Business class is worth it to us when flying East on long trips. On the way back, since you’re following the sun, the trip doesn’t seem as bad.

I would not suggest getting “hammered” on the flight. Instead drink plenty of water as has been mentioned. We are flying to Zurich in a few months and as a matter of policy we always fly a day early to minimize stress in case the airlines screw up and it will give us a day to get over the jet lag.

Enjoy the trip!

Some sort of cushion. The biggest problem for me now is my ass starts to hurt after a few hours. Longest flight I've done was LAX to Fiji, 10 hours I think. I was ready to get de-plane by the time we landed!

Only problem I have is my bad back in those tiny potty closets

quote:

Originally posted by Cookster:
Don’t take your footwear off for a long period of time.

If your feet swell up you may not be able to get your footwear back on.

Not sure if compression socks would prevent foot swelling.

This is why I prefer to fly in boots [Ariat slip on, not lace up]
Tennis shoes would give me discomfort on a flight longer than about an hour.
I quit flying in sandals after some of the threads on here.

A neck pillow, the problem I run into is the armrest is too low to lean my elbow on while resting my head on my hand.
Tablet with downloaded content. Both stimulating and boring to help you fall asleep.
Like others have said, ear plugs/ headphones, eyemask, gum.
walk and stretch when you can.

There's a phone app called Timeshifter that provides specific instructions on when to go to sleep, when to take melatonin in order to minimize the effect of jet lag after a long trip. It seemed to work for me on a trip from CA to NYC to Israel.

I don't sleep while on flight but if you can check the time difference and try to get to sleep when it would your normal bed time in the time zone your going to.

Looks like you have covered some of the basic I tell people. Bring snacks. I'm guessing and I could be wrong your have a way to charge you phone/table so bring cords as needed. I also travel with a power bank in case I need it.

I also like to make sure I have a full change of clothes in my carry on.

Wear a light hoodie with a big loose hood on it. It's convenient to just pull it down over your eyes to try and get some isolation time.

Can you ask your doc for something that will knock you out?

Make fists with your toes...

Bring a beanie as it can get cold on planes and you don't want a cold head as that can make things quite miserable. I always wear a hoodie when I fly, it blocks out noise from behind you a little bit and helps keep you warm.

Definitely bring something that can make you go to sleep. I usually used NyQuil. What also helped was me staying up as long as possible the night before so I was so tired I had no choice but to sleep.

Audiobooks

Don't drink caffeine the morning of your trip. Then on the airplane or at your destination have a cup of coffee at breakfast time. Caffeine helps set your body clock.

I recall Dennis Miller describing east coast - west coast flights as full Xanax.

A few years back I took my family(5) and my new Daughter in Law to Thailand as a wedding gift for my Son.
Non-stop Chicago to Dubai on a Emirates 777 with a 1 1/2hr layover, then another 6hr to Bangkok on a A380. We all flew coach. It was HORRIBLE!
I have two bad knees and a troubled prostate. Even on the big jets leg room was non existent.
In my much younger days I would kill for a window seat,not anymore. An isle seat where I can more easily struggle to get up and stretch and go to the outhouse are now my main concern.
My Son and his bride found relief in Xanax and liquor, I would look over at them and see them both passed out and drooling. My Daughter seemed to be fine watching endless movies as was my Wife. Me, as the fossil of the family worried about being able to get up and hit the bathroom.
I also resisted the urge to drink the flight away because I was worried about getting nausea and progressing from having to pee to urgent bowel movements. After about 12hrs all I was thinking about was the horrible thought of the flight home.I believe the entire ordeal lasted about 18hrs+.
My concerns now focused on how to prepare for the return flight and what I would do if I ever was foolish enough to do it again.
Extra thick seat cushion would be number one. In Dubai I bought a neck cushion to sit on, it helped but was not good enough for real butt relief.
Before we left I asked Emirates if I could upgrade any of the seats, I was gleefully told that I certainly could but the first class tickets were $20,000+ each, or about the same as paying off my mortgage.
If I did it again I would break up the flight with at least 1 overnight stay. I would try and get a seat with a bulk head in front of me for more leg room and easier in-out from seat.
Don't forget the butt cushion, a GOOD gel model would be my choice.

