Vacation. Fun until you get on the flight.

Trips and vacations are absolutely a great joy to take part in. The voyage to these wonderful locales on the other hand...can be very difficult if not dreadful. There’s generally not much you can do about these flights until we create teleportation devices but until then, here are some tips we accumulated over our time traveling. We hope that they make long flights more bearable.  

Noise Canceling Headphones

One of our must-haves is a pair of noise-canceling headphones. Sometimes there are crying babies, neighbors snoring, people coughing nonstop, or a combination of everything at once. A pair of these headphones will ensure that you can enjoy your entertainment in peace. Get a good pair and it will give you complete quiet throughout your flight. We recommend the Sony WH-1000XM3 Wireless Noise-Canceling Headphones. These bad boys will drown out the loudest wail and the constant rumbling of the plane. Regardless of which pair you get, make sure you get one that is comfortable since you may be wearing them for several hours at a time. 

Bonus Tip: If you don’t want to listen or watch anything, some noise-canceling headphones can be left on. That way, you can just sleep in peace instead. 

Pack Something to Eat

Flying a long flight can be excruciating. One of the worst things to deal with is hunger on a flight. So, the next tip we recommend is to bring a Ziplock or something with some snacks. Be sure to pick snacks with minimum sodium as salt intake will make you mega thirsty. Here are our favorites! 

1. Fruits 
   
2. Granola Bars 
   
3. Vegetables 
   
4. Pretzels 
   
5. Jerky 
6. Protein Powder 
7. Ramen*

Want to know why we picked these? Click here to learn more about each one. 

*Ramen was chosen as a guilty pleasure. Definitely not recommended...but live a little right? Super convenient as well. 

Bring Your Own Entertainment

Sure, there are usually free movies to watch on long flights, but what if you’ve already watched them all? Or what if the timing of your flight was in line with just the worst movie releases of the decade? Well if you bring your own entertainment, you wouldn’t be watching the ceiling or staring at the plane move centimeter towards the destination on the flight map. Whether it’s a Nintendo Switch or an Amazon Kindle, make sure it’s charged up before the flight.  

Pack a Portable Battery Pack

This particular travel hack is pretty useful for those long flights because if you keep constantly using your device for the duration of the flight, your device is bound to hit low power at some point. Having a battery pack will keep your device charged and ready to take on the other half of your flight.  

Bonus Tip: Some from our team love watching movies the whole flight but they also still recommend this hack. Why? Because if you happen to get lost, you can hop onto your smartphone, open Google Maps and find your way.  

Check out our Fluxmob Bolt² Battery Pack for a great one. It’s a portable battery pack with two output slots and power adapter in one. So, it cuts down the stuff you carry. Super convenient! 

Sit Near The Wings

If you’re aren’t a fan of flying or get motion sick easily, consider choosing a set near the wings. This is where the aircraft’s center of gravity is and experiences the least amount of turbulence during a flight. Think of it like a see-saw. While the front and back get the most movement, the center stays put.

Invest in a Great Carry-on Bag

This was the one tip that we had trouble coming to an agreement with. So we split it into two categories.  

One Bag Carry-On 

This is for the one bag carry people. The one bag carry philosophy basically dictates that you fit everything you need to travel into one bag. So, this kind of bag usually won’t fit in the compartment under the seat in front of you. What we suggest instead is to have a ziplock or a pouch filled with your inflight essentials. That way you can unzip your bag and pulled out your essentials and slip them into the pocket in front of you.  

We recommend the Black Ember Citadel Minimal Pack or the WPRT Minimal Pack for a waterproof, weatherproof, and durable bag that looks sleek and minimal with extremely comfortable shoulder straps.  

Check-in 

For the people who must check in their luggage or have kids that require more than usual, be sure to pick a light carry on that can fit in the compartment under the seat in front of you. Space will allow for your feet stretch for blood circulation and easy access to your essentials.  

We recommend the Evergoods Civic Panel Loader 24L for clamshell access and holds its form so when you dig through your bag, it doesn’t collapse on you. Another good choice is the Bellroy Classic Backpack Plus for a more minimal look and a smaller bag for more space for your feet.  

 

Exercise Before the Flight

This is one that one of our interns mentioned that we haven’t heard of before. Try to get some decent amount of exercise in before your flight. There are two reasons.  

1.  Exercising releases chemicals in your brain that allows your stress levels to drop. This way it helps make for a more relaxed flight.  
2. Your body will be exhausted so you’ll have an easier time dozing off and enter deep sleep.  

We’ll be sure to give it shot next time we fly! 

Bonus Tip: While this is a hack we haven't tried yet, we also suggest stretching occasionally and walking around the cabin to allow for blood circulation and stretching just feels damn good after being cooped up in your seat. 

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Long haul flights are no doubt difficult, but we hope these tips and tricks we found out on our end will help your flight be a more pleasant one. Who knows, maybe you’ll come to love long flights after putting these into action!