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How do you survive long international flights?
Posted on 2/9/25 at 12:02 pm
Posted on 2/9/25 at 12:02 pm
Other than flying from Georgia to Romania (before going to Afghanistan) for deployment and returning home, I’ve never really flown since, mainly because of my ptsd. Those flights I mentioned it never felt like we were moving other than takeoff and landing
My kiddo wants to go to Japan this September so I know it’ll be about a 16 hour or so flight. I just don’t know how to survive such a long flight mentally
My kiddo wants to go to Japan this September so I know it’ll be about a 16 hour or so flight. I just don’t know how to survive such a long flight mentally
21
Posted on 2/9/25 at 12:32 pm to lsucoonass
Buy the most comfortable seat you can, preferably business class. You will take off in the morning but it will be night time in Japan. The minute you take off assume Japanese time. Eat, drink, then sleep.
Posted on 2/9/25 at 12:36 pm to lsucoonass
Be flexible with your flights and dates, find the best value for a lie flat seat, and buy it using points.
Posted on 2/9/25 at 12:54 pm to lsucoonass
Ambien
Posted on 2/9/25 at 1:46 pm to lsucoonass
Is there any way you can do a layover?
Hawaii is only 6 hours from Japan, just one of the reasons there are so many Japanese tourists in Hawaii.
You could stop in Hawaii for a few days, it's beautiful and so many great things to see like Pearl Harbor. You could also begin to get used to the jet lag.
And then you could continue your trip to Japan. Coming back, you could spend a few days on a different Hawaiian island, like the Big Island, and then fly on home.
Just my .02 cents.
Hawaii is only 6 hours from Japan, just one of the reasons there are so many Japanese tourists in Hawaii.
You could stop in Hawaii for a few days, it's beautiful and so many great things to see like Pearl Harbor. You could also begin to get used to the jet lag.
And then you could continue your trip to Japan. Coming back, you could spend a few days on a different Hawaiian island, like the Big Island, and then fly on home.
Just my .02 cents.
Posted on 2/9/25 at 1:50 pm to conservativewifeymom
That’s a good idea!
Posted on 2/9/25 at 1:58 pm to lsucoonass
Seattle to Tokyo is a 10 hour flight. Get a real meal and move around a little. I just went to Aus and the flight there left at 9pm local and arrived at 6am local. Just do what you need to do to get enough sleep on the flight to make it the first full day. I had zero jet lag because I was able to sleep 5 or 6 hours.
That’s by far the longest flight I’ve been on with the worst time difference and it was not nearly as bad as expected
That’s by far the longest flight I’ve been on with the worst time difference and it was not nearly as bad as expected
Posted on 2/9/25 at 2:26 pm to lsucoonass
16 hours?? From where? Depending on the wind, it’s 12:40 from Houston. Buy a foot long at the airport. Stay awake when it’s daytime in Japan. Download shite to your iPad and watch it.QED
This post was edited on 2/9/25 at 2:27 pm
Posted on 2/9/25 at 2:45 pm to Finnish
quote:
Ambien
Seriously - a strong dose of Ambien along with several red wines, it works wonders. When awake - lots of movies on my Fire tablet, but I will check out what the airline is showing because they usually have some pretty good movies. When my employer was buying the tickets they paid for business class. Now that I'm retired I usually go premium economy, it's worth it to me compared to economy. Business is usually more than twice the cost of premium economy and I am NOT paying more than $100 per hour extra for lay flat.
Posted on 2/9/25 at 4:06 pm to lsucoonass
I’ve done Houston to Asia three times. Outbound we normally fly economy and the excitement, adrenaline, a few cocktails, melatonin and we can sleep a few hours and be okay. Coming back we try to fly business class to get more rest.
If business/first isn’t an option then we consider premium economy both ways but more times than not, we don’t think there is enough value with premium economy seats as compared to economy or first.
