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Ask your doc for some sedatives and follow directions from the pharmacist. They work better than over the counter motion sickness pills. Take one just before the meal and then use the toilet so you don't get woken up with a full bladder.
Since you aren't allowed liquids through security, take empty water bottles with you and you can fill them in the drinking fountain once you are near your gate. The little cups of water they give you don't keep you hydrated and water is usually expensive to buy at the shops near your gate.
^^^^ I recommend low doses of Xanax (alprazolam). It calms you enough to allow you to relax, but doesn't completely knock you out (in the unlikely event of an emergency, you don't want to be completely incapacitated)
And I second the empty water bottle. But if you use the kind with a flip top straw, unscrew the top to release the pressure before flipping the straw, or you'll end up with a fountain of water spewing all over you and possibly your seatmates.
I don't recommend airport water from a drinking fountain to anyone.
I like to be completely knocked out. Dramamine or the OTC stuff allows you to wake up and function. I'd do that before Xanax (benzo)
I highly recommend compression socks. I wore then for the first time on a recent 9 hr. flight and they were awesome. They help with blood circulation in your legs and in my case my legs and feet didn't swell up as they usually do on a long flight. I also second the suggestion made by a previous poster to take a low dose aspirin - you don't want to end up with Deep Vein Thrombosis.
I just finished a flight from Hawaii to Florida and back. I went with an older friend who didn't want to travel alone. She used the compression socks and her feet didn't swell. It also kept her feet warm, sometimes the airplanes get pretty cold. I think she would have used a blanket if one were available, I loaned her the shawl I was almost finished knitting. You can take your knitting with you on domestic flights, not sure about international ones.
On the flight we just finished, we had a really long layover halfway through - 14 hours on the way out and 11-1/2 hours on the way in. We rented a nearby motel room to nap during the layovers. Made the flight easier, but also made it take two days instead of one really long one. I'm not quite sure which way would be easier overall. I suspect one long flight would have been easier for me, but it may have been easier for my friend to go in two segments. We did discover that if the layover is less than twelve hours, they will keep the luggage checked through to the next flight. If it's over twelve hours, then we get to horse it over to the motel and back.
We packed snacks since the airline food now costs money. They sometimes run out of it, too, so having something to nibble on is good. I had a stick of cocoa butter which is a great moisturizer, you may want some sort of moisturizer and lip balm. Airplanes get pretty dry.
Water is good, for a really long flight two bottles may be nice. Personally, I've never had much problem with water fountain water, but each person has their own preferences. There are flavor powders you can put in water too, if just plain water is boring.
We flew on Alaska Airlines, they had entertainment pads you could rent for $10 per flight. No more TVs hanging from the ceiling. My friend had her reading tablet, but she didn't read much. I had a book and knitting, that works for me. There was an electrical outlet at the seats for small electronics, I don't know if your plane will have that or not. A lot of folks were playing with their electronics on the flight.
So, for a list:
low dose asprins
two bottles of water with possibly flavoring for the water
snacks
books/knitting/electronic entertainment device (plus it's cord)
moisturizer or lotion for dry air
lip balm
compression socks and/or warm socks
light jacket or small blanket
inflatable pillow (I roll my feather pillow up small, but not everyone likes feather pillows)
Oh, and enough stuff in your carry on that you'll be able to carry on if your main luggage gets lost. Change of clothes, medications, toothbrush & combs, etc.
I just finished a flight from Hawaii to Florida and back. I went with an older friend who didn't want to travel alone. She used the compression socks and her feet didn't swell. It also kept her feet warm, sometimes the airplanes get pretty cold. I think she would have used a blanket if one were available, I loaned her the shawl I was almost finished knitting. You can take your knitting with you on domestic flights, not sure about international ones.
On the flight we just finished, we had a really long layover halfway through - 14 hours on the way out and 11-1/2 hours on the way in. We rented a nearby motel room to nap during the layovers. Made the flight easier, but also made it take two days instead of one really long one. I'm not quite sure which way would be easier overall. I suspect one long flight would have been easier for me, but it may have been easier for my friend to go in two segments. We did discover that if the layover is less than twelve hours, they will keep the luggage checked through to the next flight. If it's over twelve hours, then we get to horse it over to the motel and back.
We packed snacks since the airline food now costs money. They sometimes run out of it, too, so having something to nibble on is good. I had a stick of cocoa butter which is a great moisturizer, you may want some sort of moisturizer and lip balm. Airplanes get pretty dry.
