Five Things I Do Before a Long Haul Flight

I seem to have taken my fair share of long haul flights in the last two years. These flights have been a mixture of both day and night flights and I tend to prepare myself in the same way for both types of flights. Although night flights do take an extra bit of prep, to ensure getting some shut eye.

Today I wanted to share a bit about my routine before long haul flights to help you be able to prepare yourself a little more, especially if this is your first long haul flight.

Things I do before a long haul flight

Take my make up off or just don’t bother putting any on

This is even more important for night flights but I tend to do it for every flight as it leaves my face feeling far more fresh come the end of the flight. Being up in the air does tend to dry out your skin a little so keeping it clean I feel helps to look after it a little. I then have a little routine nearing the end of the flight when I apply a fresh face of make up so that I feel more human and ready to face the adventure waiting for me (of course if I’m landing late in the evening I probably won’t bother).

Put my hair up and away from my face

I find flying always makes me feel a little gross and one way I try to eliminate that slightly in by putting and keeping my hair up. This means it is off my face and I’m far less tempted to run my hands through my hair and make it greasy – super important if you are travel a long distance and on more than one flight to your next destination. My favourite style is a french braid as it means I can take my hair down when we land and have an instant style but anything that is comfy is good.

Have something to eat

You never know when you’ll be fed on long haul flights so to avoid being hangry I always have something to eat before boarding the plane. Sometimes this will only be a snack because it is no where near a meal time other times it could be a proper meal so that I don’t miss a meal time. I hate having any kind of discomfort on my tummy while flying so making sure I’ve eaten helps to avoid this. Having a full belly also means I don’t get as travel sick easily. I also find that not all meals on planes are suitable for my dietary requirements (why BA have a gluten free meal but not a gluten and dairy free option I don’t know) so it’s even more important to have eaten. I also tend to pack a bunch of snacks before hand.

Download podcasts and update my music

I’m going to admit something that will probably shock you guys, I’m not really into watching films on planes. I find the screens too dull and then I just end up squinting at the screen. Due to this I tend to watch a max of one film even on long haul flights. So I always make sure I have some good podcasts to listen to and that my music is up to date on my phone so I can listen to my favourite tunes. Being prepared with this at home means that I don’t have to waste my 3G allowance quickly downloading at the last minute before take off.

Buy a new book or magazine

Although I do go to the airport regularly, I do like to get myself a treat. So that I don’t break the bank this is kept to a small item such as a new book or magazine. I never buy magazines so buying them at the airport always feels like a luxury, plus choosing said magazine wastes time while waiting for the flight. Occasionally, I’ll treat myself to a new book but only if there is something new out that I’ve been desperate to read as books at the airport tend to be more expensive than Amazon.

What do you do before a flight?

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