Travelling for extended periods of time is uncomfortable to say the least. However, you can make your travel experience a little better. These are some things I found were my saving grace during my 25 hours of travel from Melbourne to London. This is coming from someone who before flying to London had never been on a flight for longer than two hours (or overseas for that matter).
1. Prepare your devices
Airports and planes usually give you access to USB and charging ports but it’s still good to start with all your devices charged and ready to go. Before I left Australia I purchased a backpack you can connect a cord to, to charge your devices while walking/using it. I made the mistake of not thinking you needed a powerbank for this function to work. Silly girl. I ended up being able to charge my phone pretty easily, but for my tablet it was quite difficult (especially with all the movie watching I was doing). Essentially, bring a power bank!
I did download some movies and TV shows onto my tablet, as well as some music from spotify. This allows you to use it offline. Even though the plane will have some entertainment options for you, it's nice to have some comfort shows. My personal choice was the new season of Stranger Things. I’m glad I did download some entertainment because nothing really peaked my interest on the flight.
2. Invest in an eye mask and earplugs!
Some airlines will provide you with earplugs but not always. Planes and People are noisy. It's easier to get some sleep and relax when you have some earplugs or noise cancelling headphones. My JBL headphones were fantastic for this as well as some regular ear plugs from home when I tried to get some sleep. Ear plugs did slightly hurt my ears from the pressure, but overall they did the job.
Eye masks are also essential if you struggle to sleep when it's light. Even when the windows are shut it is still very light inside the plane and an eye mask makes it easier to get some much needed rest. When wearing one it's also less likely people will disturb you because they can see you’re sleeping. However, if you know a meal is being served soon, ensure you tell a flight attendant to wake you when they are serving or you might go without. This happened to one of the ladies sitting near me.
3. Research your flight
I made sure to download my tickets before arriving at the airport. I also investigated entry requirements for my stopover and England of course. Luckily, I did not need a PCR test to leave the country, but always be sure to check the requirements so there are no surprises when you get to the airport.
It is also important to arrive early to your flight. Checking in baggage, going through customs and finding your gate can take longer than you think. If you want to travel stress free, allowing a few extra hours can make all the difference so you don’t feel rushed. Shoutout to my parents for making me get to the airport
super early.
4. Set your clock to local time
I’m unsure about Android, but on an iPhone you can set your timezone to “set automatically”. This is super convenient and will help you get accustomed with the local time of the country you’re in. You should also add all your cities of interest to the “world clock” section on your phone. I have used that heaps already to check the time difference back in Melbourne.
I hope you keep in mind some of these tips before your next long flight! My overall thoughts on London are coming soon.
Thank you, love Amy ♡
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