Advice for internationsl flight?

[fabulousfive]

Hey there world travelers! I'm headed to South Africa & would love some tips about the plane or even while there. I've never traveled that far and know Disers have the best info and experience. Thank you!!!

 

[Cousin Orville]

I always bring my iPad mini (nice travel size) and load up a couple of TV seasons from iTunes. Add noise canceling headphones (I like the small bose earbuds) and your set.

Arrive a day or two early to get over some of the jet lag.

 

[Rapunzellover]

Pack some essentials like underwear and a change of clothes in your carry-on luggage. Just in case of airline losing your bags or something equally lousy.

 

[carpenta]

I always bring my iPad mini (nice travel size) and load up a couple of TV seasons from iTunes. Add noise canceling headphones (I like the small bose earbuds) and your set.

Arrive a day or two early to get over some of the jet lag.

Great advice! We got stuck on an older plane going to Europe once with no entertainment system at all. You get use to having something to pass the time as movies and when it is missing it makes a very long flight. Also bring a couple bottles of water for some crews don't give out much after an hour into the flight.

 

[NashSmartGuy]

I did that flight a couple years ago. Yes, it's about 15 hours. No, it's not as horrific as you might imagine. I used South African Airlines, and they were absolutely wonderful. They kept me fed and comfortable (in coach). Make sure you take an iPad with lots of movies. Eat and drink whenever they offer it, especially water. They even had a little snack bar set up in the galley. Wear very comfortable, loose-fitting clothes. Get up and exercise and drink water frequently to prevent blood clots. They had on-board entertainment screens in every seatback, which unfortunately didn't work on the way over, but did on the way back. When you get there, try to stay up until the local bedtime. Get a good travel pillow. Hope that helps. I think the main thing is to keep a healthy frame of mind. That's a long time to be stuck in one place. Try not to go stir crazy!

 

[anonymousegirl]

I broke up my long flight with a couple of days in London (visiting family) at both ends of the trip. Really helped with jet lag.

 

[sayhello]

You've gotten some great advice here already.

I highly concur with the getting up and walking frequently (at least every couple of hours if not more frequently). Blood clots are a real danger, and you don't want to take any chances. Same thing for drinking lots of water. I know some people say they won't drink because they don't want to use the bathrooms, but the danger from dehydrating is way worse than the risks from the bathroom. Take a little travel size Lysol spray with you if you're worried about that sort of thing! (Under 3 ounces, of course!)

Bring a couple of magazines with you just in case. It's a long time to run an iPad/tablet, and if there aren't any plugs, you might find yourself without anything to watch towards the end of the flight. And actually, I find I like to take a break from watching TV/movies anyways, and a magazine or a book is nice to pull out from time to time.

Have snacks in your personal item that you feel OK snacking on in case they don't have anything on the plane that appeals to you.

Wear really comfortable clothes! Bring something light you can throw on if the cabin is really chilly.

Drink lots of water.

Sayhello

 

[fabulousfive]

Loving all this advice, thank you! I'll keep checking back to see if there are more responses as I'd love to obtain as many tips as possible, but this has already been a huge help.

 

[ExpatDisneyLover]

One of the things I love to bring along are a comfy pair of rubber soled slippers. Make sure they have a good sole for trips to the toilet but are comfy and easy to take on and off.

 

[Cousin Orville]

That's a good point about some flights not having plugs to recharge your iPad. Often you can look up your flight on the airline's website and it will let you know. I thankfully found out ahead of time my United flight from Hong Kong to San Francisco wouldn't have any plugs. Awful. So I brought a battery recharger with me. You can also turn the brightness down which helps preserve battery.

 

[Rapunzellover]

Aisle seats are the best to makes sure you have no qualms about getting up to walk/use bathroom.

Vitamin C tablets and/orange juice are also good for helping stay healthy.

I'd recommend your own snacks, cause plane food generally sucks.

And don't get so obsessed with your IPad/tablet that you forget to sleep, or at least try to. I find that even if you can't sleep, just closing your eyes for a good long time or for frequent short times helps jet lag.

 

[Alacrity]

Here's some tips for the "Extra Bag of Peanuts" travel blog...I've done a few of these and plan to try a few more the next long trip (September, ABD Central Europe)!

http://www.extrapackofpeanuts.com/survive-long-flights/

I'd love to go for number one on that list but 1st/Business class is a little pricey and I don't have the status or miles to upgrade!

 

[fabulousfive]

Love all the advice & I soooo appreciate the link to that travel blog. Everything on there, including the list you shared, will be informative & reassuring. Thank you!

 

[minnie4ever]

My Hawaii trip was about 11 hours. I flew Delta going over and they had phone/ tablet plugs but also free movies. I watched 3 but paced myself. When one movie was over I would get up and wander, go to bathroom etc. maybe rest my eyes some, then the next movie, etc. On the way back I flew United with no plugs or free movies of any kind, but had 2 stops so I had to change planes twice. Actually that was more stressful then staying on one plane as I was worried I would not make the connections. My flight to Italy this fall is also going to be long. I hope USAIR/AMERICAN has plugs, or free TV or something, though I just bought an ipad mini so I can entertain myself.
Just my 2cents worth.

 

[TeamSy]

Our longest flight was to Hong Kong (on our way to Thailand) - 16 hours nonstop from NY … First class was TENS OF THOUSANDS per person, so we obviously didn't do that, but for a small fee we upgraded to the exit row seats. Best. Decision. Ever. Check to see if your airline offers this. They only charged us for one out of the two, since the one closest to the door has the "bump". It was amazing - we were able to spread out, and I was able to even rest my feet on the "bump."

I was honestly a nervous wreck, and my Dr. gave me some pills to calm me/help me sleep … other than that, there was plenty of entertainment available from the plane (I was able to catch up on a few movies I didn't get a chance to see), Hubs and I bought Uno cards…. I also bought comfy socks and slippers to change into. And lots of lotion! I don't know about you, but I get so dry on planes!

 

[fabulousfive]

I was honestly a nervous wreck,

I also bought comfy socks and slippers to change into. And lots of lotion! I don't know about you, but I get so dry on planes!

Thanks for sharing how nervous you were and that all was okay. That's how I feel! And love the idea of little luxuries.

Thanks everyone who has posted for amazing ideas!

 

[Alacrity]

Speaking of little luxuries. I usually stock up in snacks and travel size thingys from minimus.biz. We also find a lot of travel things at our local Target store but minumus has lots and lots more!

I also always do audio books. I download a few to my phone before going. It's easier on the batterys and easier on my eyes!

 

[disneymath]

This thread has some great advice!

 

[bswift]

Keep your shoes on at all times! Wear ones that are comfortable enough to keep on the whole time. If you take them off mid-flight, your feet could swell and you won't be able to get them back on at landing.

 

[fabulousfive]

Keep your shoes on at all times! Wear ones that are comfortable enough to keep on the whole time. If you take them off mid-flight, your feet could swell and you won't be able to get them back on at landing.

Interesting! I would never have thought of that. I did however just purchase compression socks that I'm hoping will help. Thank you!