Long Haul Travel Tips
Exciting destinations often require long and exhausting trips. With the present post we would like to share some personal experience and tips for long haul flights, which could help you better organize this important part of your vacation. More inspirations for Long haul trips you can find on the respective link. Do not miss the Weekend Escapes section as well.
A note: the below laid is useful for those of us who fly Economy class. If you fly Business class you can skip it 🙂
Booking the tickets
Of course, the long haul travel trip starts with the booking of the tickets. There are several things that you need to take into account when booking your long haul flights:
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Book tickets from a reputable travel agency
No matter a local or an online one. Avoid agents with negative reputation, as in case of problems before or during your journey the adequate and timely communication with the agent is key. For further information you can refer to our post on how to make an informed decision on an online travel agent or how to find best flight deals (coming soon).
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Number of stopovers
The less, the better. The higher number of connecting flights increases the risk of some of them being cancelled/ delayed and then missing the next flight(s) from the booking. If your first flight is delayed it is much easier (and faster) to reorganize only a single flight after that. Reorganizing two or more connecting flights might be a real challenge and most importantly it could lead to significantly longer journey (on the expense of your vacation time).
The above laid becomes especially important, when travelling in winter, when due to unfavorable weather conditions flights are cancelled/ delayed more often.
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Flying time
The shorter, the better. Still, try to avoid very short stopovers. If the scheduled stopover is only 60-75 minutes, any small delay of the previous flight might result in missing the next one. This is especially valid for big international airports like London Heathrow, Munich or Frankfurt.
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Choosing your seat
Many airlines offer you the possibility to choose your seats free of charge long before the flight. Better do so in order to secure good seats. Below you can find our reco which are the best seats according to the type of the airplane.
If you are lucky enough, the plane might not be fully booked and then you can have a very comfortable flight. Stay aware when the flight attendant gives the command “Boarding completed”- this means that all passengers are already on board and the seats around will remain free. If you are among the first, you can take the unoccupied seats (beware that you have to ask for changing your seat first as there might be restrictions due to weight allocation in the aircraft). -
Turn-on any e-mail /SMS notification
Options related to your flight – thus you won’t miss any change concerning the flights.
- Visa. Check if stopover countries or final destination require Transit or other type of Visa. Yes, you might find it strange, but some countries require that you have visa for even having a transfer there (e.g. Canada and USA being among them).
Sitting next to the window sometimes gives you the chance to see views like this one (somewhere above Serbia), but in general we are fans of the aisle seats which give more “freedom”.
What to do 7-10 days before the long haul flight
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Login
to your reservation on the web site of the airline. Check if there are time or other changes. In case your arrival/ departure time requires some special transportation arrangements, do so early enough.
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Add passport/ visa information
which is usually required for long haul cross-continental trips.
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Verify when the online check-in
becomes available. Set a reminder to check-in among the first passengers and choose/ confirm good seats.
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Seat selection
The seat location is very important during long haul flights. Different air carriers have different set up of the seats for long haul planes. It is sometimes 3-3-3, sometimes 2-4-2 or other. If you are a single traveller, we would advise an aisle seat, which will give you the chance to stand up anytime without bothering other passengers. However, the downside is that you will have to make way for others who want to go to the toilet or just move a bit.
In case you are a couple your preference is clear in the 2-4-2 case- you can choose the double seat next to the window.
In the 3-3-3 and 3-4-3 we will always recommend seats in the middle row. In that way no one will bother you to stand up during the flight (of course the one of you who is on the middle seat will have to jump over the other one, but in the case of couples this should be ok 🙂
If you enjoy looking through the window and taking photos, maybe you want to take into consideration in which direction you are flying (east – west, south – north, etc.) and on which side is the sunset/sunrise.
Lili’s tip for selecting the right seats:
We don’t advise you to select seats on the first row of the compartment. It is very often that passengers are asked to switch seats with families with babies (there is usually a baby stand on the front wall of the salon).
On the following website https://www.seatguru.com/ you can see what is the distribution of the seats on your flight (just write the flight number which you find on your booking reservation and the assigned type of plane will appear on the screen).
