Believe me I understand the watch joke! Sometimes I've worn two watches leaving one at my departure time zone, and one at the new time zone (although upon arrival my European friend said this was stupid and made me take the 2nd watch off!).

My problem is that little plane they show on the seatback screens superimposed on a map, flying EVER so slowly on its way. Flight time remaining 9 hrs. 25 mins. Next time I look... its 9 hrs. 23 mins. etc. Yikes. That's when I have to specifically distract my mind with a book or movie & a glass of wine (I try to be moderate but can't quite observe the no alcohol suggestion).

Janeg- I ran right out & got the child's pillow--great, better for me than the travel-sized.

I bring 2 bottles of water so I don't have to wait for the cart. And I take 2 pm tablets ( check with your dr first- I can't advise which) as soon as they start boarding 1st class, grab my wool shawl & pillow and music and close my eyes right away.

For max comfort go easy on the (complimentary) alcohol, plenty of water. Eat. If you don't like the food try ordering kosher or bringing raw almonds or snacks.

Get up and stretch every few hours. And don't avoid using bathrooms, they're fine.

I like the idea of the short stories. I bring The New Yorker with me, same reason a variety of short pieces and stories that won't tax my airplane attention span.

Most of all, if you can sleep, do it so you can hit the ground running. Happy & safe travels!

Snag a magazine from the racks as soon as you board. Then return it, pick up another when done -- kinda forces you to keep active, going up&down (aisle seat required).

Great tips here, only thing I'd add is a facial hydrator, e.g., a little canister of Evian water (you can get these for way cheap in euro pharmacies, they're like $5/each here but a lifesaver for dry skin) . . .

Oh, & no makeup. Wear only moisturizer at departure airport. Hydrate like mad in-flight. Put your face on 45 min's before landing, or in the ladies' bathroom near the luggage carousel (there's always 1). Brushing teeth is optional but will also make you feel fresher . . . message to brain, I'm here, I look great . . . !!!
HTH

Uhh, about the magazine situation, maybe I'm just unlucky. Upon boarding I try to pick up a couple magazines but there is nothing left except the ones no one's interested in. Maybe it's because my seat's in the middle of the plane and others before me have grabbed them already. That's why I just bring my own now.

Keep reminding yourself "this too will pass"...
Earplugs (the foam, not the wax)
Eyeshade (eyemask?)
small feather pillow (if you're not allergic) I use one of those plastic packing bags that you can ROLL to get rid of the air inside. With a feather pillow, it rolls to the size of a Vogue magazine. Bought mine at luggage store.
Evian spray bottle is indeed a godsend -though pricey.
Pashmina is SO useful, not just on the plane. Extra clothing layer, extra blanket in chilly hotel room, folded seat pad for long church services ;-). Try to get the real deal, not a synthetic.
Wear slip-on shoes or bring slippers, or slipper sox with the little rubber treads - though going to the lav in sox is probably not recommended.
Tylenol AM PM works for me, depending on the length of the flight and time of arrival at destination. The Tylenol helps mitigate the pain of sitting in those airplane seats. But the Tylenol and booze don't mix well in my experience.
LOTS of water. Inconvenient as it is to bring a large bottle of water onto a plane, it's a godsend. Pilot friends have said not to drink the water on the plane (not referring to the BOTTLED water, of course). As a flight progresses it becomes more difficult to get an attendant to bring H2O -having your own is so convenent.
Try to dress as comfortably as possible. I try to wear something as much like PJ's as possible. And do try to wear natural fibres - they're more comfortable and breathe better.
Books are great - or foreign language phrase books! I love the little Berlitz guides.
I SO agree with the person who said 'no make up'. It's tough, but there's nothing worse than old mascara irritating your eyes after 10 hours in a dry airplane cabin.
Walk as often as possible, when you're not under the influence of whatever sleep-aid you've chosen ;-/. Of course, if you drink your water, you'll have to! So, try for that aisle seat. Even travelling with a friend, I always ask for aisle seats across from one another. I've been lucky more often than not.
Good luck and bon voyage

I find the magazines are all gone, too when I get to them. What about decks of cards. Do airlines still have them or is that a thing of the past?

I do many of the above and also keep my sketchbook that contains my notes for the trip with me...keep reading it from time to time...this keeps my psyched for the journey.

Also, I take 5 mg. ambien so that I sleep for 6 or 7 hours of the time.

I think suze's advice is spot-on regarding pacing yourself, though I don't take any sort of prescription drugs. I just drink wine.

I also begin my travel journal, often noting details about the flight, the food, odd characters on-board, etc., which I'm sure bores my trip report readers to death, but it gives me a good impetus to continue writing as the trip goes on.

If you're planning to get some sleep, a window seat is best - for the wall to lean against. In an aisle seat, others in your row may need to disturb you now and again to get out.

A polartec jacket is far superior to those awful airline "blankets". It tends to be chilly.

Also, bring your own meal and a large bottle of water and "nips/wine". A lovely salad, sandwiches, dessert. Beverage and food service can consume hours of the trip. And the offerings are chock full of sodium, sugar, fat... With your own provisions, you can dine and enjoy your favorite libations and go to sleep long before you've been "served". We often enjoy our food between security and boarding, if there's time, so we can go right to sleep on take-off.

