A long-haul flight can be a test of endurance, but with the right preparation you can arrive feeling far more comfortable and ready to enjoy your holiday. From choosing your seat to staying hydrated and beating jet lag, small steps make a big difference. This guide explains how to survive a long-haul flight. These are general comfort tips; anyone with health concerns about flying should seek advice from a medical professional.
Choose a good seat
Your seat shapes your comfort on a long flight, so choose thoughtfully. An aisle seat lets you get up easily to stretch and move without disturbing others, while a window seat gives something to lean on for sleeping and a view. Extra-legroom seats cost more but can be worth it on a long flight. Consider where you prefer to sit and book or select your seat in advance. Choosing a seat that suits how you like to travel makes a long-haul flight noticeably more bearable.
Dress comfortably
Comfortable clothing makes a long flight much more pleasant. Wear loose, soft layers you can add or remove as the cabin temperature changes, as planes can be cold, and choose comfortable footwear, bearing in mind feet can swell. Avoid anything tight or restrictive. Compression socks can help comfort on very long flights. Dressing in easy, layered, comfortable clothing, rather than restrictive outfits, helps you relax, stay at a comfortable temperature, and move and sleep more easily during the hours in the air.
Stay hydrated
Cabin air is very dry, so staying hydrated is important for feeling well on a long flight. Drink plenty of water throughout, and go easy on alcohol and caffeine, which are dehydrating and can disrupt sleep. Bring an empty water bottle to fill after security, or ask the crew for water regularly. Keeping well hydrated helps you avoid the headaches and sluggishness that dehydration brings, and is one of the simplest and most effective things you can do to feel better on arrival after a long flight.
Move around regularly
Sitting still for many hours is not good for you, so move around regularly to keep your circulation going and feel more comfortable. Get up to walk the aisle when you can, and do simple seated movements and leg exercises in your seat. This helps reduce stiffness and the risks associated with long periods of immobility. Making a point of moving and stretching at intervals through a long flight, rather than staying motionless for hours, helps both your comfort and your wellbeing during and after the journey.
Sleep strategies
Sleeping on a long flight helps the time pass and reduces tiredness on arrival, so set yourself up to rest. A neck pillow, eye mask and earplugs or headphones block out light and noise, and reclining your seat and getting comfortable helps. Try to sleep in line with your destination's night where you can. While sleeping on a plane is rarely perfect, preparing properly and giving yourself the best chance to rest makes a long flight easier and helps you arrive less exhausted.
Beat jet lag
Jet lag, from crossing time zones, can leave you tired and out of sync, but you can ease it. Adjusting your sleep towards your destination's time before and during the flight, getting natural light at the right times on arrival, and staying hydrated all help your body adjust. Try to adopt the local schedule once you land. Taking steps to manage jet lag, rather than ignoring it, helps you feel more yourself sooner and make the most of the start of your holiday rather than losing days to tiredness.
Keep entertained
Keeping occupied makes the hours fly by, so plan your entertainment. Make use of the in-flight films, shows and music, and bring your own with downloaded content, a book or magazines, and anything else you enjoy. Having a mix of options helps when concentration varies. Bringing your own entertainment as a backup ensures you are not reliant solely on the in-flight system. Planning how you will pass the time, with plenty of variety, helps a long flight feel much shorter and more enjoyable.
Eat sensibly
What and how you eat affects how you feel on a long flight. Eating sensibly, not too heavily, and choosing lighter options can help you feel better and sleep more easily. You can usually request special meals in advance if you have dietary needs, and bringing some healthy snacks means you are not reliant on meal times. Being mindful of what you eat and drink during the flight, rather than overindulging, helps you stay comfortable and arrive feeling better than a heavy, rich in-flight diet would leave you.
Pack hand luggage essentials
Having the right things in your hand luggage makes a long flight far more comfortable. Pack items like a water bottle, snacks, entertainment, a neck pillow, eye mask, earplugs, any medication, a toothbrush, and a change of essentials in case of delays. Our guide on what you can take in hand luggage covers the rules. Putting together a small kit of comfort essentials for the flight, within the hand luggage rules, means you have what you need to stay comfortable throughout the journey.
Look after your skin and comfort
The dry cabin air can leave your skin and eyes feeling parched on a long flight, so a little care helps. Moisturiser, lip balm and, if you wear contact lenses, switching to glasses or using eye drops can make you more comfortable. Removing make-up and keeping fresh with a toothbrush helps you feel better on arrival. These small comforts, packed in your hand luggage, address the effects of hours in dry, recirculated air and help you step off the plane feeling fresher and more ready for your holiday. Keeping a small comfort kit together in your bag, rather than scattered through your luggage, means you can reach everything easily during the flight.
Settle in and pace yourself
Once on board, settling in helps the flight feel more manageable: get comfortable, organise your essentials within reach, and set your watch to your destination's time to start adjusting mentally. Pace yourself through the flight with a mix of rest, entertainment, movement and meals rather than trying to do everything at once. Treating a long flight as a series of manageable stretches, and settling in properly from the start, makes the hours pass more easily and helps you arrive in better shape, ready to enjoy your destination rather than recovering from the flight.
In short
To survive a long-haul flight, choose a seat that suits you, dress in comfortable layers, and stay well hydrated while going easy on alcohol. Move around regularly for your comfort and circulation, prepare to sleep with a pillow and eye mask, and take steps to ease jet lag. Keep entertained, eat sensibly, and pack a kit of comfort essentials in your hand luggage. Look after your skin in the dry cabin air, settle in and pace yourself through the flight. These general comfort tips help you arrive feeling far better and ready to enjoy your holiday, rather than exhausted by the journey, so you can make the most of your first day at your destination.
Explore more travel advice in our Flights & Getting There guides.