If there's one thing I'm really starting to appreciate as I get older, it's that long-haul flights are no joke.
In my wayward youth (cough, my early twenties, cough), I might have hopped on a 24-hour plane ride without a second thought. These days, I'm much more likely to spend the lead-up to my trip figuring out how to maximise my comfort and reduce my stress levels while flying. I think it's partly because, with limited annual leave days, I want to actually enjoy my destination as soon as I arrive and partly because my delicate constitution just can't handle too much plane food.
With that in mind, here are my best long-haul flight tips for arriving refreshed — or as refreshed as possible, given you've just spent the better part of a day trapped inside a metal cabin in the sky with hundreds of other people and no showers.
Pre-select your seat.
Most airlines will let you select a seat before you fly (with some charging additional fees for particular locations). Getting organised by selecting your seat in advance can help you avoid any nasty middle-seat surprises — nobody wants to spend hours stuck between two strangers if they can help it.
It can even help you secure additional legroom, a window seat (if that's your jam) or a spot closest to the front or rear of the plane. Whatever your preference, knowing what to expect before you board can take a whole lot of stress out of your trip.
Come prepared to combat dehydration.
Long-haul flying and dehydration are BFFs: you rarely find one without the other. Most longer flights are a bad combination of low humidity at altitude and high-salt meals. Factor in a reluctance to drink too much water (nobody wants to spend their whole flight in a plane toilet, thanks), and it's a recipe for disaster.
Luckily, Hydralyte Effervescent Electrolyte Tablets relieve symptoms of dehydration, rehydrating you faster than water alone and helps replace water and electrolytes lost due to vomiting, diarrhoea, heavy sweating, vigorous exercise and occasional hangovers.
They're useful on routine flights but really come into their own when things don't go to plan. If you're unwell in the air and unexpected symptoms like diarrhoea or heavy sweating strike, you'll need to rehydrate.
Available in a variety of flavours, including Passionfruit Punch, it's as simple as dropping two tablets into a 200ml glass of cold drinking water and reaping the benefits.
Invest in a neck pillow.
I know, I know — aren't travel neck pillows so 1998? Well, look, there's a reason this daggy airport essential has stood the test of time, and it's because sleeping sitting up is impossibly uncomfortable.
But not all neck pillows are created equal, so if you haven't upgraded yours since your Year 11 school trip to Jindabyne, now is the time. A pillow like the TRTL neck pillow helps keep you neck upright and supported while you fly, and as a bonus is lightweight and easy to pack in your carry-on.
BYO snacks.
For many years, I laboured under the misapprehension that I wasn't allowed to bring my own food on planes. As a consequence, I missed out on many good years of in-flight snacking, which I fully intend to make up over the course of the rest of my life.
Plane food is hit and miss at the best of times, so tailor your snacks to your own personal taste, but I'm a huge fan of packing a mini fruit salad or a bento box of cut up veggies and hummus to balance out the provided meals, which are often carb and meat heavy.
Plan your in-flight entertainment in advance.
Rocking up to your plane seat and checking what movies and TV shows are available on your flight is a game of roulette I'm no longer comfortable playing.
I've started saving content I can't wait to watch for longer flights, and it's a total game-changer: rather than dreading the flight, I'm eager for it to begin so I can get stuck into the next season of my favourite show or a newly released book by my favourite author. Make sure you download anything you intend to watch before you get to the airport, as WiFi can be dodgy.
DIY the Business Class experience.
If you're like most people flying economy, you might have noticed that the elite fliers in Business Class are the lucky recipients of a goody bag. While you can't fake fancy food, champagne on tap or a flatbed (sorry), you absolutely can treat yourself to a selection of cute mini toiletries, a silk eye mask and some high-quality socks.
Buy the items for yourself pre-flight, or for an even more luxe experience, give a friend some cash and ask them to buy and pack them for you. There is nothing as exciting as opening up a little present to yourself, from yourself, in midair as you jet towards your destination.
I mean, Business Class who?
Shop Hydralyte Effervescent Electrolyte Tablets, available at all major pharmacies.
Always read the label and follow the directions for use.
Feature Image: Getty/Mamamia.