Traveling overseas is an exciting experience. You are usually full of wonder at what you are going to see and do.

In fact we are planning our return trip to the US and Europe and as an added bonus we are looking at flying  around the UK to take in the sights and sounds across England, Edinborough and even going to Northern Ireland to check out the Irish pubs. We have just started to research flights to Belfast from London as well as accommodation in Northern Ireland in general as we have never been there before.

So the first part of your journey is generally your flight and it’s this experience that can set the tone for the rest of your trip.

When you consider that the first part of our journey is around a 15-20 hour flight, it makes sense to follow a few things to make this part enjoyable and comfortable.

If you are travelling economy class you are going to be cramped no matter what. And you don’t always get considerate people sitting front of you. They tend to think “I have paid for my seat and if I want to sit in the lap of the person behind – I will”.  And that is exactly what happened to me on our flight from London to Sydney.  

So after that experience I now try to get an exit seat as there is more leg room and in return all you have to be prepared to do is disarm the door and throw it out if there is an emergency. 

You can take a blow up pillow but I find the pillows provided by the aircraft are quite comfortable, so this is just a personal choice. I don’t see the point in taking any more luggage than absolutely necessary. 

In fact when you pack for your journey don’t take the kitchen sink, other countries do have laundromats so you can wash your clothes so keep them to a minimum. 

Keep hydrated by drinking plenty of water.  I don’t drink alcohol  when flying and try to keep drinking soda to a minimum.

Wear comfortable shoes and loose clothing. I always slip my shoes off so I make sure I have thickish socks on for walking around the cabin.

I learnt from my last trip not to sit too far down the back of the aircraft. Flying back from LA we backed onto an area near the toilets – big mistake – and there was also an area where people congregated to talk – one of them rather loudly wanted to share his life’s experiences with all and sundry, making it hard for those around to hear the movie or even sleep.  

I love to fly so on the few occasions when I have experienced little inconveniences I just accept it as part of the experience and concentrate on what is to come when I arrive at my destination.

Filed under: Travel Tips

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