Do you like long-haul flights? We LOVE them, but we also hear that some people don’t? This always confuses us. Maybe those travellers just need our special long-haul flight hacks?
This is why we think long-haul flights are great:
- You get to chill
- You get freebies
- You go somewhere fun (usually)
What’s not to love??
If you are one of the people who struggle with long-haul flights though, or you’ve never done a long-haul and are, understandably, worried, this post is for you.
We are sharing our 8 tips on making long-haul flights a more enjoyable experience.
And if you still don’t love the idea of long flights after reading it? Well, there are boats…
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please read our Disclaimer.
Here’s a little bit about our journey, if you are new here! If you know us, feel free to skip this part.
After leaving our old life in Scotland in March 2022 (it rains too much there), we travelled full-time for almost 2 years. Sounds fancy, doesn’t it? Well, it was. If you think that carrying overpacked backpacks in 45°C heat around streets that aren’t even on Google Maps is fancy. And that’s just 1% of all the fun we had! 😆
During the 2 years we volunteered in Italy and Bulgaria (free travel while learning new skills, anyone?), explored other amazing European countries and backpacked Southeast Asia. Even our secret wedding was more of an expedition than a wedding. 😅
And, of course, we researched and planned everything ourselves, because you gotta keep the budget low, right? If you are like us, you’ve come to the right place, because we want to share all the useful tips and info with you!
Excited? Good. Let’s get into it so you can go on your own adventures too!
Long-haul flight hack no. 1: Picking an airline
It might seem obvious, but this is where it all starts.
This might even be the most important one of the long-haul flight hacks.
Did you know that, nowadays, even low-cost airlines offer long-haul flights? This means you do have the option to fly cheaper. But, it also means you won’t get any of the perks that come with the more premium, full-service airlines. Decisions, decisions!
Thankfully, every time we’ve needed to book a long-haul flight so far, only full-service airlines were available on those dates and routes. That meant we could justify getting a nice flight.
If you do have an option of both though, low-cost and full-service, weigh up the pros and cons before making a decision.
What to consider when choosing an airline
First, see what the difference in price is between a low-cost and a full-service airline ticket.
Then try and see what services you would get on the full-service flight.
The goal is to figure out if it’s worth the premium price.
You can find information by looking up reviews of the airline or googling the specific plane model.
There is also a fantastic resource called SeatGuru, which collates all the info on different airlines and their aircraft – if you’ve never heard of SeatGuru before, make sure to bookmark it for your next flight.
Pros of low-cost long-haul flights
If you are thinking: “Surely there are no pros to travelling for 10hrs on a low-cost airline, aside from the cost,” we are here to tell you you are wrong! Muhaha. Here are the pros you haven’t considered:
- You can pack your own food. Which might be a lot easier than trying to organise an alternative meal from the airline, if you have intolerances or allergies. And it might taste better than the airline meal too.
- You can pack your own pillow and a blanket. And it might be comfier than the ones provided by the airline. You might be thinking: “Well, I can just bring my own pillow and a blanket anyway, even on a premium flight that provides them.” Yes, yes you can. But we’ve noticed that people tend not to have the space for two blankets and two pillows. In fact, the people who bring their own often end up struggling with the airline-provided bedding, trying to fit it somewhere, so it’s not in the way. The con of bringing your own though? You will have to carry it on your holiday and count it in your luggage limit.
- You will be more hydrated, because you won’t get any of the free alcohol premium airlines usually serve. No temptation, more hydration (this should totally be a slogan for a zero-alcohol brand).
- You can bring your own entertainment. Have you ever been on a flight where you ended up rewatching a movie you’ve seen a million times, just because it was offered as part of the in-flight entertainment? Or even worse, have you ever spent ages scrolling through the entertainment options, not able to find anything you fancy? This is why you might want to bring your own – you can read books or watch movies on your phone, tablet or laptop. Or listen to audiobooks. There are so many options.
And yes, you can, potentially, save a lot of ££££ by going for a low-cost airline.
