People that fly a lot - make me feel better please!!

[bookworm1982]

I have a flight tomorrow at 7am with Ryanair. 4 hours to Gran Canaria. I HATE flying with an absolute passion and although I have to be up at 3am, I'm lying here wide awake in a terrible state. I find talking to people that like flying makes me feel better. Can anyone help me sleep? Thank you so much xxxx

I’m not sure anyone likes flying? It’s just an inane part of the journey to get from a-b.

I fly fortnightly, it’s a routine just like a long journey in car.

I didn't use to like it but have got a lot more calm in recent years. Is it a fear? I've recently done a ten hour flight and the worst bit was hanging around the airport..

What is it you hate? Are you worried about safety? Statistically it’s a very safe form of transport.

I like flying because it’s an excuse to sit and do nothing for several hours - read a book, watch a download - without feeling I ought to be unloading the dishwasher or something.

I used to be really scared of flying and now I actually don’t mind it-I can’t pinpoint exactly what changed! I tend to think of it in chunks. So with 4 hours, I’d probably do 1 longer film and then something shorter. So by time film is done and you’ve had a drink/something to eat, you’ll almost be there. I like to watch something that doesn’t require too much concentration but enough to hold my attention. And I will also maybe have a game on phone that works offline, again something that will keep me occupied like solitaire or rummy or a puzzle thing.

@bookworm1982 when I fly I have max amount of diazepam and I am still wired.

But… I totally know my fear is absolutely fucking ridiculous. I book and pay a lot of money for the most precious people in the world to get on one, so deep down I know I am being totally irrational or I wouldn’t do that would I!!!

come on, you know it too, but somewhere in you this stupid fear takes over. You know as well I as do, you will be bricking it big style, get on the flight, then it will land and you will wish you hadn’t wasted the massive head space on it all.

Let it go!!! Seriously xx

It’s 4 hours, 2000 miles, flying at 500 mph, flying over the Isle of Wight probably, the Channel Islands, Brittany coast, north of Spain, Santiago, inland over loads of wind turbines, circular crop sites, off the coast of Portugal….hope you get a clear day and some lovely views….

I like flying :) I always look at the air stewards and stewardesses and just think well they all look very calm so there’s obviously nothing to stress about. Hope you have a good flight, you’ll be fine xx

I LOVE flying!! Honestly I love the thought of a 4 hour flight where I can’t check social media, can just read a book, listen to music, rest my eyes. Then when it’s done, you’re in a whole other country!! I can never get my head it!! Try to relax and enjoy it and have a fantastic holiday!

I get it. I’m you. Honestly I’d give in and have a night cap. And then have another before you take off! Have lots of fun things to watch on your phone. It’s a short flight. You’ll be up and down before you know it. The airline staff will do it a few times a day.

Download 4 hours of entertainment from iplayer for the journey maybe?

I commuted by plane twice a week for ten years, and was doing right up until I was 36 weeks pregnant and had to go on mat leave. It’s pretty much a bus with wings. (Small airline, so luggage and travelling pets were between the cockpit and cabin, and dogs would sometimes come in to stretch their legs, the the pilot once gave me one of his sandwiches…)

Nah, 4 hours on Ryanair plus having to get up at 3.00am. Of course it’s going to be shit. But presumably you’re putting up with the shit for a reason. Keep the goal in mind, and take a good book, is my advice.

i don’t mind flying. I think it’s one of the safest form of transport, just think of all the planes taking off in the world right now. I promise you absolutely nothing bad will happen to you on that flight OP!

I absolutely love flying, not so keen on the whole airport queuing for check in, queuing for security etc but the actual take off, cruising and landing i just love. Nothing better than soaring above the clouds to that tranquil blue sky. I also get really excited when I recognise things like the white cliffs of Dover. Perhaps it's because I'm not a frequent flyer (every 2-3 years) but I even get excited at the thought of the plane journey home!

Hope you manage to have a pleasant flight tomorrow OP, plus you've got the whole of your holiday to look forward too :-)

God that's awful. Do you feel like you could cut it down..I feel had flying once a year environmentally to see my parents.

Thanks everyone. You have helped. It's the fear yes, and the helplessness of knowing I can't do anything about it once I'm on :( Is it acceptable to have a wine at 6am?? That might help!

Think about the napkin in jelly theory if you’re worried about turbulence. Basically when you’re flying the plane is ljke a napkin/piece of paper, suspended in a bowlful of jelly being shaken/wobbled. The paper can move around lots but it can’t fall down to the bottom. In the same way, turbulence can’t make a plane crash. Hth!

I don’t think anyone likes flying budget airlines but I do it every week and it’s fine.

You will loose yourself in a book / magasine/ music and it will be over before you know it.

The worst thing that will happen is that really annoying clapping tape when you land.

Can you plan some nice airport shopping to help you sleep?

You will be fine OP. I hate flying but have recently come back from a USA road trip. The plane was fine, the most boring part was in the airport. I listen to something during takeoff and then once you are up it's fine. I don't mind the landing part. Have a lovely time.

I love flying. My excitement starts at the airport.

Those butterflies can be fear or excitement. Change your thinking. You are getting more and more excited

You'll have a wonderful time.

You can download some self hypnosis podcasts. They really work

Statistically it’s incredibly safe

flight radar shows how many planes there are at any one time - and there are a lot!

think you just need to consider it for what it is - a mode of travel to get you to your holiday

This helps me so much too since I saw it on tik tok!

the helplessness of knowing I can't do anything about it once I'm on

Maybe I’m weird but this actually helps me relax! If there is nothing I can do about it then I may as well sit back… I make sure I watch the safety demo and check my closest exit, then I forget about it.

Whereas as a car passenger, I’m much more tense as I feel I should be watching in case there is some intervention I should make.

I used to be absolutely plane phobic. One of our friends was killed in a plane crash and we had to fly with our PFB a couple of weeks later and I was a DISASTER!!! IT helped me to just sit and watch how many planes go by on a daily basis. And Xanax. And a little bit of wine.