Generally, those flights to Asia will leave LA, Houston or Dallas very late at night or early in the morning like 11 PM, 12 AM, etc. Meals are normally passed out shortly after takeoff so it makes it a little bit easier to catch some sleep on the outbound flight. Maybe only four or five hours over the duration of the flight but again again, the excitement of a vacation helps the lack of sleep once you arrive.
Things we do on those economy. Flights are put on very comfortable clothes before boarding. Like sweats, or joggers, compression, etc
Over the ear headphones that also have a plug to plug into seat back entertainment. We bring salty and sweet snacks. Even though they’ll likely have movies on the plane, a lot of them will be Asian so we make sure we have a few downloaded on our devices as well in case they don’t have selection
If business/first isn’t an option then we consider premium economy both ways but more times than not, we don’t think there is enough value with premium economy seats as compared to economy or first.
Generally, those flights to Asia will leave LA, Houston or Dallas very late at night or early in the morning like 11 PM, 12 AM, etc. Meals are normally passed out shortly after takeoff so it makes it a little bit easier to catch some sleep on the outbound flight. Maybe only four or five hours over the duration of the flight but again again, the excitement of a vacation helps the lack of sleep once you arrive.
Things we do on those economy. Flights are put on very comfortable clothes before boarding. Like sweats, or joggers, compression, etc
Over the ear headphones that also have a plug to plug into seat back entertainment. We bring salty and sweet snacks. Even though they’ll likely have movies on the plane, a lot of them will be Asian so we make sure we have a few downloaded on our devices as well in case they don’t have selection
Posted on 2/9/25 at 4:56 pm to lsucoonass
quote:
I just don’t know how to survive such a long flight
Make sure you don't sit next to any crying babies.
Seriously, I flew IAH-SYD in United economy (17 hours) and that was a more comfortable experience that flying DOH-PHL in Qatar business class, because the Qatar biz flight featured a family with a small baby and twin toddlers. Between the three infants, one of them was always crying.
In other words, some of it is luck.
Posted on 2/9/25 at 8:55 pm to lsucoonass
I'm headed to Japan this summer. Flying DFW-HND direct on Japan Airlines in Business Class. If you have credit card points you can use them to book business class with enough advance notice.
Posted on 2/9/25 at 11:45 pm to lsucoonass
In my experience if I don’t have a lay flat seat I “need” the following:
- trtl pillow
- ear plugs
- manta sleep mask
- otc sleeping aid
- double whiskey
Wake me up upon approach
- trtl pillow
- ear plugs
- manta sleep mask
- otc sleeping aid
- double whiskey
Wake me up upon approach
Posted on 2/10/25 at 4:35 am to lsucoonass
I cannot sleep on planes. Idk how people do it other than sleeping pills. Sleeping sitting up is impossible to me. I’m a big movie guy so I normally just watch movies until we land, easy peezy. I do bring a book as well but I always feel like a dick turning that light on when people are trying to sleep so I end up not reading it most the time lol
Posted on 2/10/25 at 12:14 pm to lsucoonass
Sleep, eat, watch movies
Cycle through those three things and you'll be there in no time. Having the isle seat is also nice so you can have free access to standing up to stretch whenever you want
Cycle through those three things and you'll be there in no time. Having the isle seat is also nice so you can have free access to standing up to stretch whenever you want
Posted on 2/10/25 at 12:58 pm to lsucoonass
I travel internationally for work, about once a quarter. Let's assume you can't buy a business class seat.
-Drink plenty of water before and during the flight and try to avoid alcohol. Planes are very dry and being hydrated really helps. I always have Tylenol or something just in case. (The alcohol is really not a make or break, sometimes a few drinks really helps).
-Set your watch to your destination before you depart. That keeps you on your new "local" time.
-Adjust your sleep schedule to the direction you are going. For example, if you are heading to Europe or LATAM on a red eye, sleep. It is your normal sleep time. If you are flying west from Europe, stay awake. It helps with jetlag.
-Don't bother bringing pillows and all that other jazz. I have NC headphones, but I always bring cheap in ear plugs. I also have a cheap sleeping mask to blackout.
