sleep masks I tried would come off by morning but this thing stays put. It’s really comfy.
I sound like an ad but I usually wake up as soon as sunlight creeps into the room, and this thing helps me get an extra 1-2 hours during summer, which is huge. I really love it.
This is a great list.
I wear loose athletic pants for long flights. Not bedtime sweatpants, but Adidas style pants. I wear comfy shoes, that I unlace once I start napping.
I bring a sweatshirt so it becomes a pillow and something to pull over my eyes if it’s needed.
I also have a couple of airplane blankets and I bring my own. It comes in handy on flights where we cheap seats people don’t get blankets, and in airports when it’s nap time. I roll it up tight and strap it on the bottom of my backpack.
I also bring Sudoku puzzles. It’s a nice diversion from watching videos the whole way.
Noise cancellation headset
This. Cutting out a lot of the noise also cuts out a lot of the fatigue.
