17 Tips For Surviving A Long-Haul Flight

Traveling to a faraway destination is one of the most exciting activities in life, but taking the painstakingly long flight to get there isn't necessarily as fun. While it's not too difficult to get through a quick flight between U.S. states, things get a little more complex when you embark on a long-haul flight to travel internationally. Any flight that lasts longer than seven hours is considered to be a long-haul flight, with the longest direct flight in the world lasting nearly 19 hours.

When you're stuck on an airplane for that long, you need to do the necessary groundwork to have a pleasant flight experience or you'll be in for a miserable journey that drones on forever. Nothing is worse than being trapped in the air with hundreds of other people for hours on end when you're not prepared for the undertaking. Luckily, taking a long-haul flight doesn't have to be a stressful experience. Just follow these 17 valuable tips to make a long-haul flight much more bearable or even completely comfortable.

On a short flight, you may be able to endure sitting in the dreaded middle seat or right next to the bathroom. It's a manageable hassle that might be worth saving a couple of bucks on a cheaper plane ticket. However, you really don't want to deal with a bad seat on a long flight — it's a complete nightmare. There are different definitions of a "good seat" on a plane depending on what you value most.

In a seat in the middle of the plane near the wings, you'll feel less turbulence, making it better for families with kids. If you're on an overnight flight, you may want to pick a window seat because it'll give you a place to set up a makeshift plane bed and rest your head. If you know you'll be in a hurry to get off the plane, try to grab a spot as close to the front as possible. Choose wisely because you'll be stuck in that seat for hours.

This is a tip you should really pay attention to because it can make or break your entire journey: Bring a sweatshirt or cardigan on a long flight. Many travelers really underestimate how cold it gets on a plane, especially over the course of a lengthy trip. Even if you're traveling to or from a warm destination, it's always chilly up in the air on the flight there.

Most airplane cabins hover around 66 and 68 degrees, which is cooler than comfortable for a lot of people who are trying to get sleep and be cozy during their long-haul flight. Planes are kept a little on the chilly side because it reduces the risk that passengers will develop hypoxia, a medical condition that doesn't allow enough oxygen to be delivered to the body. If you really don't want to drag along a bulky sweatshirt the whole trip, at least opt for a scarf to keep your neck warm or even to use as a blanket throughout the flight.

Diving into a book's story is an excellent activity to keep yourself occupied on a long flight, but carrying around a bunch of books is a major hassle. You'll want a few different options to swap between on a lengthy journey, too. That's why you should think about getting an e-reader before taking a long-haul flight. Even though it might sound like an expensive investment right before a trip, it'll definitely pay off in the long run.

E-readers like Kindles can hold over 3,000 books on them. For reference, it would take you around eight years to read that many books if you read one every single day. So, you'll have plenty of reading material throughout even the longest of flights. Two well-known e-readers on the market right now are the Kindle and the Nook; however, the Kobo Libra is also growing in popularity.

You never know what can happen over the course of a long flight. When you're up 40,000 feet in the air as the hours tick by, you can easily get a headache, start feeling an upset stomach from the plane food, or fail to fall asleep after trying forever. In those moments, there is only one thing you'll want in the whole world: Your tiny carry-on medicine box.

A carry-on medicine box can be a real lifesaver when you're trapped on a long-haul flight. Generally, these boxes or bags should contain ibuprofen, medicine to help you avoid getting motion sickness on a plane, an anti-diarrheal, a light sleeping aid like melatonin, and even cough drops. Plus, any prescribed medication that you need from home should be taken in your carry-on, not in your checked bag.

According to the TSA, you can bring as many pills as you need as long as they're screened. You can even carry liquid medication in your carry-on that's a little over the standard 3.4 ounces as long as you let a TSA officer know during the security check. You really want to make sure your required medicine is with you when you're on a long flight because there will be no way to get it from your checked bag once you're in the air.

Even if your airline provides entertainment on a long flight, you'll be surprised at how quickly their limited selection can grow boring on a long flight. To combat the gnawing boredom, make sure you download your own hoard of entertainment for offline use. Spending an hour or so downloading entertainment like audiobooks, podcasts, movies, TV shows, and games can keep you occupied for a whole flight, even if it's over 12 hours long.

There are plenty of options out there, too. You can currently find around three million active podcasts available on various streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music. Netflix allows you to have up to 100 active downloads of shows and movies. Meanwhile, there are also a bunch of games for iPhone that you can download to play offline on airplane mode, like "Smash Hit," "Angry Birds 2," and "Need for Speed No Limits."

With just a notebook and pen, you can stay endlessly entertained on a long flight by letting your creativity flow through doodling and writing. At the very least the activity can keep you occupied for a few hours and knock out a good portion of the flight duration. You never know what piece of art you'll end up with by the time your plane lands. It's also a fantastic activity to keep kids entertained on a long flight.

There are actually quite a lot of benefits to journaling or drawing in general. Journaling has been shown to do lots of impressive things for people, like reducing stress, helping with processing emotions, and leading to some valuable self-introspection. On the other hand, if you're more of a visual artist, doodling can improve your mood and help you understand your thinking patterns on a deeper level. Who says that long flights can't be productive?

It is super tempting to order a drink or two when you know you're going to be confined on a plane, but try not to succumb to this urge on a long-haul flight. Even if you handle your liquor well or you only drink a little bit, it can still have detrimental effects on your flight experience.

The combination of having low oxygen levels in your blood due to the low pressure and a low-humidity environment on an airplane can dramatically increase the effects of alcohol. In simpler terms, you can feel drunker much faster on a plane and even go through negative side effects you wouldn't normally experience, like lightheadedness. That means the other effects of alcohol, like a hangover or dehydration, will also hit you full force on a flight. You really don't want to deal with the additional hurdle of a hangover on a long-haul flight, so try to avoid alcohol altogether on these types of excursions.

Did you know that flight attendants usually don't start earning their wage until the plane officially pulls away from the gate? Yep, even during that whole frustratingly chaotic time of boarding hundreds of passengers on the plane they're often not making a single dollar. That's why it's a really nice gesture to give your flight attendants on a long trip a little gift to thank them for all their hard work.

They definitely earned something extra after taking care of everyone through a whole flight. It's kind of like giving your flight attendant a tip. It might sound strange to prepare a tiny gift of appreciation for your flight attendants, but a little kindness goes a long way.

The gift doesn't have to be big or expensive. A flight attendant appreciation gift can be something as simple as a bag of candy, a small hand lotion, a scratch-off lotto ticket, or a $5 to $10 gift card. You may even find a complimentary drink or treat coming your way during the flight for the thoughtfulness.