Let’s just be real here. Whenever I see posts that have a title a la ‘Tips to make economy class feel like first’ I roll my eyes hard. You do too? Good, then we are on the same page! Because while I haven’t had the pleasure of ever flying first I have seen Casey Neistat’s video with green envy many times and there is just nothing that will ever make the back of the plane as comfortable or glamorous. You can wrap yourself in as much cashmere as you want to (and believe me I have tried!), it just will not be the same.
So how to survive long flights in economy? There are quite a few things that you can do to make things a whole lot more bearable. Not quite first-class, but survivor style. After traveling and flying for many years I put together my best tips on how to get comfortable in economy class, and asked some of my favorite travel bloggers to share their long-haul flight tips as well.
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TIPS ON HOW TO SURVIVE a LONG FLIGHT IN ECONOMY
1. Upgrade your experience
Obviously, the best tip on how to survive long-haul flights is to upgrade your experience. If you can’t fork out for business class or don’t have enough miles consider flying premium economy. It won’t cost you as much as business or first but you will still get more legroom, wider seats, and more luggage allowance.
2. Hydration & Nutrition
Hydration is key on any long flight, regardless of where you sit. I usually take my Grayl bottle and fill it up once I am through security – perfect to stay hydrated and avoid plastic bottles and cups on the plane! And usually, the cabin crew is more than happy to fill it up for me as well.
Mind you, I am not opposed to a glass of wine or two either. It helps with travel anxiety and to dose off but I keep alcohol to a minimum when flying.
Airplane food rightfully has a bad rep but I can’t help it – I love it! There is something about the little bowls and trays that gets me excited. If you prefer to keep it as healthy as possible order your meal beforehand so you can choose options like vegetarian or gluten-free dishes. Take some salt-free nuts, trail mix, or dried fruit as an added healthy snack but make sure to not take any food off the plane – some countries are incredibly strict with any food products coming into the country.
Team Wine!
“Always drink lots of water. Long flights are notorious for causing dehydration. Grab yourself a big bottle of water at the airport or make regular trips to the galley… you’ll feel much more alert, refreshed and far less groggy once you arrive.” Lloyd & Yaya – Hand Luggage Only
3. Hydration for your skin
Have you seen people using sheet masks on a plane? Yes, that could be me! I moisturize all the time with face spritz, rich face lotion, and hand cream. If I know I have a 16-hour flight in economy ahead of me I will even put on a leave-in face mask before departure.
If you are a fellow contact lens wearer: take them out for a long flight and opt for your glasses instead. I also use plenty of eye drops throughout the trip.
“Be sure to buy a bottle of water before getting on the plane – those tiny plastic glasses are not enough to hydrate. I also bring a very small tub of moisturizer as I feel my face and skin, in general, gets very dry.”
Janet – Journalist on the Run
4. How to be comfortable on a long flight?
I don’t think I am a particularly chic traveler but I do have a uniform down that helps me not to look like a complete slob. Skinny jeans with lots of stretch or leggings, an extra-long tank, an oversized silk shirt, and a cardigan. And of course, a huge cashmere scarf (or any very soft version thereof) which also functions as a blanket when the airline blanket just isn’t so nice.
I also realized that it is a lot more comfortable to either wear a sports bra or a strapless bra which I can quickly take off in the bathroom before sleeping.
If you have issues with thrombosis, compression socks are a must. Otherwise, pack a pair of regular thick socks that you can slip on to keep your feet warm. Also, make sure your shoes are not too tight and are easy to put on and take off – you don’t want to walk around a plane in your sock or, eeeek, barefoot.
5. How to sleep on a long flight in economy
What to do on long flights? For many, the obvious answer is to sleep. I will admit that I am a terrible sleeper when I have a long-haul economy flight and actually prefer a daytime flight so that I can just get straight into bed once I arrive at my destination.
Mind you, chances are you won’t have a choice. If I have to do an overnight flight I will take a sleep mask, download some binaural sleep sounds and my favorite playlist on my phone, and use melatonin spray. The latter has been a gamechanger for me – melatonin doesn’t make me drowsy like a sleeping pill but helps me dose off nicely. As with any medication please check with your doctor beforehand.
Back in the day, some airlines used to give you stickers whether you want the flight attendant to wake you for mealtimes or not. If there is no such option, let your cabin crew know beforehand if they should wake you or not.
“In order to stay sane after a long-haul flight – surviving jet lag and all – I like to stick to a routine on the plane that makes the flight appear less interruptive to my “normal” life. For me, that means bringing my sleepy time tea to drink before “bed time”, to brush my teeth after dinner and “in the morning”, to remove all makeup before sleeping and to change into fresh clothes before getting off the plane. That way, my body might be tired, but my mind will believe that it was just another regular night – alas a short one… In order to make this routine work, these are my hand luggage essentials: a tea bag from home and my Keep Cup; my toothbrush & paste; face wipes, hand sanitizer & moisturizer; a change of clothes and comfy clothes for sleeping. An eye mask can help with “bedtime” and so does a meditation track on my phone when I can’t unwind on a night flight.”
Kathi – Watch Me See
6. Shower on the go
If you can’t get a direct flight to your destination, showering in transit is the best as are stopovers. For those of us not fancy enough to get lounge access with their business class ticket, consider getting a Priority Pass membership. These memberships give you access to lounges at airports around the globe where you can chill in style, have a meal, sleep, and even shower.
Make sure to put a fresh t-shirt and some undies in your hand luggage so you can change into something fresh after your shower!
Get your Priority Pass membership here!