Don’t forget to check-in online. If this isn’t available, make sure that you get early enough at the airport on the day of the trip. Upon check-in verify that seat selection you had made beforehand is the right one.
What to do at the airport – in case of long stopovers
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You need some warm clothes
at hand as it can be cold at some airports (air conditioning feels freezing on otherwise warm destinations: we had such an experience most recently at KLIA – Kuala Lumpur International Airport 🙂
Somewhere in Cambodia- even though the weather is +30 degrees outside, I have my scarf with me, it is usually cooler inside the aircraft -
In case it is available and you can afford it, you can book a hotel
at the airport terminal itself (not even going out from the main building). Many major airports offer hourly rates for such hotels. These hotels are often quite expensive (especially in Asia), but it is worth checking.
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A cheaper options vs the hotel accommodation are the lounges
Even if you are not a member of any loyalty program, you can buy one-time access. The prices vary – from €20-25 at European airports to around €50 or more in some Asian countries. You can then enjoy the free food and drinks for the whole time of your stay in the lounge. Depending on how long your stay is, you can decide how much you can pay. Most lounges offer also showers, so you can refresh yourself before/ after the long flight.
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In case the access to the lounge is too expensive, the must-do thing is to find a quiet place
at the airport. You have most probably noticed that you feel extremely tired after the long waiting at the airport. The reason is all the noise that you passively hear. Therefore, the limitation of this noise will make you feel more comfortable.
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Ensure you have a power bank for your phone
Very often during long stopovers you have the feeling that time had stopped and you need entertainment. You will be surprised how fast your battery can die.
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Make sure you are waiting at the right gate
Airport administration can change the number of the departing gate and although you were at the right place 3 hours ago, you might turn in the wrong gate 45 mins before your flight. Also when checking the gate on the screens double check with the flight code that this is exactly your flight. At big airports there might be several different flights to the same destination at similar time.
What to do when on board
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Dress comfortably.
You are going to spend long time sitting, so you don’t want tight jeans to squeeze you. Always have in mind that due to the different atmospheric pressure your body could be a bit swollen during the flight. This is especially valid for your feet due to the long time spent in sitting position. Always have something with long sleeves to wear. Choose clothes made of breathable fabrics.
You can be comfortable, yet stylish. I always wear dresses, the long haul flights are not an exception- I just choose a loose one which is not tight on my body -
Have some snacks
with you. Most airlines provide meals, but it may happen that you do not like the choice or there is long period between the meals or simply your flight is delayed and the free meal is served later than expected.
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Hydrate yourself.
Your body needs internal and external hydration during long haul flights. You better avoid drinking dehydrating drinks or try to compensate with water. The air in the pressurized aircraft is very dry, so depending on your skin type be prepared with a moisturizing cream.
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Have your toothbrush at hand
You will feel more comfortable, if you brush your teeth before falling asleep.
I have developed some habits which help me enjoy the flight and feel like “home”. Wearing a sleeping mask is one of them. I will share something funny. Most probably you have experienced that when sleeping on a plane, bus, train, your mouth usually opens after some time. This is due to gravitation. It is annoying as you try to close it and thus your sleep is not very deep. I know that I can solve this with the inflatable pillows, but when travelling with hand luggage only, you skip unnecessary luggage. I just do not make the effort to close my mouth and by wearing the mask. I’m kind of hiding hide my face this way. No embarrassment afterwards when I wake up 🙂 . This was in fact quite personal. I’m glad I’m not with an open mouth on this pic, hahah :). -
Charge your phone
The modern aircrafts have a USB port on the entertainment screens. Use the chance to charge your battery to the full.
Lili’s tip for more comfortable and stressless travelling:
Whenever possible, try to travel with hand luggage only. This is something you might think is not for you, but believe us, it can save a lot of problems. You will have access to your luggage at any time and you are not risking that it is lost especially in case of short connections (a dedicated post on long haul trips with hand luggage only is coming soon).
We hope the above laid was useful and we wish you a great journey!!!
Weekend Getaway
