To think I physically can’t do this flight?

[panicky7]

I have no worries about flying itself, but I’m going to NZ in a few weeks to visit a friend.

The longest flight I’ve ever done is 4.5 hours. This time I’m doing a 7 hour flight, stopover, then a 13.5 hour flight.

I am someone who physically can’t sit still and I get so fidgety. I also can’t sleep on planes or any kind of transport. I’m honestly dreading it, I know I’ll have films and music and food but i get restless even in cinemas. I have assessment for ADHD soon.

Does anyone have any tips because it’s gonna be unbearable !!

I have adhd. And I have ti fly lo g haul every now and again. Lots of movies (and ask the doctor for some valium before you fly. It chills me out

Its totally doable.

I set myself a schedule. On my last trip to Sydney I had a whole itinerary planned of what films I would watch, when I would eat snacks, when I would go and stretch (back of the plane always has room by the toilets away from the passengers), when I would sit putting on face creams and masks, when I would listen to podcasts (there will be a time where the plane will be really dark and quiet so if you dont think you will sleep, instead give yourself some quiet time to try and relax using something like the headspace app).

Where is your layover, guessing somewhere like Dubai or Abu Dhabi? You can normally rent hotel rooms inside the airports on an hourly basis where you might prefer to sleep or even pay for a lounge pass to shower and power walk around the airport.

Take a Rog Ally or laptop so you can play games and watch your own movies - it's much better than relying on the selection provided by the airline. As everyone else has said, get an aisle seat so you can move about more freely. I like to discreetly observe other passengers and make mental notes on them. Make liberal use of the facilities, I always try to use all the toilets during the course of a flight.

Most of all, keep in mind that when you're in the air you're not experiencing the worst part of air travel. You've already put the hassle of security and aimless loitering round the airport that precedes a flight.

Not done long haul since having kids but my old tactic was get absolutely mullard and fall asleep, also waiting to be assessed for ADHD and I found being drunk made me less fidgety and I kind of disappeared into my head.
how about CBD, that’s meant to be good for calming down too.

Why on earth did you book it in the first place?

Any chance you can upgrade the 13hr flight, at least then you will be able to sleep.

I did a 28 hour flight, (with a fractured coccyx so you can imagine the fidgeting). You will need to try and sleep. Look for one of the travel pillows that support one side of your head, not just the normal round one. Get compression stockings too. Also take your own earphones.

I felt like we ate a whole lot, if it wasn't a meal time they were always coming around with snacks, drinks, ice creams. And I watched so many films, played games. Take something to help you to relax, chat to you doc first. I reckon the chap in front of me took something amazing, as he didn't seem to be awake very much at all.

So, sleep is the best time killer I reckon.

Think about other sorts of sensory input you can have in place of moving around .

Chewing gum
Something to do with your hands - fidget toy (a silent type) or needlepoint (plastic needle) etc. Games apps.
Those butt clenching/calf raising exercises you’re meant to do against DVT
Pelvic floor exercises
Snacks - carrots, edamame, grapes are good on a flight.

CBD/Rescue remedy may help.

I have ADHD and pre-diagnosis (and pre-medication) I did 8 hour flights, which pushed me to my limits. Next year I'll be doing a longggg flight to Tokyo and I'm very glad I'll be medicated for it!

OP, how does caffeine make you feel? This is an unofficial litmus test. I spent my whole life feeling baffled when people talked about coffee waking them up, making them jittery, not being able to sleep if they had caffeine in the afternoon, etc. I truly had no idea because I have always drank way too much Monster and often use a huge iced coffee to relax me at 10pm. I go straight off to sleep.

If caffeine doesn't give you that "jolt" either, you can essentially use it to self-medicate ADHD. Buy a couple of cans of energy drink once you're through security and it might actually keep you calm.

I had tweezers confiscated in Hong Kong airport. At least I knew the security screening was comprehensive …

Don't go Economy, take sleeping pills.

Diazepam is your friend! I cant fly without it due to fear of flying and it takes the edge off my panic, stops me walking up and down, fidgetting and generally being a nuisance to those around me. My GP does a private prescription for me and it is brilliant. cant travel in a plane without it. (fear stems from "incident" when flying so not irrational and have tried hynoptism and all sorts of other things but this is all that works for me)

I felt the same for an 11 hour flight and actually I was ok for about 9 hours. There’s nothing wrong with getting up and going for a walk, I recommend a good book, there’ll be movies to watch, you can pay for wifi and use your phone / social media, mealtimes, onboard games, talking with your friend

Aisle seat, Evian spray for face, comfy neck pillow. iPad with some good long engrossing Netflix series , 2 good books plus a couple of magazines. Couple of red wines usually help me. Split it up, half hour with book, half hour listen to some music, half hour watch an episode and keep rotating . I find mixed in with some meals I'm ok for up to 12 hours like this- must admit after that I get a bit tetchy!!

I've been on many flights where I've not been able to sleep. When we flew to oz I was so shattered I did.

I'd plan the flight in your head into 1-2 hour slots so
Reading
Eating
Watching a series/ film (have loads downloaded)
Do some crochet/ make beads
Eating
Snooze and stick a podcast on
More eating etc

Then try and get up and move around as much as possible

I did Edinburgh - LHR - Bangkok - Sydney - Auckland - Invercargill, in a one-r, a few years back. I think it took 34 hours. I don't think I could even have told you my name at the end of it. (They also lost my bag for 9 days, which is a whole other story.....)
BUT, the best trick for me (and I do Australia in Economy - because I'm not made of £££ - fairly/semi-regularly) is, morning flight from UK (usually the 10:00 from LHR), stay awake until your middle/far east stop, get back on, have two sleeping tablets, and two mini bottles of red wine, then sleep for about 5 hours. Into Sydney at teatime, then you've only got a few hours to stay up before you can get a proper night's kip.

This will be outing, but I've also done the EDI - SYD, just after having spinal surgery. My surgeon only gave me the go ahead to fly, if I promised to walk around the plane every 30 mins. So, I set a fitbit to vibrate every 30 mins, and religiously walked around the plane/did some basic stretching. It interrupted my TV watching, but made a difference in how I felt physically when we arrived.

Good luck!

Valium.

A thousand yes to Evian spray! The travel size one.

A vicks nasal inhaler stick is also good, with the dry air.

Yeah but worth it!

I'd feel the same.

I'd plan something like

Binge watching a downloaded Netflix series
Learning a language and take books to do so
Resources for a skill to do (like crochet recommendation)
Set myself half hour things to do, and walk in between if trolley isn't coming around
Research in seat and airline yoga/exercises

Look at the options on stop over

That seems like a very short flight to NZ! Hate to make it worse, but are you sure it's 7hrs followed by 13hrs? I'd expect there to be another 5 hours or so in the air somewhere...

That seems like a very short flight to NZ!

I was thinking the same thing. There’s at least three hours missing somewhere.

Don't take a sleeping pill. If there's an emergency you'll be left behind, won't be able to put your mask on, etc etc

13.5 might be wishful thinking or a typo on the part of the OP but given this is an international site and AFAIK we (rightly) don't know their itinerary I'll just chuck in an unlikely LAX-AKL............🤔