Wear comfortable clothing and shoes that slip off. Drink lots of water and avoid anything provided by the airline that is salty (think swelling which is much better prevented than waiting to subside).

A good book or listening to music may encourage you to drift off - or a truly boring movie. If you think you're too keyed up to get any sleep, often closing your eyes and going over your itinerary in your mind renders you able to drift off.

If the person next to you is a chatterbox, resist the urge to continue to be polite. Just insist that you want to get some sleep.

After you are confortable and know you won't be getting up anymore: Ambien...5mg before eating, 5 mg after and sleep the best you can.

Although I like the concept of your own picnic foods at your own times, personally because I am someone who can't sleep on a plane, I actually enjoy the various food services as entertainment in a captive and boring situation!

I forgot to mention because these don't apply to me - but crossword puzzles, knitting, laptop computer, gameboys, etc. are all good options I've seen used by others.

Besides the cramped seating, boredom, etc., the one thing that can really bother me on planes is the smell. I have some sort of bionic nose that makes smells really get to me. Maybe I'm just picky, but I have some strategies to help with my smell phobia.

The smell of the jet fuel when you first board triggers strong nausea, so I act like a Victorian lady with her nosegay to keep a pleasant smell near my nose, only I use the small solid fragrances from L'Occitane. I love the Lemon Verbena. I hold it open, right under my nose. Since it isn't a spray frangrance, it doesn't really leave my general vicinity to bother other passengers a strong perfume can.

Later in the flight, the stale smell of lots of bodies in a sealed capsule can be agonizing. I then take out a tangerine or orange that I brought along. As I peel it, the fresh scent of orange fills the air around me, plus I get some vitamin C to help prevent me from catching cold from the germs floating around.

Finally, I bring my own eyeshade, pillow, pashmina, etc, since I find that the ones the airlines provide either smell like other people (yuk!) or like chemicals if they are new and packaged.

Finally, I like to brush my teeth a few times throughout the flight, so I don't contribute to the miasma inside the plane. I find that brushing my teeth is a trigger for me to go to sleep, as well.

Of course, like everyone, I always wish for a magical portal that would whisk me instantley through space and time to my destination!

Has anyone sat (reclined) in those first class seats that become fully-flat beds with little protective walls around them? Do you really get a good night's sleep in them? (Just tantalize we coach-flyers for a moment

..night flight- eyeshade,earplugs, a drink, immovane, comfy clothes and always a sweater to keep warm (hard to sleep if chilly)..day same clothes, War and Peace or similar...always have warm socky things (if you have ever been on a first class flight save those sock slippers) for day or night..but I too like this too shall pass philosophy!

I can't believe you've forgotten this...FLIGHT SOCKS! Made by Dr Scholls, they are the most wonderful things. No swelling, they massage your legs . Ugly as sin, but who cares? Wore them from S Africa to USA and never felt better. Stay away from Tylenol PM or any other antihistamine such as that. Ambien works on your sleep center in the brain and has a short half-life (gets out of your system rapidly)It's a great drug for adjusting your sleep patterns.

Here are the list of things I always carry:
Eyeshade
Inflatable neck pillow
Airline socks (so that I can walk around without putting my shoes on, and toss them at the end of the flight)
Knee-high TED stockings (to keep my feet getting too swollen)
Olay "daily facials" disposable face cloths (nothing better than cleaning & refreshing my face after a 10hr flight)
Toothbrush & toothpaste
Magazines from home (instead of books, so that I can throw the mags away when I'm done, rather than hauling the books with me for the rest of the trip)
Destination guidebooks & foreign language phrase book (last minute reading, getting myself more psyched up)

I also check ahead of time if my plane has personal seatback video monitors, and if yes, what movies will be playing on my flights. If the movies are not interesting, then I take 25mg Benadryl as well.

annetti- Please don't bring playing cards. I don't think your fellow passengers would appreciate the sound of shuffling. (at least I don't!)

So many great suggestions. Do your feet really swell?
I think this will be a perfecttime to review the trip outline I've made and reread different parts of the travel book, someone else suggested this also

my essentials include:
- an inflatable u-shaped neck pillow. The cover should be cloth or suedette, not vinyl or plastic .
- black eye mask
- ear plugs

I book an aisle seat in a 'two' row, always (although I have friends who avoid the aisles because they fear other passengers crawling over them)

I do my darndest to sleep the whole way across but, when that fails, drink lots of water and read a brand-new hardback bought purposely for the flight.

I try to exercise willpower and avoid alcohol.

For zee123 - YES, you can positively expect your feet, ankles, etc., to swell (enormously) if you consume the nuts/pretzels and all that way over-salted airline food! You just will not recognize your own ankles after a few hours of being stuffed into a cramped (in all directions) seat and having consumed same!

Again, my recommendation is to bring your own food/meal and lots of bottled water (I, for one, just cannot understand how the airlines seem to always "run out of" bottled water...). Not to mention that they could not possibly be more stingy (especially the foreign carriers) with Ice Cubes.

Again, I would mention, beverage, then food, service, on interational flights takes hours. If you plan to do any serious sleeping, bring your own.

a good eye mask, ear plugs, lots of water, facial moisturizer, and take one Tylenol PM right when they serve the meal. DO NOT even start to watch the movies if you are at all interested in sleeping. I've blessedly found with this combination I can sleep through at least half of a long-haul flight.

Eye mask, comfy compression socks and earplugs!!!