First long haul flight for an anxious flyer - what to wear, what to take on board

[Rajahthetiger]

Not for a few months yet so have some time to prepare. Budget only allowed for economy seats and I’m hate flying due to the claustrophobic and fear of travel sickness. Haven’t flown any further than Greece!
I’m looking for tips on what outfit to wear and what essentials to pack in my carry on, also any tips on keeping calm and occupied on a flight for 7-8 hours followed by another connecting flight for about the same time! I do take diazepam to fly but that doesn’t always work as much as I’d like it to.

Wear your most comfortable clothes, do not wear jeans or anything with a restrictive waistband. Take a cosy jumper. Buy a pair of flight socks, they really help stop your feet and ankles swelling up. A little toothbrush, toothpaste, flannel, deodorant and a couple of beauty products. Some comfy headphones (there will be some supplied on the flight but you won't be able to wear them for hours on end).

Wear clothes you are comfy in - I avoid jeans, belts etc. Can get cold so slip a pair of fluffy socks in your hand luggage. I take a power pack to recharge my phone, I prefer audio books to pass the time (but actually the map screen on the in flight entertainment system is strangely hypnotic. I take melatonin and drink the free booze before trying to get some sleep.

Experienced long haul flyer here. I have a Jersey jumpsuit that is perfect for flying in. Buy yourself a blow up footstool (trust me, after a few hours you'll really want to just put your feet up and most economy class now don't even have a rail on the back of the chair any more to rest your feet.

Take a biggish cushion to cuddle for a nap, think pregnancy pillow. Those that sit round your neck are rubbish.

I tend to always pack a pashmina in my handluggage, it works as a scarf, a blanket, etc if the cabin is too cold or you can scrunch it up and use it as a pillow.

See if you can get evening/nighttime flights - you may be able to sleep through a huge chunk of it.

I tend to pack my own headphones

I recently had to take a 16 hour followed by an 8 hour flight and was in the middle of a period of extreme anxiety. I’m severely emetophobic and terrified of someone being sick on a plane.
I took Kalms, slept as much as possible and honestly it was totally fine. I only started getting panicky about an hour before home but really surprised myself at how okay I was. I think the lead up is often much worse than the actual event

Really comfy clothes, and soft comfortable shoes that you can slip on easily after the flight. And warm socks, it can get cold. A large scarf/pashmina type wrap is good to have round your shoulders. I found taking a tablet with the Kindle App and headphones was better than using the in flight system, some vaseline or lip balm to counteract the dry air, and I found Kalms really helped me. I also took a travel guide to where we were going and marked out all the places that I liked/wanted to see.

I was fine for the first 4 hours, but the last few were the hardest going. Coming back on a night flight was far far better..... by the time you'd had a snack, the lights were dimmed and the strangely hypnotic sound of the engines had lulled you to sleep, it only seemed 5 minutes before we were coming back over the UK.

I know some might have a go at me, but I take Piriton drowsy anti histamine after food service. I am a bit of a snorer/dribbler (sorry TMI) so I wrap a light scarf around my head and over my nose/mouth. ZZZZ .

It is obvious really that an elasticated waist is the best thing to wear, so I won't add to that. And I bring a fleece blanket to wrap myself up in too. Planes can be cold.

Having said that I absolutely HATE long haul. I have to to visit DH family in Texas soon. Got to take my own advice now!

This stuff is amazing. I hate having a dry nose on a long flight:



Oops!

I had a severe fear of flying for years. Now I'm much better after 5 sessions of cognitive behavioural therapy which totally reprogrammed my way of thinking i.e. just because I feel scared doesn't mean I'm not safe. I also started to take an interest in frequent flyer blogs and forums (check out FlyerTalk and One Mile at a Time) where people worry more about their first class steak being over-cooked and not being addressed by name or shown to their seat which started to normalise things for me. Also take a look at the Flightradar24 app and see how many planes are in the sky right now. It's remarkable!!!

Wear what you're comfy in, buy some nice snacks in the airport and have a couple of G&Ts and you'll be fine.

www.hollandandbarrett.com/shop/vitamins-supplements/homeopathic-flower-remedies/rescue-remedy/

Slip on shoes
Loose socks that you can slip on and off easily in a restricted seat
An iPad and or kindle with charger cable ad you can often charge them on the plane
Anti bac hand gel

Hi OP.

I used to fly to the US a lot with work. I was fortunate to fly business/first most of the time but regardless of class I have the same routine/clothes.

The name of the game is to be relaxed and comfy. So avoid tight clothing, big/bulky/hard to remove shoes (that take up your legroom when you remove them and have to be removed for security- same re-belts). You can walk a lot in airports so shoes shouldn't be "new" re: blister potential.