The one big con of low-cost long-haul flights
The quality of the seats and their size. Low-cost airlines make savings where they can which does include the seats of the plane.
So, definitely look into this, especially if you have medical problems, children or are an elderly person.
Remember the SeatGuru site we mentioned, it will help you with your research.
Our solution
What we do is go for a premium airline (it’s a treat for us to travel this way as we don’t do it often), but pick the cheapest fare available.
This does mean we never qualify for any extras, such as a free layover, but you can’t have it all when you travel on a budget, we guess!
Hack no. 2: Picking seats
This is a big topic because if you pick wrong, the whole flight can be miserable.
Admittedly, strangers play a big part in your overall experience. A constantly crying baby, a couple who chooses the flight to resolve all their relationship issues or a chatterbox who insists on making a conversation with you even though you have headphones on and are clearly watching a movie – these are all recipes for a disaster and, sadly, not something you can know in advance.
But let’s talk about the things you can influence.
Remember the amazing website we mentioned in point no. 1? SeatGuru?
You can search for your flight on the website and see ALL the info.
And we mean all, like the layout of the plane, info on each seat, reviews, photos from other travellers, in-flight amenities info – it’s all there.
Bookmark this website and always check your flight before you book a ticket or buy specific seats.
Here are our tips on how to pick a seat on a plane for a long-haul flight:
Tip for picking seats no. 1: Forget the window
Do you usually go for a window seat with the idea of having:
- a view,
- undisturbed experience, because you don’t have to get up every 10 mins when your neighbour goes to the toilet?
Well, forget it on long-haul flights.
On long flights, you have to move.
Sitting still for long periods of time is dangerous (more on this below).
So you might as well pick a seat where your movement won’t be restricted by someone else. What if your neighbour, for example, falls asleep and you can’t get past them because you have a window seat?
While this might be okay on a short flight, it becomes a biiiiig problem on a long haul. Not only can you not get up to go for a walk (and we’ll get to why you absolutely HAVE TO go for a walk soon), but also you do drink a lot more on a long haul and so toilet visits are expected. Getting stuck in your seat because your neighbour has fallen asleep with headphones on is one of our travel nightmares.
Tip for picking seats no. 2: Consider legroom
Legroom is forever talked about when it comes to planes, but there are some special things you might want to consider for a long-haul flight:
- Planes often have some seats with amazing legroom – it’s the front row where you have nothing in front of you for what feels like miles. The catch? This is usually where toilets are located and so the extra space is usually used by other passengers to queue for the toilet. Consider whether the extra space is worth the lack of privacy and no peace and quiet.
- Check for random seats with extra legroom (use SeatGuru for this). One time when we were flying with Qatar Airways, we were in the middle section of the plane, and yet there was a random seat missing just behind us. That meant the passenger two rows behind us had amazing leg space!
Tip for picking seats no. 3: Consider areas
On a short flight, you might not mind being seated near the toilet. In fact, you might choose this seat, so you can be closer to the exit and get out faster to make your next connection.
On a long-haul flight though, being constantly disturbed by passengers going to the toilet might not be ideal, if you are trying to sleep.
Another thing that might be important is seating yourself near the galley (the “kitchen”).
Maybe you have children who will be hungry and you want them to get food as fast as possible, especially if they see other passengers already eating!
Or it might be that you want food as early as possible, so you can get as much sleep as you can.
Another note on children – seating yourself near the galley and toilets might provide entertainment for them, as there is always something happening in that area. Faster access to the toilet is another bonus!
Our solution
This is how we pick seats for long-haul flights:
We make sure we are not right next to the toilet, but also not too far from it.
But, most importantly, we pick seats in the middle section of the plane.
Now, we don’t mean the middle seat of the actual row.
What we mean is that when the plane has 3 sections of seats, with two aisles, we select seats in the middle section (see drawing below as this description is confusing).
Yes, we sacrifice the view.
