Flying long haul... tips?

[StillMedusa]

I'm FINALLY off to Australia in a week, to see my DS1 who went out on a couple's visa 3 weeks before covid hit the Uk. He's getting married to the most awesome Aussie (she lived with us for 2 years :) )

I'm dreading the flight tbh. I have arthritis and damaged discs and sitting in cattle class for a day (two flights..first 17 hours) is going to cripple me! Not to mentio having my adorable but autistic adult son telling me about Supermarkets across the world for 17 hours straight while we fly

What should I wear? Will my feet swell? Any tips for making it as pain free as possible?

Bring a neck pillow, eye mask and ear buds, really warm sweater and socks. Try not to drink too much alcohol and keep drinking water. You'll get through it

I can't promise not to drink... I'm going to need wine to cope with DS2
I have a trtl neck pillow that arrived today, but will pop fluffy socks and jumper in my carry on. Is it better to wear joggers or jeans? I don't want to pitch up looking like I've slept under a bridge but I want to be comfy!

You’ll know a lot about supermarkets so you can go on Australian Mastermind when you arrive.

Wear the jeans and take the joggers in your hand luggage, then you can be comfy on the plane.

BlackForestCake no kidding! DS2 is incredibly lucky in that he has a job , thanks to MENCAP in our local Asda... and he's probably one of their best employees due to his autism!
BUT it means he is obsessed with supermarkets... he can tell you everything you have never wanted to know about every franchise, every chain across the world!
We walked down Oxford street a few months ago, before going to a musical (his other obsession) and he could (and did) tell me about every single store .. who owned it, gross profits... everything! Yet he can't shave himself or make a sandwich! He is my own awesome Rainman!

Your ds2 sounds great! But you may need to remind him that the people around you will be tired and wanting to be quiet and have the occasional snooze, so maybe he might need to limit the chat!

Will he enjoy the seat back entertainment/games/movies etc?

And lose waisted trousers for you. I always get a bit bloaty. And roomy footwear. One trip.I couldn't actually get my trainers on as my feet had swelled so much!

Who are you flying with? If you're able to select your seat, definitely do that. Seatguru will be able to tell you which are good seats and which to avoid on your exact flight.

Have fun!

Loose! Not lose.

Wear joggers and layers. Choose bra carefully. Comfort is the most important thing. Walk up and down the aisles. Good book. Snacks, plenty of good snacks. Chewing gum. Painkillers.
Have a great trip!

I remember your other threads about your DS moving to Aus!

The flight is long, but manageable. Take food! Especially if ds2 is a fussy eater. There is usually something you can eat when they serve up your food, but my DC eat mostly the food we take (crisps, nuts, lollies, muesli bars etc).

Check the movies that are available before you fly, then you can sort of plan with ds2 what he might want to watch.

Like pp I'd highly recommend not drinking on the flight. I do that long haul every 2 years (bar Covid) since DC were very young, and I know I feel much better after the flight when I don't drink alcohol.

If you've a pair of sliders I'd take them. We always take our shoes off on the flight, and it's a pain getting them back on when you need the toilet (and don't ever go in there without shoes).

Definitely don't wear jeans on the plane. I just wear black jogger bottoms and nice jumper. You don't need a thick jumper either, you'll get a blanket and that's fine.

Enjoy your trip! It's pretty wet over here at the moment. Hopefully you get some sunshine too 🙂

I've been to flown to Australian 4 times now.

Take pjs, a pillow and sleeping tablets. Also, thick fluffy socks. If you can fit it in your baggage, a blanket is good.

Take a book or magazines.

Where is your stop over? I've done Singapore and Abu Dhabi. Singapore airport is amazing, you can rent a room at the airport, you can have a sleep and a shower in it, it was a life saver!

Chuckling at your son and supermarkets OP, my autistic DS has had various obsessions over the years and talks of nothing else.
The thought of a 17 hour flight with non stop chat about his latest… 🥴

But to answer your question, take anti inflammatories with you. I too have arthritis and found the first half of the flight to Australia awful. I asked for an aisle seat on the second half which was better as I could stretch my legs a bit. Remember to get up and walk up and down the aisle fairly regularly if you can. It’ll stop you getting too stiff.
Headphones, eye mask, ear plugs and a pashmina-type wrap will be useful as it can get cold (or you can use it as a pillow)

Enjoy your trip!

Wear whatever is comfortable, don't sick about changing, no one cares. Bring a toothbrush and paste in carry on, face moisturise too. I always buy two big bottles of water airside as you get thimbles on the plane.

For your son, download as much as you can onto an iPad / tablet whatever you have. Bring your own earphones. And snacks.

We are flying Heathrow to Perth... then a 5 hour (!) stop before we go to Adelaide, unfortunately! Another time we want to do a stop over at Singapore. I'm hoping I can get a shower at Perth while we are waiting!

The weather looks pretty disappointing at the mo, so not sure what to pack! We are there for 3 weeks so hoping it will perk up!

We did the non stop to Perth last week and we're in Melbourne now. I can't say it was the most comfortable experience, but as others say, loose comfy clothes, stay hydrated, limit alcohol, eye mask and ear plugs (the ones supplied on board are crap).

Also download the Timeshifter app to get you adjusted for the time zone difference. I'm sure that helped with our new sleeping pattern when we arrived.