Here's my list:

Clothes:

• pair of ankle skimming black stretch jeggings
• black jersey turtle neck top (with a vest underneath)
• black flat ballet pumps
• patterned pashmina worn as a scarf but worn loose around me (or as an extra blanket) on the plane.
• my camel coat (put in locker with hand luggage as soon as I get on the plane)

At the airport:

• once through security I buy a large bottle of water and some fruit.
• yes they have food on the plane but it's not always served when you want it. It's really easy to get dehydrated so having your own water is a must.

In my hand luggage:

• a pair of soft thick sleep socks. Shoes come off and these go on.
• hair scrunchie and small hairbrush - I pull my hair into a loose bun to keep it out of the way.
• again back to dehydration...my skin gets very dry on flights so once the meal has been served I get out a small bag (that I remove from my hand luggage before I stow it in the lockers and put in the seat pocket).
• in my mini bag I have face wipes, anti bac gel, a small tube of moisturiser, lip balm, under eye masks (I like the Elemis ones) and an eye blackout mask, plus some basic make up for later (mascara, eye liner, concealer, Stila lip/cheek colour), plus a tooth brush/toothpaste.
• I take off my make up after the meal, apply moisturiser, lip balm and under eye pads then my sleeping mask.
• if flying economy I have a pillow.
• tip: face wipes plus anti bac gel are also useful if you want to freshen up your hands and/or the seat arm rests/table tray (which I do because I frankly trust they have been cleaned properly).

Electronics

• I tend only to take my phone, kindle and (good quality) headphones plus any charging cables.

-that said on my phone I download a variety of sleep/hypnosis/asmr/relaxing recordings. Just before I put my eye mask on, I line these up. They help block the sound of the engines/chatter and help me sleep/relax.

Then that's me pretty much set for the flight. About 45 mins before landing (don't leave it that much later or there's always a last minute rush for the toilets) I brush my teeth/hair then back to my seat to put on my "basic" make up (feel free to skip this but I often got picked up by clients from the airports).

To date I've never found this "method" fails me.

Good luck and have a good time!

Specifically noise cancelling headphones. You can get expensive ones but actually beltron on Amazon work a treat and you can usually get them for less than a tenner

Collapsible water bottles you can fill after security. Either this super large one or two of these smaller ones. They are super useful generally

Agree with Hazel re: noise cancelling headphones (should have been more specific than just good quality).

One more thing and sorry if this is TMI, but you're wearing your clothes for a long time, so even though it's a not product I use daily, I think wearing and taking spare panty liners helps enormously to stay feeling fresh as it were!

Apart from the suggestions above, I pack spare underwear, socks and t-shirt, and enough toiletries and any essential medications for three days or so. I learned this after the flights from hell, and I will never ever fly Air France again.

Some change in the currency of the country you're flying to is useful.

Puzzle book for take off and landing. Comedy shows to watch or listen to( often on the plane system but take your own if you want to be sure).Travel sickness pills that work very quickly. I can feel sick at times on flights if really bad. A gin when the trolley first comes round really helps me.

Essential for me in at seat bag -
Lip balm and eye drops ear plugs small moisturiser essential meds eye mask wet wipes Tissues toothbrush stuff.
Loaded podcasts/own headphones.
Travel socks and slip ons - I travel long haul with shoes size bigger - waterproof soles (loos!).
Large pashmina type scarf - blanket lap cover pillow all in one.

If night flight Some kind of pillow - this very personal Choice. After lots of expensive overdesigned nonsense I find basic inflatable neck pillow works for me and packs away.
Comfy clothing - layers. Nothing you mind getting spilled on/generally dirty from seat.
Have you prebooked your seats ? If you can afford it if it’s free think about whether you want aisle (will you be disturbed by window seat in and out ?). Would you feel ‘trapped’ by window. Are you over wing/night flight so little to see anyway?).
Let’s hope you swing an upgrade ! I was upgraded to first recently with BA and it transformed a long haul night flight. Came back economy. Back to reality with a bump!

You don’t say where you are heading OP but if it’s somewhere hot, I’d layer comfy clothes. Nothing worse than being somewhere tropical and doing the airport arrivals/wait for a taxi/taxi ride in too warm clothes. Other than that, I like to have a magazine and country guide (usually a Rough Guide or Lonely Planet) and a book. Pre loaded books on a tablet save space and are easier to read if shutters are down but I like an airport trashy book buy! Download a series that you’ve planned to watch/catch up on and take a power pack to re-charge.

If you have the aisle seat it’ll give you slightly more leg room and easier for loo trips. I also take a pashmina as PP have suggested as an improv blanket.

Am fascinated by @DeRigueurMortis ‘s list but appreciate you travel for business De Rigueur! Other than tooth & hair brushes, that’s the most effort I’ll stretch too!

