Hints needed for making a 10 hour plus flight more comfortable?
 

Any suggestions for flying economy class that make it a bit more comfortable to survive 10 hours in the air? Thanks.

A good book, patience, and a neck pillow are all I need.

AISLE seat! Bring a cheap jr.-sized pillow that you can abandon on the plane. I found a $5 one at WalMart called child's first pillow or somesuch. My attemts at gettng emergency row seats (lots of leg room) have been thwarted. "Oh yes, that is an emergency row seat" says the person on the phone. Then it isn't. Also it is hard for my husband to hide his cane.
Ambien.

...Anything to keep you hydrated such as lots of nonalcholic liquids and saline spray.

Oops! No, don't <i>drink</i> the saline spray! Drink the liquids and use the spray to hydrate your nasal passages. :&quot;&gt;

We have a tiny travel chess/checkers game that I will bring out on longer flights to keep my mind off the minute hand on my watch. Also a deck of cards for Solitaire.
I get airsick if I read :( so those movies on the plane can be terrible but I will watch them anyway.
Bring your own shawl/pashmina for a wrap instead of the icky airline blankets and the suggestion of a childs pillow is great!
I must admit, I take a mild tranquilizer for the anxiety of the flight but have never taken a sleeping pill for fear of ruining my first day there..but it is appealing when the flight is SO long~
Where are you flying to?

Flying to London and then onto France. I,too avoid the icky blankets and on-flght pillows. ( I read somewhere they are changed very INfrequently!) I like the idea of buying an inexpensive pillow. I just wonder if I can squeeze it into my carryon. Some good suggestions. (Perhaps, I should not wear a watch, but then I'd be asking everyone around me the time! It's so hard not to keep looking at it and thinking that there are still 7hours and 45 minutes to go!) Thanks.

I agree with taking a really great book. If it's a page turner then time will literally fly quickly.

Oh, music, of course. I have a hard time reading on a plane.. I bring a cassette player that also has a radio in it. I listen to tapes on the plane (or the train), and the radio in my hotel room. Buy the type that has a dial for the radio. It makes it easier to find local radio stations (versus push buttons.)

A good book of short stories. It can be hard to concentrate on a plane and you will be frequently distracted, so short stories while way the hours without requiring too much memory power.

I wished that I had a magic wand everytime I flew to Europe..It would make my life much easier..

I read, watch movies, play solitaire, have some wine, try to walk up and down the aisles while the Lucky one are snorings, getting bored etc...,

I keep telling myself that everything pass in life and this long flight will end soon..mostly I make the best of a non comfortable situation..

Does no one else bring along a book of anacrostic puzzles to solve? Definitely keeps my sis and I entertained for a big chunk of time.

1. Book/magazines
2. IPod
3. Scrabble/solitaire for PDA
4. Cards and cribbage
5. Vaseline

Shop for flights with advanced entertainment options - personal screens, all that. British Air 744s, for example, have several movies, games, TV... more than enough visual distraction for an intercontinental flt.

Ear plugs
Travel-size pillow with a cotton case - down compresses easier for packing in my tote.
Pashmina
Valerian tablets to help me sleep; also some lavender oil (don't use so much that it bothers your neighbours)
water
magazines
Good book with lots left to read so I don't finish it too soon!!

pillow talk-
&gt;&gt;I just wonder if I can squeeze it into my carryon. &lt;&lt;
Yes. Mine squished up so well, I still have it. Waiting for the next trip.

Pace yourself... Magazines, meals, a book, beverages, movies, music. The BA planes with the seatback screens are a lifesaver for me (who can't sleep on a flight). I watch all 3 movies, use the headphones for music to filter out sound, don the eyeshades, spritz myself with water, walk around the cabin when permissable, visit the bathroom often. I dress very comfortably in stretchy knit clothes. I bring some snacks of my own. I use a prescription from my doctor for Valium.

Your plan might not be the same as mine, but it definitely helps to have one. If you think a watch is bad... don't tune into the map that shows how far your flight has gone, until it's close to the end. And if you do wear a watch, set it for your destination time mid-flight and don't look back!

Having just got off a 22 hour flight from London to Melbourne this morning (now trying to stay awake until night time), I would agree with all of what Suze says, and add to that - avoid alcohol &amp; caffeine, and don't eat too much before the flight - much kinder on the digestive system.

Suze, I was just kidding about the watch. I could not bear to be without one. The problem is resisting the urge to look at it constantly! I do set my watch forward for the new time which confuses me about how long I've been up in the air. I think having lots of things to do, several books, magazines, cards, games,a pillow and a sleeping pill will all help. Thanks everyone.

neck pillow
water (several bottles)
saline spray
slippers
earplugs
book of short stories