But because there are two of us, if the middle section is a 3 or 4-seater, it means we are never bothered by our neighbours.
We get out of our seats via our aisle.
They use the other aisle.
It’s what we want on long-haul flights, because we like to:
- Sleep without being disturbed
- Walk around without needing to disturb our neighbour(s)
- Generally have a nice experience, because long-haul flights are a treat for us and let’s face it, other people can often ruin nice things 😬
Hack no. 3: Avoiding jet lag
There are so many tips on avoiding jet lag out there, but we think it’s pretty simple.
Sleep when you would be sleeping if you weren’t flying.
Yes, it can be hard to work out with all the time zones, but, basically, try to make sure that when the nighttime hours of your travel day come, you are actually sleeping.
We admit, it can be pretty hard to do on a plane.
You have to resist the temptation – there are TV shows, movies, games…
Suddenly even watching the plane flying over a pitch-black ocean is entertaining!
Must watch it all.
Must stay up for all the free food and drinks.
MUST watch that movie the guy two rows ahead is watching, because doesn’t it just look like there is great drama going on??
Resist.
Sleep when you should be sleeping.
But, equally, fight the tiredness and stay up during the daytime, so you don’t get to your destination with your body clock completely messed up.
For this, make sure you have plenty of entertainment with you or utilise the in-flight entertainment options.
Btw, do you know how airlines pick movies for their flights? This article is a surprisingly entertaining read, especially if you are a bit of a travel geek, like us, and love finding out behind-the-scenes info about the industry.
A word on melatonin
Many travellers swear by the magic of melatonin.
If you are not familiar with melatonin, it’s a hormone that helps you sleep. Your brain produces it in response to darkness and it recently became a hot topic, as people became more aware of the effects of blue light on our circadian rhythm.
Since melatonin is available as an over-the-counter supplement, people have started taking it to help with sleep-related issues, such as insomnia or nighttime anxiety.
Similarly, travellers use it to improve their long-haul flight experience.
It can help with many aspects of a long flight: making you sleep better on an uncomfortable seat or helping your internal clock adjust faster to a new time zone and, as a result, reducing jet lag.
Just a note, we are not medical professionals, so make sure to do your own research.
Melatonin suggestion
Here is something we would suggest:
If you are thinking of giving melatonin for long-haul flights a go, don’t wait until the flight day.
Test it out at home first.
Some people experience side effects, such as strange dreams, when taking melatonin. Not exactly what you want as you are sleeping with hundreds of strangers up in the sky. 😬
The other big issue is getting the dosage wrong or mistiming it. If that happens, you can end up sleepy and sluggish just as your plane lands in your destination. Also not an ideal scenario!
So try it out at home, before your long-haul flight, to see how it affects you.
Hack no. 4: Hydrating
Sounds obvious right? Everyone knows by now that the air on planes is very dry.
Did you know that this is because a big portion of the air in the cabin comes from the outside, and air at high altitudes doesn’t have such a high amount of moisture, as it does closer to the ground?
Plus, on a plane, you might be drinking alcohol, which dehydrates you further.
The solution
Make sure you have plenty of water.
This is super important if you are on a low-cost flight. Bring as much as you can with you to avoid the high prices on the plane.
But also have some water with you even if you are flying with a full-service airline.
Why?
You might drink all your liquids and the flight attendants might be too busy to get you more water.
Or it might be that you wake up thirsty in the middle of the night and the last thing you want is having to ask for water (and possibly wake up your partner/kids etc. next to you as you switch on the overhead light).
The one thing people forget
Hydration is not just about drinking fluids.
Your face and hands also get drier on a plane.
So make sure to moisturise your face before a long flight and bring a small hand cream.
But also, if you are prone to nosebleeds, consider taking a nasal spray with you as your nose might get dry on a plane.
Similarly, if you have a tendency for a dry cough, make sure to have some minty sweeties or throat pastilles with you.
It’s also a good idea to pack a lip balm. Basically, hydrate where and what you can!
