How I Traditionally Spend A Long-Haul Flight
Intro
A lot of people have questioned how I tend to spend long-haul flights and have also wondered how I don't get bored on planes. For some peculiar reason, flying has always been a place for me to disconnect from the world and enjoy being away from the world. It has always been somewhat of a safe space for me, which I guess is part of the reason I decided to start a travel blog since I fly a lot.
Well, I thought it would be cool to share my traditions of how I spend a regular long-haul flight. Granted, most of these are in Business now, which I am thankful I get to fly.
Check-In
Check-in times tend to vary on a case-to-case basis depending on a variety of factors. Most of the time, I tend to show up to the airport quite early to review lounges, but if I have access to nicer lounges such as the Polaris Lounge, Al Safwa Lounge, or the Chelsea Lounge, I'll show up about 3-3.5 hours before departure.
Usually, I tend to do a little bit of work in the lounge for the first little bit, but around 40 minutes before boarding, it becomes time to decompress. No laptop or anything, just a drink or two while relaxing.
The Flight Routine
Once leaving the lounge, I stroll down to the gate, touch the fuselage five times with my right hand, and get on board the aircraft. As soon as I am onboard, I try to take as many photos as possible for the review, even before the PDB has been served. This is an attempt to minimize the amount of people that are in the photos as I don't like to post others.
From there on out, it all becomes part of a tradition no matter the time of day.
I first head to the bathroom to change into a pair of pajamas and brush my teeth
Film and photograph the pushback procedure
Get ready for the meal service
When flying business, I almost always choose the same meal and drinks when possible. It is either a chicken or beef dish, combined with a glass of sparkling water, a glass of red wine, and a glass of champagne.
Certain people have commented on my consumption of alcoholic beverages on a plane, and they make a viable point 🥴. While at home, I rarely drink, when it comes to planes, it's a whole different story. I never get drunk per se, but there is something peaceful about having a little buzz on the plane when you don't have to deal with anything from the outside world.
From there on I go to sleep. It doesn't matter the time of day upon arrival or whatever; I somehow always manage to fall asleep (apart from Alaska😉). It's almost as if a glass of red wine plus a glass of champagne is a perfect nightcap.
But the biggest caveat is that I don't tend to put a limit on how long I sleep; I let my body decide how much I need (almost always). A lot of my trips tend to be ones that are constantly on the move. My last review trip totaled 38 flights in something around 42 days, and it got to the point where I didn't know what timezone I was in.
Before landing I usually either have a second meal or another snack, with a champoffee, and that gets me prepared for the day ahead. The champoffee might be the greatest Jettoajet invention as it is a perfect way to get ready for the day ahead.
Once the captain comes on to announce descent, I head over to the lavatory to change and brush my teeth before settling in for landing.
Now upon arrival is where I might deviate from a lot of others, I try to always visit an arrivals lounge. As someone who tries to review almost every product in the sky and on the ground, I think it is of the utmost importance to take advantage of the lounge access if included.
Final Thoughts
And that pretty much sums up what a standard long-haul flight is like for me. Of course, there are certain circumstances that can change (such as showing up at an airport without a visa to South Sudan), but in general, this is how I tend to fly. I try to maximize everything that I can out of the ticket while still having a nice time.
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