Strategy for long flights?

[Svnla]

I did fly from Houston to Japan (over 14 hours) before and will do it again in a few months (plus many trips from LAX to Japan/Korea/Taiwan) so I do have experience about this.

I just wear comfortable clothes and shoes, drink a lot of water (no wine/beer), and read or do things to stimulate my brain and not to think about "how many hours to go", then take a nap when I am tired.

I would NOT do the pop a few pills/get drunk to pass out. Blood cloth is not fun.

 

[Ruptga]

Knock yourself out and dream sweet ladyboy dreams. You should be unconscious before takeoff or you won't be able to fall asleep once the kids start screaming.

 

[kage69]

Stretch your legs every hour and stay hydrated.

The longest flight I've been on was 10 hours. Longest consecutive travel time was around 17 hours. Just go in well rested and know you'll feel bad when you land.

Scarpozzi nailed it here. Within the first hour or so of the flight the cabin humidity will plummet to damn near zero, which dries you out faster than you think it can. Drinking alcohol just speeds it up. I'm not saying don't sleep (if you can), just don't knock yourself out for 8hrs + and then expect to feel great when you land. Also, the oxygen levels in the cabin are always lousy too - pilots get a kickback for unused O2 (their cabin has it's own supply) so they usually just trickle it.

Wait till the plane gets off the ground and is airborne for awhile, then write a note for the Capt. telling him/her that you feel light headed and think you're getting a migraine, ask them to crank up the 02. Ask a stewardess to deliver it for you.

I've done DC to Korea before. 14-15hrs is one hell of a haul, nonstop no less. I would drink at least a gallon of water the whole way, plus other drinks from the flight attendants. I've done Logan to Heathrow to Riyadh to Doha more times than I can count - if you're allowed to deplane during a stop by all means get up and take a stroll. Heathrow is great for that. Stretch your legs as much as possible and get as much of that sea level air in you as you can, makes a huge difference.

 

[Daishiki]

I usually take late flights so that I sleep for the beginning of the flight. Then, I just pass the time with music, movies,sudoku, and books. It's great if you have those personal entertainment units in front of you. It was quite different 20 years ago. I prefer aisle seats so that I can get up and walk whenever I need to.

 

[mrjminer]

Get on board first so you have armrest rights. Then, never leave your seat.

 

[Fenixgoon]

stay up all night.

 

[Anubis]

What strategy would you normally employ on such a long trip?

fly first class like a boss

just got back from Taiwan ~18 hours total

in all seriousness take a sleeping aid after the poverty meal in coach, it should knock you out for 4-6 hours. which on your long stretch should be fine, if you get more great, besides that music from some device and a book or a tablet + movies and such

also that staying up all night thing is just gonna make you more tired

 

[silverpig]

Be normal at home, get on the plane, stay up the entire time watching movies and playing games, and then sleep at night in Thailand.

 

[justoh]

When I flew to Thailand, from Japan, I had 3 seats to myself. Just do that. Get lucky. Was quite comfy

 

[shortylickens]

 

[MagickMan]

IEMs + audio books, then chill out.

 

[silicon]

fly first class like a boss

just got back from Taiwan ~18 hours total

in all seriousness take a sleeping aid after the poverty meal in coach, it should knock you out for 4-6 hours. which on your long stretch should be fine, if you get more great, besides that music from some device and a book or a tablet + movies and such

also that staying up all night thing is just gonna make you more tired

Flying first class is the key..more legroom and wider seats. Also get up and walk up and down the aisle from time to time.

 

[K1052]

If you can't sleep something tells me you're not drinking enough.

The volume of alcohol is most definitely not the problem.

 

[chitwood]

Call the stewardess "nurse"
No matter what the meal choices are, demand rice-a-roni.
Tell the person next to you your life story, from DNA to that afternoon
With a desperate look, ask the stewardess where the bathroom is, then look relieved and say "Nevermind. Do you have any towels?"

 

[Exterous]

Regularly fly to/from SEA (23+ hours of flying) and just game, read, sleep and eat.

Location: Dallas, TX

:hmm: Not sure you are doing this flying thing right

Can you get booze on a flight to Qatar (or bring duty-free with you)?

Yep. Only restriction is that you can't bring it into the country so even if you are transiting the airport you are fine. I believe there are duty free places in the airport that sell it too

The volume of alcohol is most definitely not the problem.

Well thats what you get for being a high functioning alcoholic

 

[K1052]

Well thats what you get for being a high functioning alcoholic

I blame the first class FAs for that...they want to get everyone tipsy so they can retreat to their lair and gossip without being bothered.

 

[Anubis]

Flying first class is the key..more legroom and wider seats. Also get up and walk up and down the aisle from time to time.

prob depends on the airline but some FC seats will recline into a bed. the ones i had to and from Taiwan were like that, pretty nice, the ones on the 747 were better designed than the ones on the 777. but both were pretty sweet

 

[K1052]

prob depends on the airline but some FC seats will recline into a bed. the ones i had to and from Taiwan were like that, pretty nice, the ones on the 747 were better designed than the ones on the 777. but both were pretty sweet

Most international business class seats are lie flat (or lie slant at least) anymore.

 

[Exterous]

I blame the first class FAs for that...they want to get everyone tipsy so they can retreat to their lair and gossip without being bothered.

Just ask for it in IV form and you'll pass out in no time

prob depends on the airline but some FC seats will recline into a bed. the ones i had to and from Taiwan were like that, pretty nice, the ones on the 747 were better designed than the ones on the 777. but both were pretty sweet

There are some pretty nice business class seat options on TRANSPAC flights too. Cathay, Qantas, Air Canada, AirNZ and United all offer flat bed seating in business (depending on plane) and I am sure there are others too.

AirNZ also offers an interesting Premium Economy seat (The SpaceSeat) that I may end up trying out since award space is rapidly drying up to OZ.

 

[yuchai]

I used to try the adjusting for jet lag before the flight thing, but that never works for me. I found that the best way is to actually get a good night of rest before the flight.

On the flight itself, I get an aisle seat for easy access to restrooms and drink plenty of fluids to stay hydrated. I drink some alcohol, but only 1-2 drinks. Drinking too much will really dehydrate you and make you feel really crappy later on.

I also make sure that there is plenty of entertainment - which means a flight with an on demand system, or an electrical socket so you can bring your own stuff and plug in. I can easily go through 4 or 5 movies, and after that I get really exhausted and pass out. Because I was actually pretty well rested before the flight, I wake up at the end of the flight with maybe a 2-3 hour nap but feel refreshed.

Once you get there, the best way to beat jet lag is to force yourself to get up and do some light exercise when you are feeling the desperate need to fall asleep.

 

[GasX]

Don't get deep vein thrombosis. If you are not sleeping, get up and take a lap every hour or so.

 

[Uppsala9496]

I've done this before and it has worked well:
http://www.netlib.org/misc/jet-lag-diet

Takes some planning. This is the plan for long weekends to Europe (leave thursday, home Sunday or Monday).

I've also just decided to have a couple of vodkas/rums/your choice of hard alcohol and then go to sleep after the meal service. Not as effective, but sleeping on the flight is a must.

 

[HardcoreRobot]

as a cubicle worker i have no problems sitting on my ass for 9 hours, then going home and sleeping for 8 more. and thats WITHOUT books, games and movies!

sleep is your best bet for passing the time. wear comfortable clothes and get a neck pillow if those help you.

 

[sunzt]

Don't they have pills to reset your bio clock after you land?

 

[Chapbass]

Before you leave, get into a good tv show, and then binge watch it.