Hack no. 5: Walking
We’ve already mentioned this a few times – you have to move regularly while on a long-haul flight.
Still not sure why it’s so important?
Sitting for prolonged periods of time can lead to a blood clot forming in your legs.
And guess what. Not only do you sit for a long period of time when on a plane, but you also sit in a cramped space – even a higher chance of suffering from deep vein thrombosis (DVT).
Things you should do
- Familiarise yourself with DVT symptoms so you can recognise them.
- Check whether you have a higher risk of developing DVT. Did you know that women who take the contraceptive pill are more at risk? In fact, DVT is one of the main talked-about negatives of the pill and, definitely something to be aware of (and to actively work on preventing from happening, if this is your situation).
- Move regularly. Let’s talk a bit more about this point.
More on moving regularly
It’s super easy to get comfy in your seat on a long-haul flight and not move for the duration of it.
Okay, that’s not true.
If it was so easy to be comfy on a plane, there wouldn’t be any need for this article, right?
What we mean is, it’s easy to stay stationary, sitting in your seat and not going anywhere, just binging one movie after another, especially if you have a window seat and really can’t be bothered climbing over your neighbours.
Well, first of all, this is why you shouldn’t get a window seat (see tip no. 2).
Second of all, you can’t do this, unless you want to risk developing DVT.
Being too comfy for too long we mean.
The key to avoiding DVT on a long-haul flight is moving regularly.
How to get moving on a plane – tips
Here are some tips:
If you are the kind of a person who doesn’t need to go to the toilet often (we are very envious), you might want to set up a reminder. For example, set an alarm on your phone every 2 hours to get yourself moving. That doesn’t mean you have to go to the toilet. But let’s face it, the options are pretty limited on a plane, so a walk to the toilet and back might be all that you can do.
It’s annoying, but you should also be getting up to move during the night. Yes, it means interrupted sleep, but it’s definitely the safer option. So again, set an alarm (vibration. Be considerate of others, of course) to wake you up every 2 hours or so.
If your seat is already near a toilet, go to the other one that is further away or do a loop around the cabin. It’s not enough to just stand up for 5 seconds and then sit back again, you do have to get your legs moving and your blood flowing.
Speaking of, don’t sit with your legs crossed and move them even when you are sitting (by changing up your position as much as possible and tensing up and relaxing your muscles). Just don’t sit still.
The trick we like to use is, we both go to the bathroom, even if only one person needs to use it. Okay okay, that came out all wrong. 😅 What we mean is that we both walk to the toilet, even if only one of us needs to use it – it forces us to be regularly moving.
Remember how we talked about hydration? It also helps to prevent DVT, so get drinking (water, not vodka). Hydration actually helps in two ways: it makes your blood flow more smoothly and gets you moving more often as you need to go to the toilet. Win-win!
Loose clothes are also better for your legs than tight ones. So even if you are in your 2006 skinny jeans emo era (which we totally get), you might want to consider looser trousers for long-haul flights.
Want a tip for great trousers btw? Try Craghoppers. They are Daniel’s go-to travel trousers – he flies in them, wears them to bars, on hikes, even to concerts! What makes them awesome? Well, they are versatile, as you can see, stylish, lightweight, quick-dry, UV-protective and even anti-insect! With useful pockets. It doesn’t get better than that!
Hack no. 6: Compression socks
Still worried about DVT?
Apologies for freaking you out so much!
But it’s better to be prepared than surprised, at least that’s what we think.
Want another great trick to decrease the likelihood of suffering DVT?
Compression socks.
How do they work?
It might seem confusing – we just told you that tight clothes are actually bad for long-haul flights, so why are we now telling you to get socks which will restrict your legs?
This is why:
They won’t.
Compression socks are, actually, only tighter around the ankle. They get gradually looser as they go up the leg. This is how they help improve circulation – they push blood back up, toward the heart. And, as we have mentioned, this is crucial to prevent DVT, when sitting for a prolonged period of time.
Where can you buy them?