“The only thing that keeps me sane when flying long-haul in economy is taking a shower during transit. I live in Australia and regularly fly home to Europe so I’ve frequented almost all of the pay-per-use showers in KL, Hong Kong, Singapore, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha. In some airports you access the showers for as little as $9AUD – the swish ones in Doha are a little more. The great thing is they come with towels, toiletries, and hairdryer so all you need to pack in your hand luggage is a fresh set of clothes. If you’re unsure which lounges allow you to pay to shower just ask at the airport information desk.”
Jayne – Girl Tweets World
7. GETTING COZY WITH 18 INCHES*
Aisle seat or window seat, front or back? I don’t think you will get more contrasting tips on how to survive long flights in economy than when it comes to where to sit. I myself like to sit as far upfront as possible even though that means that the business class is usually teasing me by being so close and yet so far. Mind you, I will take that because sitting in the front also means that I will be first off the plane (I may or may not be one of those people who have to get up as soon as the plane stops). Being able to get off quickly doesn’t help if you need to take a bus to the terminal but more often than not it has helped me make a connection in time or be first in line in immigration.
I am also firmly team aisle seat as it makes me feel less restricted, I can get up and move around a bit without disturbing anyone or just stretch my legs (okay, one of them) once in a while.
“As I’m quite tall, I often feel very cramped in Economy so I do whatever it takes to make my journey more comfortable. I always try to check in online to snag a window seat, and usually towards the back of the plane. I find most people are in a rush to get off so like to sit at the front, which means often I’ll get an entire empty row to myself.”
Janet – Journalist on the Run
“Firstly, try and always book your seat in advance – if you can’t get an emergency exit seat (or don’t want to pay an additional fee), think about choosing the back row of the plane, where you’ll be in easy reach of the galley to grab some snacks and water when you need it but most importantly, the opportunity to recline your seat fully for the whole flight without having to compromise the comfort of someone behind you. If you don’t like a bumpy ride – sit in the middle of the plane, near the wings – you’ll find that the plane tends to experience lesser bumps (especially during turbulence, take-off, and landing).”
Lloyd & Yaya – Hand Luggage Only
“Traveling as a couple or together with a friend? Then it would be nice if you had a row of seats for you completely alone. Correct? For airplanes with 3-4-3 or 3-5-3 seat configuration in economy class, there’s a simple trick that works amazingly often. When checking in online, you have to choose the seats so that a seat between you remains empty. If the flight is not fully booked, there is a high probability that it will actually remain free and no passenger will sit there throughout the flight. Everybody else will try to get another seat when checking in online, not forcing oneself into a middle seat. Either you are lucky, then you have the whole row of windows for yourself. Or you can still ask the one sitting between you guys to swap with you so that you finally can sit next to each other.”
Anne & Clemens – T R A V E L L E R S A R C H I V E
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15 comments
I love the photo of you in your snorkeling gear! It definitely gave me a good laugh. There are some greats tips! I would also add that less is more when thinking of traveling. I feel that so many people overpack their purses full of “entertainment” for the flight and don’t touch a fraction of the items that deemed so necessary. My in-flight essentials would be: a large water bottled (filled before you board), great moisturizer and lip balm, cozy clothing that you can nap in, a neck pillow, eye mask, and headphones. I usually travel solo, but I enjoyed the tip about keeping a seat between you and your companion, which might give you more room in the long run — genius!
Very useful tips for surviving long haul flight, specially keeping one seat empty in between. I never thought of that as there are much chances of one seat empty and we can spread our selves. Drinking water for hydration in skies is also very important.
This was such a great list of tips! I have never thought of having the same routine as I do at home- chamomile tea, washing my face, changing clothes, etc, to help trick my brain. I’ve always known that drinking H2O is better for you on a flight than wine, but I agree with you. I’d rather have the free crappy wine to help me nod off!
Great tips Annika!!
And I couldn’t agree more: “hydration is important but so is being happy. Nothing makes flying in economy class better than a glass (or two) of red” ?
Kisses,
Nat
There are some very useful tips here on how to survive a long haul in economy. I agree with the drink water instead of wine – you get so dehydrated – going to the galley for a water gets you moving about a bit. They often have chocolate up there too! Paying to use the shower facilities in transit can help too – it really freshens you up.
Great tips for a economy seat holder. I was not aware of bath facilities in lounges. One just needs a change of clothes!
Window seats are good but for night flying I always prefer the aisle seat. Will try and experiment the tips. 🙂
Guess my in-flight routine depends on if it is a night or day flight, though for long haul I can agree on and always have extra water, moisturizer, noise cancelling headphones, aisle seat, comfy bra, wear no makeup and use travel compression socks.
Discovering noise cancelling headphones was an epiphany! Also, don’t wear an under wired bra cos it always goes off in security?
Swap jeans for leggings once onboard. Birkenstocks for when you land, my feet swell like mad!
Set your watch to your destination time as soon as you set off.
Since I consider myself a budget traveler, I always book economy seats. Oh how I feel the pain of those that you’ve pointed out here. But in the end, I am more about the destination so I wouldn’t mind a little discomfort so I can get to places I want to be.
That’s a really good point, but I guess since I spend so much time in economy I really want to be as comfortable as possible 🙂
I try to follow all these great tips, but sometimes it’s never enough! I always like to book my seat in advance, and always opt for the aisle seat, as I need it from all the water I drink ha! Very true about bringing moisturiser too, my hands and face gets so dry when in the air for so long!
Well, that’s why I said that economy will never really feel like first class 😉 But I guess a girl can try!
Some really great advise! I dont drink to much alcohol but I know a lot of people drinking a glass or two to sleep better so why not! Before having our daughter I kind of “like” flying but now with a kid it is a whole another story! The tips of booking the seat right at the back of the fligh is not bad!
I can only imagine the stress of traveling with a child. I don’t have any but I always feel for parents on planes!
Those are some great tips. And I follow quite a few them. Especially drinking a lot of water to keep me hydrated. And, I always wear comfortable clothes.