I fly long haul a lot and am also fortunate to do so in premium classes. Second all the "what to bring" onboard tips and follow up with "how I fly" tips.

When I am flying east I will take a day flight and stay awake for the preceding 24 hrs (UK timings), so I am boarding the plan ready to sleep, and then wake up in the morning at my destination. I wear normal clothes to board and then after meal service, change into sleepwear (either pyjamas provided by airline or my own leggings and long sleeved t shirt - something lightweight, stretchy and limb-covering for the cold). I wear the eye mask and sometimes ear plugs, but I am used to plane noise now and my cabin is usually very peaceful.

I am usually woken up by the smell of breakfast cooking and then I get up, freshen up wash/brush teeth etc. Change back into travelling clothes, with fresh underwear.

Flying west I take a late night flight so I am already ready to sleep. If I have had to travel a fair way to the airport (or it's been very hot and sweaty), I'll use the showers in the lounge to have a good freshen up and put on clean clothes - it may be worth paying for shower facilities if you have similar circs. I then board, have dinner, get changed and do the same as eastbound flights.

I don't drink much. Sometimes a glass of champagne or red wine, but that's about it as it makes me sleep poorly.

If possible, investigate upgrades to business/first, if only for the ability to comfortably sleep your way through most of the flight and arrive feeling human. Lots of airlines now do a "bid" system where you can get an upgrade far cheaper than normal at the last minute. You only pay your bid if you are upgraded so you won't lose out and you'll still have your economy seat as failsafe anyway.

I always feel sad when I see nervous flyers - it is such a shame that you miss out on the magic of of it all. I hope you are able to get some help with your anxiety about it, because it really is stupendous to experience (I have been known to deliberately take an indirect flight just for the thrill of double take offs and landings!)

As above with the comfortable clothing in layers. I wear a thin but warm pair of cashmere and silk jersey leggings, a Breton, navy oversized jumper and a pashmina. Trainers on feet but If I’m landing also pack in a hot country, I pack Birkenstock’s (in hand luggage). I also pack a thin pair of ordinary navy leggings in HL.

I too do the cosmetic / beauty thing. I decant my products into small plastic pots from Muji. Make up off, various moisturisers and serums, plus a face mask on (I use a clear one from Aveda purely for flying). Eye masks / sleep mask. Toothpaste and brush, hair bobbles, face wipes, make up, hair brush, face spray to freshen up, mini deodorant, eye drops, anti bac gel, emery board (just in case)

Films / box set / books / podcasts on tablet of choice. Headphones.

Water, oat cakes, dried figs, mints / breath spray

Drink everything I’m offered but never ring for more. Sleep.

Longest sleep I managed was 7 solid hours but I was exhausted from work.

Enjoy!

take a book or charged e-reader for take off and landing, but do watch the safety brief. On board entertainment won't work for a while round take off and landing and sometimes doesn't work at all.

if you want to fart about with makeup, fine, but if not then just moisturiser to stop itchy nose. Take an empty 2l bottle through security and then fill with water airside, that will help you keep comfortable. Getting up to go to the toilet is good as reduces DVT risk.

loose clothes, comfy shoes that you can walk in (so not paper thin ballet tats, trainers) and layers.

oh, and a long-haul aircraft takes a long run up to take off - don't panic!

I used to do a lot of solo long haul travel, and here's what I would do to make the experience more comfortable:
-Go to the Guerlain section of Duty Free and slather lots of their serum on my face - this would seriously help with my skin feeling dehydrated on board. I don't wear moisturiser in day to day life so that's why I didn't already have a suitable bottle of something!
-Pick up some bottled water, and snacks as airplane food is often pretty grim.
-As a PP said book a seat so if you have a preference of window or aisle, you know you'll get it. If I was on a night flight I would get the window seat, but if not then an aisle seat is better for getting up and stretching your legs etc.
-Make sure your kindle or iPad or whatever is charged and loaded with a variety of books, games etc, and take a power pack with you. Also take a regular book.crossword puzzle book with you too to give your eyes a bit of a rest from screens.
-Take some thick socks in your hand luggage that you can put on during the flight, and keep a pair of flip flops handy for trips to the bath room.
-brush teeth a couple of times if you start to feel a bit grotty, I found this really helps.
-Have no more that two alcoholic drinks, and have them early on in the flight if you are partaking.
-A shawl or pashmina type thing is always good to have as an extra layer.

• In terms of what to wear, just wear whatever you would wear if you were spending a lazy day at home I guess - leggings and layers would be what I would wear.

Hope you can enjoy the flight somewhat OP, I miss the (to me) luxury of long hours of travelling when all you can do is read books and watch films without any of the responsibilities of real life :)

You used to be able to get free mini beauty treatments at Heathrow - I had a very lovely hand and arm massage last time I remembered it.

There was a website which listed them all, if anyone can remember more than me!