What to do on a long plane ride. (cycle, airline, airports)

[irisheyes13]

I have taken 14 1/2-15 hours flights a number of times (stationed in Northern Japan) and for me a good book, a few magazines and very comfortable clothes are all important. I enjoy a few drinks early in the flight with the hope of napping a bit but don't over do it (on the drinks). It is important to get up and walk around some a couple of times through the flight as was mentioned. Be careful on the benadryl if you have not tried that before. For some folks it has the opposite effect and they get a bit hyper..

[Oildog]

I have a few cocktails once I get on the plane, and try to get groggy enough to sleep. Then I have some snacks and puzzle books to mind my time. They will also have a couple movies to watch. I flew to Japan in Coach from DFW...

[mdp_az]

Some folks have no choice but to take children on long-haul flights. My family moved to from the east coast of the US to Australia when I, the oldest of 3, was 5 years old. My mom would travel with the three of us in tow once a year to visit family in the States while my dad stayed in Sydney to work. I have no idea how she did it to be honest, but I've been told that all of us knew we had to behave well and we did. (NOTE: we also knew what would happen if we didn't!!!). This was long before the days of "entertainment-on-demand" at every seat, and we managed on 30-hour trips back and forth, so I'm sure the 14.5 hour trip will be manageable.

For my last international trip, I drank 1 glass of wine, took benadryl, and used earplugs and blinders to keep out noise and light...never slept better!

[njkate]

Originally Posted by mdp_az

Some folks have no choice but to take children on long-haul flights. My family moved to from the east coast of the US to Australia when I, the oldest of 3, was 5 years old. My mom would travel with the three of us in tow once a year to visit family in the States while my dad stayed in Sydney to work. I have no idea how she did it to be honest, but I've been told that all of us knew we had to behave well and we did. (NOTE: we also knew what would happen if we didn't!!!). This was long before the days of "entertainment-on-demand" at every seat, and we managed on 30-hour trips back and forth, so I'm sure the 14.5 hour trip will be manageable.

For my last international trip, I drank 1 glass of wine, took benadryl, and used earplugs and blinders to keep out noise and light...never slept better!

How old are you?? Your Mom may not of had a non stop flight...at one time there were NO non stop flights from the east oast to Australia therefore breaking it up, that helps when you are bringing kids along

[njkate]

Yes good suggestion...loose fitting comfortable clothes...ditto on the shoes as your feet swell

[tabbcat]

Originally Posted by lenny8000

wish i was flying business/first class....I will try to upgrade at the airport but i highly doubt i will be able to....the first class ticket was 12K coach 950....

Good idea! Definitely ask about first class. I've been on so many flights where First Class isn't full, but they don't advertise upgrades at the boarding gate/desk. I've often wondered how uncouth it would be to ask the flight attendants on the plane if I could move up where there are available seats.

I have asked at the gate a few times and gotten really good upgrades (for a trip to Hawaii, my husband and I upgraded to first class for $150 each and it was well worth it for the extra legroom/comfort).

[Gil3]

Originally Posted by Jezer

If you have an iPod get it loaded up with your favourite stuff.

Get up to speed with your Chinese!

Great ideas..Also,

I Don't know if you enjoy video games, but you may want to consider a Playstation Portable..I myself would probably use it more for movies than games.

Crosswords, games, puzzles.

Read and it's also a good time to do more research the area you are visiting. A frommer's guide would definitely be a great take-along.

On a long flight to Japan years ago I made the terrible mistake of consuming too much and too fast of the free beer that was provided. Not a good idea at those high altitudes . At least space your drinks out and eat in between.

[CLTKing]

Bring a labtop or a DVD player and play your own favorite movies. Don't relay so much on the airplane's entertainment system. Sometimes it can be boring. Take Benadryl and wear good earplugs. Bring Sudoku, a good book or a travel guide to what ever city you are flying to. Good luck!!

[sportsfangal]

I flew to Australia- 14 1/2 hours non-stop! very brutal! I agree with the benadryl, but remember to acclimate yourself to the time of your destination, so if it's 8pm at your destination, but say, 2am on the plane, try to behave as if its 8pm, so watch tv, read, etc. definately walk around, stretch your legs.
This will help with jet lag at your destination, and put your body on the current time at your dest. And I noticed that my jet lag seemed worse when you get back from a trip, so have a plan in place to get lost of rest and fluids when you get back home.
Have a safe, fun trip!!

[mdp_az]

Originally Posted by njkate

How old are you?? Your Mom may not of had a non stop flight...at one time there were NO non stop flights from the east oast to Australia therefore breaking it up, that helps when you are bringing kids along

Your're absolutely correct. We lived in Sydney in the early 80s and there were no direct flights...not even from LAX. It was much worse, in fact. This was our typical route:

CLT-ATL: 1 hr
ATL-LAX: 4.5 hrs
LAX-AKL: 13 hrs
AKL-SYD: 3.5 hrs

So it was 22 hours of flight time, including a 13-hour long-haul, and usually ended up being a 28-34 hour trip with layovers included. We also did Tokyo-SFO once before continuing on to the east coast, and occassionally went through Tahiti rather than Auckland, which helped break up the long-haul a bit more. Regardless, that's a tremendous trip for a mom w/ three very young kids, and I'd argue that if she could manage to keep all of us occupied on those trips, surely an adult travelling along can manage a 14.5 hour flight with no problems.