Staying sane on a cramped longhaul flight ?

[Globaliser]

Originally Posted by 10secondsurvey

You will be amazed at how much good earplugs a good eyeshade and a couple of drinks can be to get you to sleep.

I absolutely agree with this, and endorse the recommendation.

[gorgeous spotter]

Originally Posted by Clarence Oveur

Make sure you don't sleep to much before the flight. Have a few double Brandy and Bailey's early onto the flight, just to make sure, then pass out.

That seems to be the only way to endure the unpleasant experience, that air travel has become.

Will definitely be trying this one, presuming they sell Baileys on ThomsonFly in Oct.

[drichard]

Originally Posted by RevMan2

Well, based on the price of these ones, an upgrade might be more economically viable...

The Bose headphobes are good but v. expensive, I use these (and am very happy with them) : http://cpc.farnell.com/jsp/endecaSea...sp?SKU=AV07251

The cheapest I've found to date (in ear) : http://cpc.farnell.com/jsp/endecaSea...sp?SKU=AV11893

(on-ear) : http://cpc.farnell.com/jsp/endecaSea...sp?SKU=AV12664

FWIW, I have no connection with CPC, it just hapens to be where I bought mine from.

[MidlandDan]

Some very good tips there guys!

I normally like to have two cold beers and read a book before boarding and then take my shoes off straight away once onboard....make sure your feet are clean though

Il need all the help i can get, on tuesday im flying:
LHR-CMB (10h45)
CMB layover(8h)
CMB-NRT(11h45)

Should be fun

[Globaliser]

Originally Posted by MidlandDan

... and then take my shoes off straight away once onboard

Slightly OT, but I believe that this isn't recommended. Although it's extremely unlikely you'll ever have to evacuate an aircraft at any time, if you do ever have to do it the takeoff phase is one of the top candidates. And if you have to evacuate, you probably won't want to be wasting precious seconds looking for and putting on your shoes - which may have travelled many rows forward as the aircraft came to a stop, anyway. And you probably don't want to be trying to evacuate the aircraft with unshod feet, if you can avoid it.

[Tolsti]

I thought people were advised to take off shoes in the event of an evac.... could damage the slides.... or does this just apply to spiky heels?
Some people have may well have problems putting their shoes back on at the end of a long flight.... going to a hot climate your feet may well swell and you'll find they are too big to put shoes back on.

[the dean]

shoes on/off

personally...as a passanger. i do shoes with flaps.so after take off ...flaps up shoes off.on approach..flaps down..shoes on.hate running in broken glass and jagged metal.

[slim_slag]

Originally Posted by anengineer

Anyone have any tips on keeping comfortable, sane or unconcious ?

Sit next to somebody you know, then you can each stretch out into the other's space, makes it easier. Drink lots of water, avoid alcohol which I know is advice I don't take myself. If you can get something like Ambien or Sonata from your GP then that is very good for knocking yourself out during the incredible tedium of transoceanic flight. Your GP might not go for that though, which I would say is reasonable, and it says on the label don't mix it with booze. I don;t think you can get that over the counter in Mexico, and even if you could it would not be something I'd recommend. I always use surgical stockings as they aren't going to do any harm, and might do some good. They also make it easier to put your shoes on..

No getting away from teh fact that long haul in economy sucks, if you flew transatlantic regularly there are things you can do. If on a once a year type journey then just think about the fact that you are being taken such a long distance so safely and so quickly for so little money.

[CHIVILCOY]

I regualarly fly to Buenos Aires which is a long slog of 13 hours on average and can never seem to get much of a sleep.
If in Economy my way is to make sure I get an aisle seat for ease of getting out and having a wander about down the back where all the other insomniacs gather for a chat, I take slippers and wear comfortable trousers with plenty room round the crotch!!!
Take some hobby mags and try and start a good book just before the trip to leave plenty still to read on the flight.
I also take a few of my favourite nibbles to munch during the night.
It's never fun but at least makes the journey a bit more comfortable

[PAXboy]

I take the point about Shoes Off/On to be synchronised with flaps as being a good idea. On long haul, I wait until we are established in cruise (20 minutes) to take them off and put them on at the start of let down, typically 25 minutes.

[Globaliser]

Originally Posted by Tolsti

I thought people were advised to take off shoes in the event of an evac.... could damage the slides.... or does this just apply to spiky heels?

I think it's just high heels that need to be taken off in the event of a slide evacuation.

[MyData]

If its an overnight flight, or just for some shut eye, I follow a tip given to me by an American Airlines hostie I met in LA when she was on a stop over after doing a number of Trans-USA trips and how she forced herself to get some shut eye.

Dramamine: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dimenhydrinate

On the return LAX->LHR I had a few glasses of wine, a couple of tablets. Next thing I knew we were starting our descent to LHR. I swear by it now for long economy flights. I don't think it is available in the UK, but definitely worth stocking up with when in the US. I see on the Wiki entry that Dramamine II isn't as potent, so you might want to find stocks of the original. I also haven't experienced any of the 'recreational' effects in my experience.