How To Survive A 20+ Hour Flight, According To A Traveler Who's Done It

I've had the good fortune of living most of my adult life abroad, with stints in Shanghai, Melbourne, Sydney, and Tokyo. While I loved being in such dynamic cities, there were some drawbacks. Mainly, that I'm Northern Irish, meaning returning home from any of these places equated to thousands of miles across multiple flights, and sometimes 20-plus hours strapped into an airplane seat. Despite all the practice, I never looked forward to these marathon journeys. But I've learnt a few tricks for dealing with them.

When I first encountered long-haul flights, I'd have every technological device I could find fully charged and bursting at the seams with downloadable content. Between departure and destination, I'd plan to read 40 books on my Kindle, play all those neglected titles on my Nintendo Switch and PlayStation Vita, listen to three-hour podcasts, watch a couple documentaries on my iPad — and if I'd any time left, I'd spend it browsing the in-flight movie catalogue. But I soon realized sourcing and curating all this entertainment exceeded the time I spent actually consuming it.

There are several reasons for tiring of digital distractions: eye strain from prolonged, intensive screen time; the cognitive effects of spending many hours at high altitude; low humidity in the cabin causing dehydration and further cognitive impairment; and plain old jet-lag delirium. Occasional indulgences in the free booze offered by intercontinental air services probably didn't help. So over time I became more selective. I understood that when traveling for two or three dozen hours, usually on minimal sleep, the brain must be allowed to reset. Bludgeoning it into submission with sensory overload causes more problems than it solves, and this is the main thing to keep in mind as you embark upon any super long-haul journey.

Embrace the tedium; try to enjoy moments spent staring listlessly into the void. You needn't go all in on the "raw dogging" flight trend, the Gen Z version of monkish asceticism, where you sit with no technological distractions, in utter silence, for the full 10 or 12 or 16 hours of the flight (and then share your plight on social media). But in principle, breaks from technology are valuable.

Try watching blockbuster movies back to back and soon you'll start craving a rest — a problem that can be exacerbated by "second-screening," or flicking idly through your phone while the movie plays. A good way to achieve that rest is by avoiding all technology during the in-flight meal services. I usually stop what I'm watching and focus entirely on the tray before me — even when the food is uninspired and flavorless — and I ensure the screen in front is off to avoid any subconscious distractions. 

If you're anything like me, exhaustion on a long flight will just be a prelude to insomnia. This is frustrating because sleep is one of the best ways to pass the hours, but to induce it you need to find comfort in an umcomfy seat and avoid the blue light emitted by screens. So I like to zone out for a while, look out the window, let my eyes drift around the cabin, or read a paperback book or a magazine, all of which can usher in an hour or two of sleep. Melatonin supplements, containing the sleep-regulating hormone, can also help, but I find most pharmaceutical sleeping aids make me feel worse when I wake. Other long-haul flight sleep hacks like wearing comfy clothes, eschewing coffee, using a travel pillow and a solid eye mask, are worth trying too. 

It's easy to say yes to the alcohol cart on a long-haul flight. But lately, I've begun to stay sober on marathon journeys. Alcohol might send you to sleep, but it's likely to be restless and less restorative, and you'll feel more fatigued on waking. Alcohol also causes dehydration, contributing further to the cognitive impairments experienced when flying, and can trigger a hangover before you've arrived at your destination. That's not to say avoid it altogether; a glass of wine with dinner isn't going to derail the entire journey. Just exercise restraint and remember that overconsumption of alcohol is one of the behaviors that can get you kicked off a plane.

I like to get up and move, too. Maybe I'll stand near the bathrooms or the exit rows to stretch, or peer into the cosseted world of business class beyond the curtains. Moving extracts you from screens, and it keeps the blood flowing and the muscles loose. The National Blood Clot Alliance suggests various movements — knee lifts, shoulder rolls, arm curls, keeping your feet elevated — to avoid clots and conditions like deep vein thrombosis (DVT), or what they tactfully call "Economy Class Syndrome." Also carry sandals or flip-flops, as your feet will swell.

Some airlines now offer high-speed Wi-Fi service, with the likes of Hawaiian Airlines and Qatar Airways teaming up with SpaceX's Starlink. But this only encourages doomscrolling and its attendant brainrot when the boredom inevitably sets in. For a long time, it seemed like airplanes were the only place we could be free from the internet; I think it's best kept that way. And don't strike up conversation with your neighbors — unless they've explicitly told you so, they don't want you nattering in their ears for the next 15 hours.