Something I do not think people talk about enough are the flights to and from your study abroad destinations. These flights can be as crazy as 15 hours, but most of them are probably in the 7 to 9 hour range. A little better, but still a long time to be sitting down in one spot. I have been on these flights a couple of times now, and I wanted to share some of my biggest tips to survive these long haul flights.
I am sure we have all heard about airplane food. In my opinion, it is hit or miss depending on the airline and the type of seat you are sitting in. The best thing you can do is bring snacks to enjoy on the plane. This can be things you bring from home to be cost effective or even using it as a time to try cool new snacks from different countries. I had a layover in Amsterdam and grabbed a few snacks native to that country to bring home and enjoy on the plane. It is not fun to be hungry on a long flight, so I have found it best to keep myself stocked with snacks and water.
Another thing I have learned is to walk around as much as possible before a flight and during layovers. Whether you have a long or short layover somewhere, try your best to stand up and stretch your legs. You may want to sit, but trust me you will be doing plenty of that for the next 9 hours. I even encourage you to get up on the airplane and take a lap. It really helped me not to feel trapped the whole time.
My last big tip for a long flight is to try and sleep as much as possible. As someone who is not good at falling asleep anywhere, this one is hard for me, but it does make the time on these flights fly by. It also helps you feel somewhat refreshed when you reach your final destination.
You can take or leave these tips, these are just things I have found useful and wanted to share with the rest of the world!