help - how do you guys cope with the 9 hour flight?

[minnie29uk]

i am hopefully going to Florida in under a months time.

I am started to get excited - it is just that 9 hour flight makes me feel like ****.
does anyone else have this same problem - where you feel really yucky and dehydrated?

xjx

Hand held DVDs are great to keep kids occupied.I love to read and plenty cold drinks are a must.I always wear flight socks.Im a good girl and I do my feet exercises.Walkman (now known as IPODs??)
Just think about all the fun you are going to have when you get there.

Have great holiday,
Lynn

 

[JohnnySharp2]

Hand held DVDs are great to keep kids occupied.I love to read and plenty cold drinks are a must.I always wear flight socks.Im a good girl and I do my feet exercises.Walkman (now known as IPODs??)
Just think about all the fun you are going to have when you get there.

Have great holiday,
Lynn

I agree, we have a portable DVD for Joshua , would be lost without it.
Just have to make sure we have 2 battery packs, to last the long flight.

 

[smileyk8]

If you like wiggling your legs and are likely to stroll around lots try and get an aisle seat or expect some angry fellow passengers. One of my freinds got up 11 times in a 7 hour flight, man next to her was not happy . Definately take advantage of the movies, there'll usually be a couple of disney ones to get you in the mood.

I actually hate flying and on recent trip to DLP sat right at the front so i could watch the air hostesses face at all times stupid i know! I also have a nintendo DS to play with which really helps. You're not likely to sleep so don't try to force yourself. As a child i used to throw up every single flight, put it down to the fact parents always tried to make me lie down and go to sleep. You need to keep your mind occupied even if your body isn't

 

[gilld]

I actually like flying - as long as I'm comfortable, so for us it means paying for upgraded seats. We consider the flight to be part of the holiday, so don't mind the extra few hundred pounds. Although it's only a medium length flight, we wouldn't fly that long in economy - but that's us!

I recline my seat, put my feet up and try to watch a movie, but always end up dozing. I find 9 hours passes by very quickly.

 

[Frances999]

I hate flying and find PE clautsrophobic enough, I dread to imagine how I would feel bring crammed in economy.

As others have said, the flight is part of the holiday. To make the trip as enjoyable as possible, we upgrade to PE as a family or UC as a couple. Other people may think it is an expensive and un-necessary upgrade (and people always comment about how they would "rather spend the money on gifts") but for us, the flight is one of the most important aspects of the trip. To arrive refreshed and relaxed allows to get on with the holiday immediately and not have to unwind from the flight first.

As to the flight itself, I try to watch the movies but I can never concentrate. I just sit back and listen to music, read or close my eyes and try to sleep ~ well, only when I am not dealing with one of (or all of) the children!!

 

[littlegreydonkey]

Move to New Zealand - then a 9 hour flight becomes a short flight (compared to about 26 to the UK) and it passes really quickly!!!

No, seriously, flight socks really are sent from heaven, I thought they'd be really hot and sticky but they actually seem to keep my legs cooler, plus I can walk at the end of the flight. Drink gallons of water, book the aisle seat so you can walk about and fidget. Aromatherapy Associates sell a inhalation essence called Breathe which clears your head of that 'stale air' sensation and, if you're a nervous flyer, Bach Flower Remedies really do work at calming your nerves. You choose the one/or more that suit what you're feeling (I have the one for irrational fears and constant worrying) drop it on your tongue and about 10 minutes later you feel yourself relax - of course it might just be that they are packed in neat brandy.

 

[paulh]

get slosed with the beers then sleep the whole way
Paulh

 

[Cinderella]

I don't mind the flight there so much - its the flight back where we're struggling to sleep that i hate.

On the way there we watch movies, read - and always have all the meals - even when they look not too great, as the meals do fill in time. I never drank on a plane until i went to Florida, but a couple of friends persuaded me to have a couple of glasses and that helped pass the time a bit - and helped me doze off a bit!

I too am trying premium economy this time - mostly for the quietness upstairs and the leg rest - hopefully i'll get a sleep on the way back. Leg room isn't a major for me as i'm only 5ft 3 and a half but my partner is six foot so economy is more cramped for him.

We're also trying upper class in October - i just worry that i'll never want to fly in economy again.

I used to shop round forever to get the cheapest flight available but i don't now for two reasons - 1) My time is worth more now than in the past. 2) Our last trip left me so exhausted on the way back that i was less productive when i came back to work - which probably lost me money.

I think flight choice is probably similar to hotel choice - some people want to be in more comfortable surroundings and don't mind paying for a better hotel and for others the cheaper hotel is better as they don't spend much time in their rooms and would rather have the extra money for souvenirs.

Can't think of many more tips except earplugs - they do shut out a lot of noise and VA do give them out on the flight.

 

[Goofyish]

I find the 9 hour flights boring and uncomfortable, but it's amazing how quickly all the discomfort is forgotten once you reach your destination and make it to the parks

 

[julieannbabe]

thank you for all your replies.

they are much appreicated.

If i could afford an upgrade i would.

xjx

 

[cheryl.UK]

Here's our plan

Sudoku. love it bought a new book ready for the flight.

Trivial pursuits - we take a question box and a soft foam die in a clear container (doesn't roll off the table as you just shake it in the container and doesn't annoy anyone else cos it's foam and makes no noise.) We take the pie holders and pieces and the aim is to be the first one to answer a question for every colour. Some times it takes 10 minutes but sometimes a whole hour depending on the role of the die and the luck of the questions. We take a new box every time we fly long haul and open it on the plane, so it's something to look forward to. This year we've bought the Lord of the Rings version.

Guardian Crosswords - buy a new book every time.

Sad cases that we are we also make up disney quizes for each other.

We started this because we go to the cinema a lot (annual passes) and we've often seen the movies.

At a real pinch I take 2 co-codomol and sleep all the way home. Knocks me out every time.

DH takes his MP3 player and listens to talking books as by then he's bored of reading. Having a story read to him works the same as it did when he was 5 ...zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz