How do you deal with a 24 hour flight?

How do you deal with a 24 hour flight?

Oh, the horror! Twenty-four hours in a tin can full of other people isn't fun for anyone, but when you're traveling to the other side of the world it can't really be avoided. Our flights from London to Port Vila via Singapore and Brisbane meant a total transit time of 36 hours - 24 of which were in flight. When we reached our hotel we were in a zombie-like state but still human. This is how we managed our 24-hour flight.

Choose a good seat

Most airlines allow you to select your seat online. If you can only do this 24 hours before the flight, make sure you do it soon after the booking opens. If you are traveling as a couple, choose two seats in the middle row. This way you don't have to get up for others (they can get out on the other side), nor do you disturb anyone when you want to go to the toilet or access the roof storage compartment or just move around. My personal preferences for seats are below. Use SeatGuru to find a seating map for your flight as sometimes things are not as expected (e.g. an exit row may be smaller than other rows, not larger). Avoid rear seats to minimize engine noise, sit away from toilets to avoid traffic and avoid booking near the bulkhead as this is often reserved for restless babies and their suffering parents. Order of my preferences:

• Gangplatz in der mittleren Reihe (ich muss nur für eine Person aufstehen statt für zwei)
• Gangplatz in einer Seitenreihe (ich muss nicht um Erlaubnis fragen, um auf die Toilette zu gehen)
• Fensterplatz in einer Seitenreihe (ich stecke nicht in der Mitte fest)
• Ein mittlerer Sitzplatz in der mittleren Reihe (ich stecke in der Mitte fest, muss aber nicht aufstehen, wenn mein Sitznachbar aussteigen will)
• Ein mittlerer Sitz in einer Seitenreihe (eurgh)

Arm yourself

If you're on a 24-hour flight, you're probably planning on being away for a while. I know the last thing you want to do is load yourself up with a lot of things, but you should take this journey seriously and arm yourself as best you can. Take a set of good earplugs, an eye mask, a neck pillow (preferably not an inflatable one as they are less comfortable), a toothbrush and toothpaste, a good pair of headphones, comfortable socks and an eReader full of books and/or an iPad full of movies in case you miss the in-flight entertainment. Friends of mine swear by melatonin to help them sleep, but I prefer to avoid drugs if possible. All of this may sound like a lot to carry, but it will make your trip bearable.

Eat lightly

Consider opting for a vegetarian meal. It will help you avoid heavy meat and ensure you are served before the crowds. Do not eat the bread as it will make you bloated. Avoid coffee and alcohol as they dehydrate you and go easy on sugar. Eat as light as possible to avoid feeling lethargic. This is a marathon and a heavy meal will sit like a stone in your stomach, dragging you down through every step.

Don't be too British

In general, don't be too polite. Of course, a bit of Britishness helps - being nice to the flight attendants, for example, is enough - but don't be too reserved. On our 13-hour flight to Singapore, I sat next to a toddler who kicked me awake a total of three times while I was sleeping. I was tempted to ask the parent who had an aisle seat to switch with the child so I wouldn't get kicked, but I didn't, mostly because I figured she didn't want her daughter to leave in case she fell asleep herself. I was just able to handle it all until they went to the bathroom and the kid fell asleep with the shoes on. The kicks suddenly became much harder to manage. I never had the courage to ask them to change seats, but I did ask the mother to take off the child's shoes. She apologized appropriately, I was appropriately embarrassed, and we silently agreed never to speak of it again.

This moment of non-Britishness made my life easier for the next few hours. The moral of the story is: just be direct. If someone compulsively taps on the armrest or shines a bright light in a dark cabin or does something that bothers others, just ask them to stop. Finally, it's okay to recline your seat on a long-haul flight. You'll feel like an asshole, but if it's the only way to get some sleep, then do it. Just make sure you only go back as far as you need to.

Moisturize and hydrate

Over the course of my long journey, I made sure to drink plenty of water and moisturize my face to ensure my skin stayed fresh. Unfortunately, I didn't realize that the rest of my skin needed attention too. On the last flight, my legs suddenly started itching - so much so that I found it difficult to sit still. Twenty-four hours on a plane will dehydrate your skin, so after your layover, go to the bathroom and apply some body lotion. It will help you avoid a torturous final stage.

Move!

I always underestimate how important this is. I usually only get up when I have to go to the toilet. Otherwise, I stay in my seat with my bag under the seat in front of me. This is unhealthy and even dangerous on a long-haul flight. As you walk around, you stay limber and energized. Try to get up and move every hour when you're awake - all the more reason to book an aisle seat.

Be careful about germs

Flights are bad for your health not necessarily because of increased levels of germs, but because of your reduced ability to fight them. Therefore, pay attention to hygiene. Wash your hands or use antibacterial gel before eating, open the toilet door from the inside with a tissue, and drink plenty of fluids to support your immune system.

Accept the new time zone

Once you get on the plane, set your time to your new zone. This will shift your mind and encourage your body to follow. Flight crews often use cabin lights to indicate when to sleep and when to wake up, which are generally aligned with your new time zone. So this should help you adjust. A 24-hour flight messes up your internal clock - that's unavoidable - but it helps to get your body to "think" in the new time zone as quickly as possible. The other important thing is to stay awake until at least 8pm on the day you arrive... but I won't preach as I fell asleep at 4:30pm and slept until the early hours of the morning. Four days later I'm still paying for it.

Mission statement: Atlas & Boots

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