How to Survive a Long Flight

Everyone wants to and loves to travel. There are places in this world that are only accessible by long haul flights. Here is how to survive a long flight, according to a woman named Lindsey Olander.

Depending on where you're going, you're going to have to make a layover somewhere. For example, if you're going to anywhere in the South Pacific or Asia, you might have to have a layover in Los Angeles at LAX and catch your connecting flight to your destination. Or if you're going to anywhere in Europe, you would have to fly to either O'Hare Airport in Chicago or JFK Airport in New York to catch your connecting flight. Or if you're lucky enough, you can catch a one way trip to your destination. But the cool thing is that a lot of foreign airlines are establishing hubs in the major US airports and providing one way, non stop flights to their country of origin. As a side note, recently British Airways has established a hub at the Northern Kentucky / Greater Cincinnati International Airport or CVG. They now provide one way trips to London for very affordable prices (you can bet I'm taking advantage of this in the next 10 years!)

1. Buy your ticket as early as possible

-Waiting for that drop in price is not worth the hassle. Buying early not only gives you peace of mind in the weeks and months to come, it will also allow a window of possibility to remain open that you can pick where you want to sit. You can pick the choice window seat, where you can see the outside world, the middle seat or the choice aisle seat. Waiting until the last minute works for some people, but not if you don't want to be the meat in a human sandwich. If you're a frequent flyer, cash in some miles and put them to good use

2. Wear comfortable clothing

-Wearing skin tight jeans and that cute blouse might make you feel 20 years old again, but you'll come to regret that decision in no time. Long distance travelling suggests that wearing something comfy will make things easier. Wear loose fitting clothing you can move around in and will be comfortable in. And because you'll be sitting for long periods, you put yourself at increased risk of deep vein thrombosis, a serious condition aggravated by not moving for long periods. Get up every now and again to get the blood circulating. Wear compression socks if you have to. And if you're actually comfortable in jeans, then wear them

3. Invest in a travel pillow or neck pillow, earplugs, sleeping mask

-If you're going on a 12+ hour flight, invest in a good set of earplugs, sleeping mask, travel / neck pillow so you can sleep. Sleeping is not only good for you, but also helps pass the time. The best kind of earplugs to get are the foam ones that mold to the inside of your ears. The higher the number on the box, the higher the protection you'll have and thus the more noise that gets blocked out. A foam bead neck pillow will not only support your neck, but give you a good nap. Sleeping masks are also good to block out the light so you can catch some z's

4. Pack your own headphones

-There are tons of headphones and earbuds out there. There are even noise cancelling earbuds. Yes, you read that right. Flying can always bring about some noise outside of your earbuds-a crying toddler, the roar of the engines. Bring your own noise cancelling headphones / earbuds to block noise while you either sleep or watch something on the TV or your personal tablet

5. Take the smallest personal item you can

-Every inch of leg room is holy. Don't suck up that room with a large bag. That should have gone into the overhead compartment. And if you're lucky enough to get a large bag through security without paying oversize bag fees, still put that large bag in the overhead compartment. Best suggestion would be to bring a backpack you can stow under the seat in front of you and access easily without bothering your seat mate, who might be asleep, reading a book or watching something on their tablet

6. Bring your own snacks or buy some before boarding

-Long haul flights often provide breakfast, lunch or dinner. Airline food is sometimes questionable, depending on the airline. When the lights are out and flight attendants are not visible, and hunger decides to strike, be prepared!! Bring your own food and bring water to drink. Airlines do allow people to bring food into their planes, as long as you clean up after yourself

7. Be respectful of / to your seatmate - you're in this together

-This should be common sense and self-explanatory. Learn the rules of the airplane. Unless you're in the middle seat, hogging the armrests is a class A jerk move. If you can, peek through the space between chairs to see what the person behind you is doing. And ask politely if it's okay to recline your chair. Don't do it during meal services. Also understand, that no matter what seat you're in, everyone will need to use the bathroom a few times. Throughout the flight, you might even make a new friend

8. No to makeup, Yes to moisturizer

-While there's nothing wrong with wanting to look beautiful on an airplane, that beautiful makeup won't last. There are things that your skin and body are going to be fighting against, such as 30,000 feet pressure, dry air, decreased blood flow, etc. Don't throw makeup into the mix because it will clog your pores. Make sure that any serum or moisturizer you bring will be under 100 ml to pass through security and also that it's lightweight enough to not block pores. Bring soothing eyedrops for irritation and lip balm for your lips.

-My recommendations for lip balm include Burt's Bees Lip Balm. It's all natural, smells good and has no major allergy-inducing chemicals in them. There's also Vaseline Lip Balm. It'll keep your lips moist for hours with no major chemicals in them. Then there's Aquaphor, which is essentially the lip care company for lotion maker Eucerin. This one in particular has a slightly waxy, thick feel, but the lip balm will adhere to your lips and keep them soft and moisturized. But then again, it all comes down to your personal preference and what works best for you

9. Choose your in-flight food and drinks very carefully

-It's important to choose your food carefully. That cheesy enchilada aroma wafting down the aisle might have your mouth watering, but think again. Heavy meals keep you awake and are harder to digest. Avoid consuming foods and drinks with high salt, sugar or caffeine content. The same goes for alcohol. It might work as a knockout solution for nervous fliers, it doesn't always work. It's dehydrating. Teas are often a better choice to drink. Herbal teas in particular induce drowsiness without the backlash effects of liquor. Not only that, but with a lot of caffeine, you'll find you'll be making more trips to the bathroom than most people, which might irritate your seat mate, depending on where you're sitting 

10. Stay hydrated

-The plane is frequently refreshing the cabin air with air outside. Eventually, the inside of the plane will take on the environment of a desert - bone dry. This will lead to negative effects on the body. It will dull the skin, leading to dehydration, leading to worsened jet lag. Keep hydrated by drinking water, 8 oz per hour according to some experts

11. Brush your teeth

-It might sound strange, but this will trick your mind to think it's time to sleep. This will help, in addition to noise cancelling headphones, a sleeping mask and a travel pillow, to block out your seat mate's reading light, crying babies and the roar of the engine

12. Get up every now and again to keep the blood flowing

-This is important. You must get up every now and again to keep the blood flowing. Stagnant blood leads to deep vein thrombosis and varicose veins, both of which you don't want. Being in a highly pressurized cabin leads to decreased oxygen levels and can lead to fatigue, headaches, swollen limbs and dehydration. Get up and walk around, just to get the blood flowing. Do yoga in the aisles if you're into it. Do some easy exercises. Anything to get the blood flowing