At the moment I’m sitting at a recharge station in LAX, which is perhaps the worst airport in the world, while I wait to board my flight home to New Zealand. My trip to America was brief, I only had just over two weeks and during that time I managed to squeeze in Los Angeles, Coachella Weekend 1, Mexico, Coachella Weekend 2 and San Diego. Having my camera stolen seriously dampened my trip, but it’s still been amazing. I fell really badly for San Diego, it’s a city I could see myself living in – maybe one day.
I realized today that it’s been almost ten months since I’ve been home – that’s the longest time I’ve ever left New Zealand. Before I’ve even boarded the plane, I’m being swept over by a cloud of emotions, the heaviest of which is excitement. This flight to New Zealand is different to any I’ve ever taken before, because my end point is not home. This is a holiday: a fleeting few weeks to cram in as many hugs and catch-ups as humanely possible. In part, I’m looking forward to being a “tourist” in my country – every moment I’m there will be spent soaking it all in without the stress of work or commitment. As I’ve become somewhat of an expert in passing time at the airport and dealing with long flights, I figured it’d be good to share a few tips I have.
Focus On Your Arrival Time
As soon as I arrive at the airport, after checking in my baggage and getting my affairs in order, I like to set a watch or clock to my arrival destination’s time. It is my goal before I even board the plane to adjust myself into the arrival’s time as it makes jetlag a little lighter. For example, my flight is leaving at 9:45pm from Los Angeles; it’s a 12-13 hour flight, arriving in New Zealand at 5:45am (yay). This is a good flight choice, because it covers my sleep and wake time, although a bit earlier than I would wake up usually. My flight plan is to stay awake for a few hours at the beginning of my flight, put on a really boring movie and try to sleep the majority of the tail end of the flight. If I can get a solid 4-6 hours towards the end, I should be functional for the following day in Auckland.
Sleep Appropriately
Following on from my example above, as I arrive in Auckland at 5:45am, there is absolutely no sense in going to bed by the time I arrive at my friend’s house, however tempting it may be. I will force myself to stay awake, as late as possible and as close to my normal sleep time. If I fall asleep during the day, it is going to cause me to suffer a full swung bout of jetlag, which isn’t really appealing. I believe that sleep is a really big factor in minimizing jetlag, both during the flight and afterwards, so take some time formulate a good sleep plan.
Drink Lots of Water
I’m always tempted to drink the free alcohol and coffee on board, as I love both of those. However, they will dehydrate you! Being on a plane in itself is dehydrating, so when you add caffeine and alcohol to the mix, you’re just calling for disaster. I always aim to drink a glass of water an hour, at least. Often I will take an empty bottle onto a flight and request that the air host/ess fills it up for me – that way I’m not bugging them hourly for a drink. Some planes have little refill stations and I visit them fairly often as it’s a good excuse to get your legs walking on the flight.
Take Snacks
If you’re traveling on a cheap flight that doesn’t provide meals, take some decent snacks with you. Airplane food on the low cost airlines is crap and usually twice what you’d pay for the same food in an average café. So, do yourself a favor and pack some affordable snacks. On one long flight from Kuala Lumpur to Paris I decided to take a bag of popcorn, which worked a treat with some movies on my laptop. I find that muesli bars and wraps are really good airline snacks, but you can take whatever you like.
Bring Some Cosy Socks and Clothes
I always dress appropriately for my flights, usually wearing a dress with leggings as I find that pretty comfortable to plane-sleep in. I see numerous people bordering the plane in an assortment of uncomfortable clothes and hope that they’ve got some comfy slacks hidden in their carry on. Unless you’re traveling premium economy or business class, chances are you’re going to have some difficulty sleeping, so make things a little easier by making sure you’re comfortable. I find that a thick, warm pair of socks makes me feel a little cozier, too.
As you read this, I’ll be flying high above the Pacific Ocean which I’ve affectionately dubbed “my ocean”. I’m nervous about reverse culture shock and finding that perhaps New Zealand isn’t as amazing as I remember. I’m worried I wont fit in all the wonderful people that I want to see. But above all, I am excited to be going home.