Many places, all you have to do is search for “compression socks” or “flight socks”.
Here are just some examples from Amazon, Decathlon or Boots.
Alternative uses
Wondering what you can do with your flight socks when you are not flying?
Well, you can use them in any other situation when you are sitting for a long period of time.
Working at a desk and need to focus for hours?
You can wear compression socks to improve circulation (also make sure not to drink any tea or coffee – compression socks don’t make you a faster runner when you are desperate for a toilet!).
Driving for hours? Or taking a road trip? You know what to wear!
Expecting a baby and battling swollen legs? Compression socks can help (they might also be a perfect gift for your pregnant traveller friend!).
They are used by athletes to aid recovery too, so give them a go if your muscles are sore after running or cycling.
Warning
Even if you wear compression socks, you still have to walk around. It’s not an either-or situation.
The socks are great, but they are still just socks, so if you don’t want to be taking chances, get moving. (plus when you walk around the plane, you can check out what everyone else is watching on their in-flight entertainment! And somehow that is fun).
Something to think about
For any emergencies, accidents and incidents, it’s best to be protected by travel insurance.
Did you know we researched 23 insurance providers when choosing the right one for our full-time travels?
Yes, we are that crazy. But it was worth it. In the end, we actually found two companies whose insurance we are happy with.
If you are not sure who to go with, definitely check out SafetyWing or True Traveller. They are both great, both created by travellers for travellers, and both offer amazing value for money.
Hack no. 7: Bring a toothbrush
Toothbrushes are usually included on premium airline overnight long-haul flights.
But.
- There is always a chance you will not get one in your freebie bag
- They are usually pretty rubbish, so you if have special requirements for a toothbrush (such as you need a really soft one), it’s best to bring your own
We included this as a separate tip, because having clean teeth can make such a difference to how you are feeling overall. And let’s face it, on travel days it’s easy to feel pretty rubbish. You are sweaty, your make up is a mess after all the hours of travelling, your hair is a state, your clothes too, after sleeping in different positions and, generally, you can feel pretty bleh.
Brushing your teeth can make you feel a bit better and more put-together, even if it’s just a minty illusion.
Another thing to think about is you do end up eating a lot of different things throughout a long travel day and a long-haul flight, so make sure you are thinking of your dental health.
Hack no. 8: Making yourself comfortable
The last of our long-haul flight hacks – comfort. Not that we think it’s less important than the other ones, it just so worked out to be at the end of our list.
Comfort means different things to different people, so you will have to work out this one for yourself. Do you need your own, good-quality headphones and then you can survive even a 14-hour flight? Or do you need your emotional support plushie to cope? Whatever it is that makes you more comfy, make sure you pack it! (provided it’s public- and luggage-suitable)
Our tips for being more comfortable
There are some things we do to make long-haul flights more comfortable and we are sharing them here, in case you haven’t thought of them:
- Make sure we wear comfy clothes that won’t restrict us even as we sleep in weird positions.
- Make sure to wear layers so we can take things off/put more things on depending on the temperature on the plane.
- Wear clothes with a hood that we can hide in as we sleep – this is a great tip for all introverts out there!
- While on long-haul flights you usually get a blanket, we like to be prepared for freezing A/C by packing a sweater or a hoodie and a big scarf. If you end up not needing them, you can always turn them into an extra pillow!
- Bring slippers. This is a big one for us. 7+ hours in your shoes is not great for you, or the shoes, to be fair. And if you are a backpacker who only travels with one pair of proper shoes, you really don’t want them stinking after a few flights.
Another great thing about wearing slippers on a plane? If you are small enough, you can scrunch your feet up on the seat to get more comfy easily, just by slipping your slippers off!
Also it kinda just feels more fun, walking around a plane in slippers, as if you were in our own living room!
Well? Do you think you will enjoy long-haul flights more with these tips? Or are you more keen on taking a boat?
And do you have any other long-haul flight hacks that you use, which could help us out? Share them in the comments – we love to upgrade our travels.
