It is recommended to drink plenty of water during the 2 days prior to the flight to ensure you’re hydrated before you even step onto the plane. During the flight try to choose water rather than caffeine or alcohol (though I admit that I’m guilty of drinking alcohol on a long flight to try to help me fall asleep…). Drinking water during the flight helps you to stay hydrated, and therefore less prone to any viruses and bacteria floating around on the flight. You should also try to sleep well the night before a long flight in case you’re like me and find it hard to sleep on planes. Getting some exercise before flying is also a good idea. Even a short walk breathing in some glorious fresh air will help.
I tend to eat something before boarding the flight. I’m vegetarian and often the vegetarian options include milk somewhere in the food, which I cannot have. The vegan options are often bland and miserable, and so I usually order a vegan meal and eat a little of it. I’ll try to eat something substantial and healthy at the airport and I always pack snacks to avoid the airline food as much as I can, as their meals are usually full of salt. I’m flying with a budget airline this time and so no in-flight meal for me. I’ve packed several simple snacks like cereal bars to keep me going and I plan on eating a big meal before flying as I usually do. I’ll also be taking my refillable water bottle and ensuring it’s filled before I step on the plane. It’s never a good idea to refill in the plane toilets by the way!
I used to love getting a window seat so I could fall asleep on long haul flights but now I’m older and find it harder to sleep on planes, I like to grab an aisle seat if I can. At least then I can get up and go to the bathroom whenever I want, and I can get up to walk around regularly to try to avoid DVT. My legs hate long haul flights – my joints feel weird and my legs get sore, so I regularly massage my legs and rotate my ankles as well as getting up and stretching and moving. You can often find me hanging around by the bathrooms, doing simple quad, calf and hamstring stretches.
If you’re a germophobe, plan on bringing some alcohol gel and tissues so you can wipe down surfaces like the tray table, arm rests and TV screen. Yep, you wouldn’t believe how many germs are breeding on seat surfaces!
Most important is that you stay hydrated and get up to walk around every so often. It’s tempting to fall asleep for the whole flight, but if your flight is clocking 12 hours or more, you’re really going to regret staying seated for that long. Honestly, I never feel right after a long-haul flight and I do get up regularly. It takes a couple days for my body to readjust and if you’re just sitting in one position for several hours, your body is going to be really unhappy with you! Do yourself a favour and move about a bit. This will go at least some of the way to feeling refreshed when you arrive in your destination.
