Tips for flying 24 hours in Economy

[WellingtonsMoreLikeWellies]

Any tips from the ultra long haulers?

We are flying from Aberdeen-London, London-Los Angeles, Los Angeles-Auckland

Furthest I’ve flown is London-Singapore which I think was 12-13 hours

Looking for things to take/do/not do so that we feel as best as we can getting off the plane.

I usually try and fly Premium or Business but at £6k a ticket for our dates and the mortgage increases, Economy it is 😁

Is it just adults or children??

I used to hate the flights before I was a mother now flying with child is sooo much worse 🤣

not much you can do a part from sit and get through it. I used to always choose window seat so I could lean against it to try and get sleep now I choose isle so I don’t have to wake anyone up to wee constantly but if you have a better bladder than mine that won’t matter for you.

I hate plane food so now pack my own. I eat at airport so don’t need anything the first leg then eat at airport at stopover if I have time or if I don’t just eat my ‘meal’ I have packed or snacks. Drinks lots and lots of water. Don’t use all the best movies in the first leg.

Invest in decent noise cancelling headphones. Take change of clothes for half way. Consider over the counter sleeping pills!

Binge watch series or movies, take bathroom things to freshen up b4 arriving in NZ, (toothbrush, deodorant, change of top/clothes), allow for jet lag for a few days, try and sleep at night (when they turn lights out)
if you take food, you have to eat it all or chuck it b4 customs

Walk about the plane regularly, wear slippers on flight, drink water

We did London to Melbourne via Perth recently so the first leg was 16.5 hours. Box sets and a film or two eats up some of the time. A good eye mask and ear plugs are essential and I also took some Sominex to help me sleep. Can't say it was the best experience, but a means to an end. We didn't have DC with us though.

Book a seat away from the toilets, people are feral and they can end up gross after a long journey, also queue can build up and you have people just hanging around or off your seat whilst they wait. Noise cancelling headphones, or just headphones and your own music helps keep the stress down when transfering etc.

Resist the temptation of too much free booze, not worth it! Take a change of clothes and some wet wipes to freshen up at LA and when you land. Your own shawl for a blanket is nice, with a couple of drops of some essential oil you like.

Convince yourself it's a 3 day journey then be pleasantly surprised when you arrive early.

We’re away at the moment and it took us 31 hours to get there including stopovers 🥴

I’d recommend a change of underwear or two, some wipes to
freshen up, a tooth brush and paste, earplugs, sleeping pills (circadin if you can get it) an iPad with comforting TV on and snacks.

Take silicone ear plugs, a neck pillow and a good black-out sleeping mask. I normally take a few camomile and vanilla teabags too. (NZ has very strict rules about what you can and can’t take and you have to declare most items of food, so only take enough for the flight).
Wear layers, and soft trousers which don’t have a tight waist band. I either wear leggings and a tunic/jumper dress, or joggers and a pullover.
Wear slip on shoes and take a pair of compression socks.
Take refreshing wipes (I use these), lip balm and eye drops (the refreshing ones sold in 10ml)
Take a good page-turner, a card game, magazine, puzzle book and a small craft project.

Drink lots of wAter, have an aisle seat. Neck cushion.

I've done London <> Australia approx 20 times (19 in economy) and will be doing it for the first time in a few years at Easter with our family of 4, including my 16 year old son who is now 6'4"!!! I am worried about this poor legs being squashed :-(

Sleeping is definitely easier against the window, but access to the corridor to walk around is key IMO because you need to keep your fluids up therefore will need to pee lots. This means we always try for the 4 in the middle and end up leaning on each other to sleep.

We always try to fly so we land at the final destination at night.

Here's what I do on both legs:

• Board last and keep walking around the terminal in the interim - you'll be grateful for every moment off that bloody plane by the end. Make sure your flight socks are on!
• Fill up your water bottle at the terminal
• Once on board, get all your stuff organised. I put a kindle, my reading spec, a new glossy mag and a little make up bag with hand cream, a face mask, lip balm and a face spritzer in the back of the chair
• Drink water
• Browse the movies and pick the first one you want to watch (or get your device ready!). I don't watch many movies in real life so always have loads to choose from.
• Drink more water but also eat snacks, you're on hols!
• Once in the air and the initial drinks round has happened and the corridors are clear, I go and get changed into my comfy plane gear, and wash my face and do a bit of walking around. I also fill up my water bottle.
• Back in the seat I put on a moisturising face mask which will stay on the for whole flight. I have a clear one so I don't look like a freak. I might also spritz, put on various potions ha ha.
• After the meal 1 and movie 1 is done i might read for a while or do a suduko or crossword and then when the lights dim I will start movie 2. During this I might try to nap.
• Then I walk around a lot more. And stand up at the back of the place and stretch - calf raises are apparently good for keeping circulation going. Fill up my water again.

Then - prob about 10 hours in, you will feel like you are going mad. You are bored beyond belief. Nothing has any interest to you and you feel like time stretches out with no end. You look like a zombie. This means you still have about three hours to go!!!

