Road Notes: Long-Haul Flights

We're coming up on the holiday season, and for many of us, that means: more travel, trips, and take-off!

I jotted these suggestions down during my last long-haul flight from Frankfurt to SFO, with you in mind - those readers who hit the road more than most, especially those who roam coast to coast or opt for foreign climes.

Here are a few helpful tips to bolster happiness levels during long-haul flights. Enjoy!

1. Get the Support You Need
Yesterday, I was chatting via Skype with a friend who is about to take off for a month's stay in Vienna (yes, I know - drool with envy). This is a good 14-hr+ intercontinental haul across the friendly skies - one I'm well familiar with. And so, looking out for her well-being, I instant messaged her:

"Got your support hose?"

To which she replied:

"What? Am I that old?"

I had to laugh. It had nothing to do with age - this suggestion of donning super-powered panty-hose pre-takeoff. For any flight over four hours (e.g. from west to east coasts, from England to India, from the U.S. to Europe, etc.), I suggest wearing support hose (men, you can call them 'manny hose,' or just opt for the special "flight sock" knee-highs.

The trip from California to New Delhi has me in the air for well over 24 hours. By the time I reach India, I have elephant legs - and it's downright scary. My swollen feet actually stretched out a pair of brand new sandals to the point that they never fit well again. Even after elevating my legs up the wall for an hour, my ankles were still bloated to the extreme, for over three days.

It's a vanity thing, yes, but it's also a safety issue - there is a syndrome called 'deep vein thrombosis' that one is made susceptible to. This is where flight attendants have learned: wear those support ("compression") hose.

I found a fabulous pair of black hose actually made by Lufthansa in a mall in Frankfurt. I'm sure there are several options at local drugstores or department stores. If you can't find the 'flight hose,' then just opt for a top-end pair of L'eggs support hose. Be sure they are snug enough to hold you in, but not too snug as it could get downright uncomfortable on that long haul trip to have an elastic band cutting into your waist.

After years of having freaky swollen feet and ankles on intercontinental flights, I've now found a solution. Much, much better.

2. Drink Up, Buttercup
Pre-hydrating is a trick I learned when I used to train for marathons: start chugging the water 24-48 hours BEFORE takeoff. For distance runners, this is important as one doesn't want to be faced with a full bladder and making pitstops mid-race, but you need all that hydration in your system - so you gotta get your drinkin' in the days before the event.

For long-distance flyers, downing several extra liters of agua the days before your flight can make a whole world of difference. Nowadays, anyway, you can't bring your own bottles of water on-board - so I'm constantly hitting up the stewards in the galley for more, more, more. The amount that they come around to offer in the little Dixie cups is not enough to sufficiently hydrate on a 9 hr+ haul. And there is nothing that helps more than proper hydration to get through jetlag, and prevent you from getting sick. (Bonus Tip: Drink a few Emergen-C packets or plunk a couple Airborne in water before and during the flight.)

3. Give Yourself a Hand
Be sure to take a small-sized tube (carry-on regulation size) of ultra-rich hand creme on-board with you. Every time you wash your hands on flight, use the creme. Might be helpful to moisturize your face more often, too.

4. Got Legs? Know How to Use Them
I'm only 5'9", but I need to stretch, and today's Economy Class cabins are "knees-to-chin" cattle-call, with the meal tray basically thwacking you in the face if the person in front of you decides to recline his or her chair all the way back. So, I take whatever measures I can to ensure I get more leg room.

First, I take an aisle seat - knees and tootsies have more play room. Aisle seats are also good because I'm constantly up and down to the loo (drinking all that water!) and don't want to climb over my neighbor. Getting up all the time isn't so bad, since it gives me more mobility and a chance to stretch my legs as I wander up and down the cabin. It's always interesting anyway - to see how everyone else is snoring and drooling away as we're over the northern Atlantic.

Second, try to get to the airport a bit early, and ask the folks at the check-in counter if the Exit Row is available. So long as you are over 18, speak English well, and are willing to help out in case of disaster, you qualify for at least another foot or two of leg room! Much better for sprawling out for a long doze.

A note of caution though: Be sure to ask the check-in folks if the Exit Row is directly in line with the TOILETS (they often are). Eek. Fourteen hours - that's a lot of toilet activity. The last time this happened, I had to contend with the smell of urine wafting by whenever a door opened a few feet away. Not only that, my oodles of beautiful dance-floor-large leg space in front of me ended up doubling as a queuing area for those waiting for the toilets. Ick.

5. It's Entertainment, Enjoy the Ride
I'm not one of those people who are strict with myself about any aspect of a long-haul flight experience. Sure, I try to get some sleep, but if the movies on offer are good, I watch 'em all. I don't care. I don't watch many movies or television at all in my daily life, so a 14-24 hr flight is a great time to get my fill! Gee, when else might I view a B-grade Queen Latifah or J. Lo flick, or opt for Horton Hears a Who!, right? And, heck, the latter was actually pretty darn sweet.

I also eat almost everything that's served up. So much of it is junk, I know (except for some great airlines like Air France where it would be beneath their very cultural etiquette to serve anything less than tres excellent pain et vin). But how often do I actually eat a Mars Bar (United Airlines) or indulge in a mini-flask of red? I'm paying for it, after all - and a whole heck of a lot - and I'm enjoying it.

I pretend I'm 'fine dining' even in coach - I'm a captive audience, I'm certainly not going anywhere anytime soon - so I get into 'being served,' knowing I'll make up for it later by eating uber-healthy and organic. But today, I drink the coffee, slurp the wine, and eat the strange confection on the side that they call carrot cake. Yes, I know all that's counter to my 'hydrate and support' suggestions. I never proclaimed perfection. And besides, I'm on holiday.

It's all part of the adventure. Remember the first air trips you took? Back when it was fun and they didn't strip search you before you boarded? Try to recapture a bit of that spirit. Treat yourself like someone special who's on vacation (because you are, remember?).

Have a good time. And while you're at it, see if you can actually make a United flight attendant laugh. These days, they could use it.

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