Long-haul flights can be daunting, regardless of how dreamy your destination is. Packing for an overseas trip is challenging, let alone the thought of sitting in one spot for 14 hours on end.
Luckily there are people out there who have done this a hundred times and are happy to share with you their expert tips for doing it cheaper, better and more efficiently.
Co-owner of Cheap Flights Scott Keyes is one such person. He recently spoke with Travel + Leisure to share tips on packing and preparing for a long-haul flight and overseas holiday.
Only take a carry-on backpack
Scott limits himself to a carry-on backpack, saying that it helps him skip the baggage carousel and allows him to get in and out of public transport and up and down stairs without difficulty.
Only pack week’s worth of clothes
You can only fit so much in a carry-on backpack, which in itself encourages travelling light. According to Mr Keyes, it’s room enough for about a week’s worth of clothes. If he travels for more than a week, he does a load of laundry on the road.
Leave the souvenirs at the destination
“Rarely, if ever, do I buy anything on the road. I’m not buying trinkets,” says Mr Keyes.
Get used to your destination’s time zone
“As soon as the [airplane] door closes you set your internal time to the destination time,” he says, that way you can set your sleeping and eating schedule to suit your destination and allow you to acclimate as quickly as possible once you land.
Dole out sleep
“I’ll purposely try to make myself sleep deprived the night before. If I only got five to six hours the night before then I’ll fall asleep,” he said.
What do you think of these tips? Any gems you’ll keep for future travel? Or do you have any better ones?
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