On the stopover you know what I am going to say - walk around, drink water, do some yoga. Basically anything but sit down.

On flight two I usually try to sleep after the first meal service. And sometimes I succeed. I follow most of the above again to some extent except getting changed as I am still in my comfy gear.

About 2 hours out from landing (get in early to avoid the queues) I get changed again and sort my face out to look half decent. I put makeup on if someone is picking me up but not otherwise. By now I am so tired I play tetris or patience on the screen like a zombie with my teens pretty much until we land.

Good luck!

I’ve done UK to NZ and AU a lot. For me, the airline and plane make a big difference. I always go for the newest planes possible - Airbus A380, Dreamliner etc. I can feel the difference in the air quality, the better it is, the less groggy I feel.
I generally book a seat as far forward as possible, so I can have meals early and then get things tidied away and off to sleep.
For the longer flights, I usually get an aisle seat so I can get up and down for the loo, stretching etc without bothering people. For the shorter flights (6hr or less), I go for a window seat.
I always take extra water, moisturiser and toothbrush and paste and freshen up every few hours. I always wear surgical compression socks too plus comfy, loose clothing. Sometimes I pop a melatonin tablet when it’s nighttime at my destination but not always.

I would go to the chemist in LA airport and see if they sell melatonin as you might need it to reset your body clock! Drink lots of water and buy flight socks.

If it's children keep the sugar really low .. wrap small gifts to give at intervals for very small children .. have a whole change of clothes with wipes and a nappy in a sandwich bag for a the toilet dash in the dark for babies .. if no babies or children fly towards the mid or back of plane if it's a night flight ) but I don't travel with babies but always happy to be seated near them!)

Melatonin will put you to sleep but not keep you asleep .. best to force yourself onto local time quickly or for short trips keep to home time. If you can and have to wake up at time that's very early try and go and look at the horizon as soon as you can ( source: Andrew huberman ) I fly an awful lot !

@WellingtonsMoreLikeWellies
I assume you cannot stop longer in LA? That really helps!

Do not get on the plane last! In economy you run the massive risk of not having your hand luggage near you or even with you if you do that. Everyone takes so much, the lockers get full. So in order to avoid your bags being separated from you, get your seat and locker space as early as you can. Everyone else will. This is never an issue in Business, but you will find economy is a scrum.

Other than that, good luck.

Socks and sliders (Superdry are great)
Neck pillow (make sure it hasn't got an annoying seam or label to drive you crazy)
Save up books by your favourite author
Change of knickers for each leg of the flight
Sweet and savoury food

My biggest problem is restless legs. Has anyone got suggestions for that? It leaves as soon as I disembark but drives me to insanity on board.

A zopiclone for each leg, and a good neck pillow.

Window seat - so I can prop up against the wall and nobody is going to disturb me going past. Ideally, extra legroom.

I bring my own silk pillow, blanket, fluffy socks, silk eye mask, noise cancelling earbuds. Wear super duper soft and stretchy clothes.

A small pack of comforting, moisturising things - face cream, rosewater mist, lip balm, lubricating eye drops.

I will do roughly 4 hour cycles of awake time and nap time. The order depends on flight length and arrival time. Awake time = couple of movies, plenty of water. Then a big hot meal, a pee and a couple of wines to wash down a bunch of sedatives, pop a boring audiobook on, and snuggle up for some shut eye. Wake up, pee, water, slather on all the moisturiser, repeat.

@Vitriolinsanity - try massaging in some magnesium oil for restless legs. I prefer knockout drugs for the plane but that's not for everyone! The magnesium works great at home though.

Have a back up in case the inflight entertainment does not work. Try to be near the front of the cabin so you get options with the food. Nothing worse than being stuck with something you do not like. Noise cancelling head phones are a blessing. You may need to get an adaptor to use them to watch movies.

For me
Silicone ear plugs
Shaped eye mask
Good neck pillow (Bcozzy is my current one and I love it)
Compression socks (the thick sports type, and a new pair for each bit of the journey), fluffy socks for over them, trainers (so I can put my feet on top of them for a bit of support)
Something with a folded waistband - mostly a jersey maxi skirt but loose yoga pants as well work.
Big pants
Comfy bra top - my current favorite is the M&S sleep bra
T shirt or vest
Zip up hoody
Big pashmina thing that I can use as an extra blanket if cold, pad the arm rest, roll up behind my back etc etc
Contigo thermal cup - I fill with iced coffee at the airport (don't put all the ice in your cup though) then I have a nice cold drink all the way and it makes me much cheerier
Wipes and toothbrush/toothpaste, spray deo for a freshen up before the next flight.
Eye drops and night moisturiser

I don't drink wine, drink loads of water and salty carby snacks and just try and sleep as much as possible on the plane then walk as much as possible at the transit airports to get the blood moving

Thick socks and plenty of podcasts.

Oh and personally I do avail myself of complimentary food and drink, it's amazing how generous they still are

Depending on the length of your layovers, you may want to purchase one off lounge passes so you can have a shower or a rest.