How to Survive a Long Haul Flight

Having spent all of my summer and Christmas holidays in South Korea, whilst I was growing up, and taking holidays to far far far away destinations, I have quickly become accustomed to taking long-haul flights. They're time consuming, boring, and you kind of just will it to be done quickly but 10 hours later and once you've landed you're free to explore and experience a different country and immerse yourself in the culture. As the summer season starts and people start jetting off to exotic countries, I thought I'd share my top tips for surviving a long haul flight.

1. REMEMBER YOUR HEADPHONES!

This is the single most important thing to remember on a flight (bar your passport, obvs!). Yes yes, I hear you saying the airline provide you with some crappy excuse for headphones- but they're uncomfortable, scratchy and have incredibly poor sound quality. Earphones enable you to be able to listen to and watch the vastly-improved entertainment system, listen to that banging Spotify playlist you made and downloaded pre-flight and also block out the inevitable screaming child in the row in front of you.. a literal godsend. Forget them at your own peril!

2. Pack snacks

Being the ultimate fatty that I am, snacks are essential for any trip I take. Long haul flights are certainly no exception. Especially with plane food not being the most appetising. I mean, if you're travelling Virgin Upper Class, fair play, you go for that fillet steak! But for the majority of us, British Airways (if that) Economy is where it's at. I tend to buy a sandwich, a couple of snacks such as crisps, fruit etc and then attempt to ration my supplies through the flight (in reality, six hours in and they're all gone!). However, at least there's normal ground food should you decide the chicken or beef isn't for you.

3. Arrive to the airport with heaps of time to spare

I know this goes without saying, as you're supposed to arrive at the airport two hours before you fly internationally, however, I personally like to chill and have a nice meal at one of the airport restaurants (and a cocktail or two hehehe) pre-flight. I figure, if you're chilled and not running about stressed- you're more likely to have a nice relaxing journey and also less likely to be bothered about queuing for 100 years (or what feels like it!) to get through security.

4. Wear layers of comfortable clothing

This one is kind of a no-brainer. You're going to be sat in a tin can full of recycled air (although, slightly more high tech than my brief description!) for X amount of hours in an undoubtedly uncomfy seat (again, unless you're not in cattle class with the masses). I tend to wear loose clothing (aka. leggings and a hoodie) which I can layer up or down according to the ever changing temperature within the aircraft.

5. Get your water in

If like me, you're partial to a pre-flight cocktail- water is essential. I mean, even if you aren't partial to a cheeky cocktail- flying is incredibly dehydrating and can make you feel and look tired a f. Make sure to drink your water as not only will it help you to avoid those horrendous dehydration induced headaches, it can also help to combat jetlag once your arrive at your destination.

I hope these few little tips I always use when I travel long haul help and that whether you're going long haul or short haul you have a wonderful trip! Do you have any tips to survive long haul flights? I'd love to know!

XOXO Molly