You all know how much I love to travel but between flying and waiting in transit you have to admit that 37 hours is a long time for a single trip.

Exhaustion set in on our return leg from Newark, New Jersey to Singapore on a marathon 19-hour flight leg.

Most of us would be okay with a 19-hour flight if it took you directly to the final destination.  Much less pleasant when it’s the first of three flight legs…

We flew Singapore Airlines on this trip, but I have to tell you that the quality of food was downright poor on all of our legs.  Just imagine 37 hours with almost inedible food.

Unfortunately, this is not an anomaly as it was the same on the way to the US.

Yeah, it was not good!

Overall, the quality of the travel with Singapore Airlines has drastically slipped over the last couple of years.  This is such a shame as they are often ranked in the top three airlines in the world.

Often, I find that if one thing goes wrong during a trip then this creates a snowball effect on other areas.  Some might call this Murphy’s law.

All I have to say is that Murphy has a lot to answer for!

A classic example is that on my flight leg from Singapore to Sydney (yes, only a mere 8.5 hours of the 37 hours) the seat was broken and therefore could not recline.

Hence, very little sleep on this flight…

In fact, over the course of the 37 hours I slept for the princely amount of 4 hours.

In addition, Judy picked up a head cold just before we left which was both annoying for her and painful because of the pressure it caused it her sinus’

I realize that my travel woes are all first world problems and that I am lucky to be able to travel so freely and so often.

Sometimes it can be easy to lose sight of this privilege.

The silver lining is that with this trip bundled my other flights to the US earlier in the year for business I’ve achieved Gold status for the coming year on Singapore airlines.

All of this goes into the miles travel bank for future trips beyond the ones we have planned and paid for already.

Three more upcoming trips between now and the middle of May 2024.

Fortunately, none of them are 37 hours in length, although one is bordering on it with 28 hours.

It’s important to have a strategy when tackling airline travel, particularly on such a long flight.   Here are some key things to keep in mind for your next trip:

  1. The most important aspect is your mindset.
    • When faced with any challenges, delays, or interruptions during your trip you need to be able to let it roll off you and stay positive.  Staying calm is the key.
    • From the moment you pack your bags it’s important to look upon your flight as an extension of the adventure you’re about to embark upon.  This small change will make for a better travel experience.
  2. Leading up to your flight ensure you have taken vitamin B & C for a few days in advance of your flight.  These will help you stave off any airline colds, flus and other nasty bugs being passed around in the recycled cabin air.
  3. Ensure you dress with loose fitting, comfortable clothes.  There is nothing worse than wearing tight clothing on a flight as your body naturally expands when flying.
  4. To avoid blood clots in your legs and the potential repercussions wear long socks.  Compression socks are best, not fashionable per see, but they serve a purpose.
  5. Drink lots of water before, during and after your flight as you easily dehydrate on long flights which can cause severe headaches and a general feeling of being unwell.
  6. Make a plan for your time in the air.  e.g. Soon after most long haul flights begin they serve a meal.  Then what?
    • If it’s a night flight – choose time to sleep or rest.
    • If it’s a daytime flight – perhaps choose time for a movie, writing or reading.
  7. Make the investment in some noise cancelling headphones.   This will invariably make the entertainment experience better, but also helpful when sleeping to keep out the hum of the engines.  You may also want to pick up some ear plugs as well.
  8. Bring an eye mask so that you can have complete darkness when sleeping or resting.  Nothing worse than the person next to you watching a movie on a bright screen while you’re trying to sleep.
  9. When packing, choose everything you think you want to bring and put them on the bed.   Then with a harsh eye, pare it back to half.   You’ll need to be ruthless, but a couple of things to keep in mind:
    • Plan to wash your clothes as you go – if in an Airbnb they often have washer and dryers available, if in a hotel ask to have your clothes laundered.  Yes, there will be a fee but not equal to the cost of extra or heavy baggage.
    • All too often I see travellers overburdened with heavy and unwieldy bags with too much luggage struggling to comfortably travel…  If you really need something buy it when you’re there.

These tips come from over two decades in the air and close to 3 million frequent flyer miles across all airlines, so they come from experience.

Until next week

Ciao!

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