I took a 9 hour flight and had a 6 hour layover yesterday and agree with the joggers. I wore leggings with a midi-length short sleeved top with a cardigan and wrap too. I also wore compression socks and my feet didn't swell at all. Slip on, slip off shoes are great. If you can rest your feet on your carryon, which conveniently fits underneath the seat in front during takeoff, that will really help too.

Wear joggers, take slippers for the plane plus a warm top or throw. Prepare to watch lots of films, hopefully your son will see some films or programmes he likes.
I just flew to Brisbane via Singapore for the first time - it actually wasn’t as bad as I was expecting. I took books and watched TV and tried to sleep, not very successfully but at least I rested

Elastic waisted bottoms with layers on top, (I love a nice poncho),
Flip flops or stretchy knit shoes (Skechers slip ons are great)
Noise cancelling headphones for blocking out general noise + ear plugs for sleeping
A really good eyemask
Lots of reading material
Your own snacks so you know you have things you like to eat at random times
Book a window seat for leaning on/more room
A proper (small size) pillow, don't bother with the neck ones they are useless
Good pain relief & anti inflammatory drugs with some light sedatives like Diazapam (from doctor) if you are not a good sleeper and to help with jet lag. Take the prescriptions and in original boxes or Australia might be funny about taking them in.
Get up and move around as much as you can
(I know it may be difficult but do try to remind DS to keep voice down and not to chat too much or others will get annoyed. Get hm to plan what movies to watch etc)

I've done UK - New Zealand flights many times and you just have to go into 'the zone' on the plane and not think about how far/long it is!

I've done that Perth flight, and Australia in other permutations a number of times and the above advice about comfort over everything is key!

Walk about as much as you can, assuming DS is ok with that. Stretch too, even if you end up doing it in front of the toilets where there is space - don't worry about looking daft!

Drink lots of water. Take snacks, but be aware that you need to dump things like fresh fruit, sandwiches, etc before entering the country (though they won't be nice after 17 hours on a plane anyway!). Packaged sweets and cakes are ok.

Usually you can look up in advance what's on the entertainment system - what movies etc - so your DS might like to plan what he'll watch?

Thank you everyone for your advice... I'm taking it all in :)
We got DS2 headphones today in the hope that he can listen to music. I've never worked out how to download films to his tablet, but will now google.. might be a sanity saver. Really what he likes best is to add up the numbers of stores around the world on his tablet, but even he can't do that for 16 or so hours straight (I don't THINK!)
Are flight socks a good idea??

Yes, compression socks are a good idea. Slip on shoes so you don’t have to barefoot into the toilets. Buy bottles of water airside so you always have it to hand.

Do you have ear or sinus problems? Get your ears candled before you go. Gluten can cause bloating. Perhaps request gluten free meals.

If you need to take your own food, a soft sided cooler bag is good. Use a wide mouthed plastic jar filled with ice from home to keep things cool. You will be told to empty it eventually and I then asked at the bar airside to refill it.

Take your bathers. I don’t have arthritis but am told that a hydrotherapy pool can be very good.

You will want to pack for warmer weather and cooler. Yes, you can expect some warmer weather for a day or so followed by cooler days (it is spring).

For ds, perhaps a book? www.amazon.com.au/Supermarkets-Websters-Quotations-Facts-Phrases/dp/0546632025/ref=sr_1_18?crid=135NZL11BL614&keywords=Supermarkets&qid=1665966856&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIwLjk4IiwicXNhIjoiMC4wMCIsInFzcCI6IjAuMDAifQ%3D%3D&s=books&sprefix=supermarkets%2Cstripbooks%2C346&sr=1-18

Will he enjoy the in flight entertainment? There is a screen in the back of every seat with movies, tv series, music and games like Tetris. Will he get into fiddling about with that and watching what's available?

Flight socks required for long haul flight to reduce risk of DVT

Going the opposite direction in a week. Also nervous as I'm fat and achy.

Wear the joggers. Get a pair of compression socks. They're lifesavers. Drink plenty of water starting a day or 2 in advance.
Alcohol for the chatty DS.
Bring plenty of snacks.
I also bring a hoodie to wear if it gets too cold.

Compression socks, BUT put them on when you get up in the morning, and take off several hours after landing. I did this - minimal swelling.
Choose your seats. There's usually one in the row behind the exit row which will have the window seat in front removed. Think exit row is 46. You want 47A. Look it up on your flight's booking system.
Comfy slippers.
Jeans? Not being rude, but have only worn them twice on Aussie long-hauls, but only when slim and they were boyfriend fit. Other than that, elastic waists are your friend as a safe bet. Loose-ish clothes on top so you can go braless if you want.
An iPad with downloaded stuff is good, but honestly, there's so much to watch on the in-flight screens, you'll have plenty to watch.
Boots's wax earplugs to reinforce lack of sound.

Have a good journey, and fab time when you get here.
Australia is lovely, though the weather is a wee bit shite at the moment.

Another yes to the compression socks. They were surprisingly comfortable over 3 flights and 24 hours last time we went longhaul. I'm not terribly into pampering, but something cool to wipe my face and moisturiser helped me feel more human in the dry atmosphere. Also choices of things to do, read or view helps with the potential boredom if you find yourself unable to sleep. Have a wonderful time in Addie; I had family there a long while ago, and it's a lovely city.