4 Tips for Dealing with the Long Haul Flight to Australia
From almost anywhere in the world, except New Zealand and a few islands in the South Pacific, flying to Australia is a long haul flight. The longest direct flight to Australia is the New York to Sydney route, which is also the world’s longest commercial flight at around 19.5 hours – almost an entire day in the sky. This means you need to get creative with ways to pass the time and ensure you’re not board out of your mind. Being born in Australia has meant I’ve had ample experience with longer flights, so I’ve compiled 4 tips for dealing with the long haul flight to Australia. Whether you’re a tourist, or an Aussie headed home, these tips will hopefully keep you comfortable and content on the flight.
1. Think About Your Entertainment
While airplane movies are fun, generally I only find 1-2 that are interesting to me, and when you’re on an extremely long haul flight, that’s not going to even skim the surface of your time on the plane. For that reason I like to plan ahead what else I can do. One thing that makes time go pretty fast is enjoying online casinos australia if your flight has inflight Wifi. It can also be a good idea to make sure your phone or tablet are preloaded with some ebooks, audiobooks and also your favorite movies to use in a pinch. I’ve had a few flights where the TV system wasn’t working properly, and would have really struggled without my backup forms of entertainment.
2. Consider a Foot Rest
If you’re not lucky enough to be flying business or first class, then chances are you’re going to be a little bit cramped in economy for almost an entire day. One of the best things I bought for my longer haul flights was a foot rest. They vary in pricing depending on where you get them, and how much you’re looking to spend, but you can find a good plane foot rest on Amazon in the range of $20. The one I chose attaches to the tray table area and allows you to have your foot resting in almost a swing. It makes the long haul flights so much more comfortable and helps prevent swelling too, which is a great bonus.
3. Avoid Caffeine and Alcohol
While it’s tempting to make the most of the full service on longer flights, it can actually be better to skip alcohol and caffeine when you’re flying long haul. Stick to water, juices, and other drinks that are going to help hydrate you rather than dehydrate you. Planes are already very drying, so adding anything extra to the mix isn’t going to help your flight be more enjoyable. If you simply cannot resist a glass of wine to help you relax on the plane, don’t feel too bad, but definitely try to keep it to a minimum so you can feel your best on arrival.
4. Act Like You’ve Arrived
One of the best things you can do to make the long haul trips easier, is as soon as you board the plane you begin acting like you’ve already arrived. If it’s 5pm in your final destination, then you need to start thinking about what you’d be doing there and trying to emulate it as much as possible while on a plane in 30,000 feet in the sky. Try to sleep at times that are appropriate for your final destination, and also to change your meal times to be appropriate too. This adjustment on the plane helps to ensure that when you get to your final destination, you’re already thinking and acting on that time zone. I find checking my watch quite regularly, which is set to my destination’s time, also helps me adjust faster and get past jetlag faster than if I didn’t make the effort.
With international travel opening up more and more now, it is the perfect time to start thinking about your next long haul trip and how you’ll keep yourself entertained on it. Thankfully most long haul flights have either USB or standard charging stations in their seats, so you can ensure you’ll have enough battery to get a good few hours playing casinos en ligne so the long flight doesn’t feel too bad!