Do not fly as much as I used to but twice a year to Europe was my routine for many a year. Fortunately, I became a point/mile hound (all my spending goes on rewards cards) and I have not paid for a flight in probably 20 years. Stretched out in business class is the way to go on long flights, yes straight up cash can be expensive if you do not have enough miles/points. You can get some good discounts sometimes using cash and points if you have them.

I used to always try to get the exit row seats back before I got into the point game, worth the extra charge. Only bad thing is usually by the bathroom or galley.

quote:

Originally posted by radioman:
does your seat come with a USB charging outlet?

bring your own bottle of water (purchase post TSA) and some candy bars

Download (MP3 etc.) your favorite songs to your phone.

Pretty sure it has USB, but I have power banks as well so no issues. Got my snacks, dried apricots and Beef Jerky as well as a little chocolate.


My entire music library is on both my iPhone and iPad (stored local on device)

quote:

Originally posted by Augen:
Depending on the airline and your height, you may out pay for increased legroom…

At 5’7”, legroom is never a concern!

quote:

Originally posted by slyguy:
Get a sleep mask for your eyes. It will help you relax when you're ready and block any visible.

Regular foam ear plugs also may switch up from headphones…

Sleep mask, neck pillow, noise cancelling Beats headphones, noise canceling earbuds, and “regular” earplugs as well.

quote:

Originally posted by tsmccull:
If you can find 3 or 4 empty seats in a row after takeoff and move to them, being able to lie down to sleep makes for a much more comfortable flight. Did that years ago on a 747 from Florida to Australia but that only works on a big, partly full plane.

I keep checking the seating map and still seems to be a lot of empty seats. Should be better than 50/50 shot of having an empty seat next to me. Just before checking in I’ll finalize my seat choices to have some space around me.

quote:

Originally posted by Balzé Halzé:
Book Business Class and get shit hammered.

No way can I afford/justify the $1000 (each way) upgrade. I will take advantage of a few free drinks, but not to the point of “Shit hammered”. - (being a mission trip and all )

quote:

Originally posted by sjtill:
There's a phone app called Timeshifter that provides specific instructions on when to go to sleep, when to take melatonin in order to minimize the effect of jet lag after a long trip. It seemed to work for me on a trip from CA to NYC to Israel.

Thanks- I’ll look into that!


Other random items…


Water bottle - absolutely. Didn’t know TSA was OK with ice - I hate room temp beverages, especially water.


I gave up wearing tennis shoes on aircraft and have never been a sandals person. Years ago I remember hearing about folks unable to escape a downed aircraft due to footwear that couldn’t handle the hazards. Boots are my primary travel shoe. I have a great lightweight pair of Fila boots that are great for travel and any surface.

Unless you have some sort of health reason to avoid aspirin ( and there are a number of reasons), I would make it a point to take an aspirin or two a few hours before leaving. And repeat on the way home. I worry about developing blood clots from so much immobility. Walk around the inside of the plane as much as possible.

I hope you have a good trip !!

PS: I'm not a doc !

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07G...dt_b_product_details

this really worked well for me.

Almost forgot, I never take my shoes off, never know when a door might fly off and suck them out the opening. I believe in good footwear for traveling and my hands down favorite are a good pair of slip on Sketchers, they make TSA a breeze. Wish that I had these years ago. Even flying with pre check I have had to take my shoes off and these are a game changer.

quote:

No way can I afford/justify the $1000 (each way) upgrade.

I know it sounds like a lot but it is well worth it.

I've flown a couple of times to Beijing...14 hours...and being in Business Class and having a whole row for myself and another for my wife made all the difference when deplaning.

I actually expected the price difference to be a lot more. My son and a roommate recently flew to Japan for a couple of weeks and I thought he told be the upgrade was $4-5k. You need to also keep in mind that this is a Once-in-a-Lifetime experience

Which airline on you flying? There are some great airlines flying into Qatar and the Business Class on some Airbus planes can be outstanding