-I wouldn't recommend sleeping medicine, but I always take a melatonin gummy if I am trying to sleep. I have gotten 9 hours of sleep on a 10 hour flight from Dallas to Sao Paulo.
-Wear comfortable clothes. The flights get really cold. I always wear a jeans and a comfortable hoodie. Some people swear by compression socks, but I don't use them.
-Bring a universal charger. Is is much easier to stream, watch movies, etc, from your own device.
-Bring a few snacks. They serve meals and snacks, but it is always best to have something in your bag just in case.
-Pre download a book/movie/music playlist so if you are in a pinch you have something. I also always buy the wifi so I can play around on TD or get work done.
-Bring a tooth brush. Nothing feels better than brushing your teeth before getting off the plane and feeling "fresh".
-Sit in a seat that benefits you. I like the window so I can lay my head against it to sleep. My wife likes the aisle so she has freedom to get up and stretch whenever she wants.
On a 16 hour flight, the first hour is getting situated and airborne. The second hour is lunch or dinner. Hour 3-4 is a movie. Take a 4-5 hour nap. That is 9 hours. Another meal or snack, another movie, maybe another nap, and you are on the descent.
-Drink plenty of water before and during the flight and try to avoid alcohol. Planes are very dry and being hydrated really helps. I always have Tylenol or something just in case. (The alcohol is really not a make or break, sometimes a few drinks really helps).
-Set your watch to your destination before you depart. That keeps you on your new "local" time.
-Adjust your sleep schedule to the direction you are going. For example, if you are heading to Europe or LATAM on a red eye, sleep. It is your normal sleep time. If you are flying west from Europe, stay awake. It helps with jetlag.
-Don't bother bringing pillows and all that other jazz. I have NC headphones, but I always bring cheap in ear plugs. I also have a cheap sleeping mask to blackout.
-I wouldn't recommend sleeping medicine, but I always take a melatonin gummy if I am trying to sleep. I have gotten 9 hours of sleep on a 10 hour flight from Dallas to Sao Paulo.
-Wear comfortable clothes. The flights get really cold. I always wear a jeans and a comfortable hoodie. Some people swear by compression socks, but I don't use them.
-Bring a universal charger. Is is much easier to stream, watch movies, etc, from your own device.
-Bring a few snacks. They serve meals and snacks, but it is always best to have something in your bag just in case.
-Pre download a book/movie/music playlist so if you are in a pinch you have something. I also always buy the wifi so I can play around on TD or get work done.
-Bring a tooth brush. Nothing feels better than brushing your teeth before getting off the plane and feeling "fresh".
-Sit in a seat that benefits you. I like the window so I can lay my head against it to sleep. My wife likes the aisle so she has freedom to get up and stretch whenever she wants.
On a 16 hour flight, the first hour is getting situated and airborne. The second hour is lunch or dinner. Hour 3-4 is a movie. Take a 4-5 hour nap. That is 9 hours. Another meal or snack, another movie, maybe another nap, and you are on the descent.
Posted on 2/10/25 at 1:46 pm to lsucoonass
It doesn’t bother me.
I put up with it because I know it’s necessary to get where I want to go.
I put up with it because I know it’s necessary to get where I want to go.
Posted on 2/10/25 at 1:48 pm to TheDeathValley
So none of yall ever had concerns of crashes, extreme turbulence, mechanical failure, etc
Am I overthinking this
Am I overthinking this
Posted on 2/10/25 at 2:07 pm to lsucoonass
Nope. I've never had turbulence so bad a drink cart has gone flying. Everything less than that is what the vodka is for.
Posted on 2/10/25 at 2:24 pm to lsucoonass
quote:
So none of yall ever had concerns of crashes, extreme turbulence, mechanical failure, etc
Jesus Christ, no. If I had those concerns I wouldn't fly. On a daily basis air tavel is safer than taveling by car. Why the paranoia?
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