Water is good, for a really long flight two bottles may be nice. Personally, I've never had much problem with water fountain water, but each person has their own preferences. There are flavor powders you can put in water too, if just plain water is boring.
We flew on Alaska Airlines, they had entertainment pads you could rent for $10 per flight. No more TVs hanging from the ceiling. My friend had her reading tablet, but she didn't read much. I had a book and knitting, that works for me. There was an electrical outlet at the seats for small electronics, I don't know if your plane will have that or not. A lot of folks were playing with their electronics on the flight.
So, for a list:
low dose asprins
two bottles of water with possibly flavoring for the water
snacks
books/knitting/electronic entertainment device (plus it's cord)
moisturizer or lotion for dry air
lip balm
compression socks and/or warm socks
light jacket or small blanket
inflatable pillow (I roll my feather pillow up small, but not everyone likes feather pillows)
Oh, and enough stuff in your carry on that you'll be able to carry on if your main luggage gets lost. Change of clothes, medications, toothbrush & combs, etc.
Even if it's cutting the time close I'll risk it just to avoid long layoffs. I had that coming from LAX to Italy via Germany. I figured if I didn't make the flight that they would just put me on the next one anyway since it was the same airline. I know many people disagree on this my mom included!
Anyway on long flights or any flights imo that are over 5 hours lol for me I do this-
-buy water at the airport (who doesn't love a $5 bottle of water?!) and make sure you drink it
-bring your own snacks/meals even on flights that includes meals (In the US I think it's just Hawaiian).Hawaii and doesn't offer you different choices. On international flights that I've been on, meals were complimentary and were usually gross (I've done Kosher, low sodium, and vegetarian). The vegetarian wasn't too bad but they have always been more geared towards Indian passengers so they typically have always had curry in them (I hate curry). The vegetarian breakfast sometimes is actually good and they will give you a fruit salad, yogurt, and maybe a granola bar.
-have my Kindle available with enough movies and TV shows downloaded on it
-those noise reducing headphones or whatever (honestly they are well worth the $$)
-Ativan- I actually a prescription for both Ativan and Ambien but I'm too scared to take Ambien on a plane
-Flexeril- I have a prescription for this too. I try not to take this because it makes me groggy for 1.5 days despite having only a small dosage.
-if they have the little T.V thing just watch stuff on that
- read travel guides and maybe redo a travel itinerary if it's that kind of a trip
It also makes a huge difference if you have someone who is interesting and social who is seated next to you. I travel solo and once in awhile, I get lucky and end up sitting next to interesting people who want to talk to me. I remember meeting a friendly Brazilian mother and daughter who shared some Brazilian version of a Slim Fast bar with me (lol), an Argentinian college professor who told me that he has to pay a fine for importing books to Argentina and we spoke about nazis, a man from Texas who reminded me of Yosemite Sam, and a cute French guy who told me roommate horror stories and about growing up in the country in France.
The amenities in economy class will be better or worse depending upon the airline. If you can, try researching that, to see if you can get your long haul travel done with an airline with nicer economy class accommodations. Cathay Pacific and Singapore Airlines are top choices.
Warm socks and a sweater are great ideas because the planes get cold.
Also, some people are prone to getting colds from long haul flights. You can get vitamin C drink packets, that just contain powdered drinks, that you can take during your flight. Just ask the flight attendant for a glass of water, and mix it yourself at your seat. This would help prevent catching a cold during your trip.
Preparations and remedies will vary depending on the person. There have been several notes in this thread about airplane interiors being "too cold"; I find the exact opposite, even in the winter. The resulting advice would be to dress lightly. Try to pack your suit-jacked into a duffle-bag, so that it would not be necessary to wear it while seated.
Nobody has yet mentioned shoulder-room in today's coach-class seats. Again, this depends on the person doing the traveling. For example, if you're a weightlifter, you will likely find that there's no dearth of hip-room between the armrests of your seat, but your shoulders will spill out several inches into the adjacent seats. The best remedy to this - which admittedly is inadequate - is to make every effort to be assigned an aisle-seat. Then of course one must be prepared to keep getting bumped by the drinks-cart.
As others have said, it is useful to keep oneself occupied with amusements and distractions. Sudoku is my personal favorite - available in cheap newsstand magazines in the airport. Availability of compact television screens placed in the seat-backs has been an impressive boon. More international flights have increasing adopted this. If the only movie-offering is in a communal projection-screen, this is most unfortunate. I was in such a predicament on a flight from Hong Kong to O'Hare... not the most pleasant experience.
Most important is to suspend our usual clamoring for privacy and personal dignity. This is simply inevitable for modern coach-class flying.
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