Over the last few months of full time travel, we have learned a few survival tips to help make the inevitably miserable journey a little bit more bearable. Here are some of our tips and tricks we have learned along the way to help survive long-haul travel days.
Noise cancelling headphones
If you asked us what our top recommendation is, we would have to say to invest good quality noise cancelling headphones!
We have the Sony WH100XM3 which are at the top end of the price scale but well worth it in our opinion. Whether you are traveling my air, sea or road, blocking out engine noise and the sound of people talking can help to make any journey more enjoyable.
They come with a handy adapter to allow them to be used on inflight entertainment systems and are super comfortable to wear. During long journeys we put on some music or an audio book and block out the world around us. We sleep so much better and have a more relaxed trip.
Grab an aisle seat
Whenever we get a chance we always opt for the aisle seats. There is nothing worse than being sat in the middle or window and having to disturb someone else everytime you want to get up and use the bathroom.
The aisle also gives you that little bit of extra room to stretch your legs which is amazing on long haul travel.
Snacks and Water
Planning ahead and being fully equipped with enough healthy snacks and water is a must. Some airlines will provide you with a meal or two depending on your journey. As we are budget travellers we find ourselves often flying with low cost airlines. These airlines do provide food on board but typically at a very inflated price, no thanks! A little bit of planning will stop you from impulse buying and save you money.
Staying hydrated during travel days is super important too. We recommend traveling with a reusable water bottle as most airports have water dispensers. Staying hydrated will help you get over the long journey once you arrive at your destination and get exploring straight away.
We love Chilly’s water bottles as they keep our water colds for hours!!
Travel Pillow
Get yourself a mouldable travel pillow that can help you get comfortable in the seats on airplanes or buses. Comfort is everything when traveling and having a travel pillow can be the difference in a nights sleep or a night of hell.
There are literally thousands of options so pick one that suits you and your journeys. The little extra bit of comfort can make any long journey easier.
Audible
The audio books on Audible have given us hours of entertainment. Having such an extensive library at your fingertips is so handy if you want to tackle that book you always meant to read but never had the time.
Sitting back, relaxing and listening to an audio book while in transit or hanging around the airport makes time go faster.
Audible is a great service that offers its members one free book per month. To get your free trial on Audible CLICK HERE.
Ebook Reader
For those of you who prefer to read books than listen to them, we would recommend investing in an ebook app for your phone. There are many options to try but we have settled on the Kindle app for our smartphone.
The convenience of having all our books in one place not only saves space but the discounts and deals they offer are great too. Having busy lives on the road sometimes you don’t get time to sit and read so having my books alway on hand is great for long journeys.
Comfortable Clothes
This might sound like a no brainer but having some comfortable outfits to wear when you are travelling can be all the difference. Wear something that is both comfortable and practical.
We always wear layers when we travel. The last thing you want is to be on a hot bus with no A/C while wearing a jumper or stuck on a freezing airplane in shorts and a t-shirt.
Lounge Access
Airport lounges were something that we never used before this trip. We thought they would be over priced and not really suited to budget travellers like us.
We were lucky enough to get free access to a lounge on one of our long layovers through our bank card. After spending that couple of hours in comfort our views have completely changed.
Usually if we had a layover we would just try to find a seat near our gate and wait it out. When we got hungry we would search the airport for the cheapest food but still we end up buying an overpriced sandwich and coffee.
Pack a Flights Essentials Kit
This is basically the small bag that fits under the seat in front of you. It is basically just a small bag that holds all the items we will need during our flight.
Ours usually comprises of a lot of personal hygiene products such as a toothbrush and toothpaste, deodorant, baby wipes. This is also where we store our snacks, earphones, chargers etc.
We hope this blog was helpful and might make your next long haul flight a little easier. Share your long haul travel tips in the comment section below.
Check out our Instagram for travel and life updates @to.the.airport.and.beyond.
To The Airport...And Beyond 
Good tips, I always take a refillable water bottle and an inflatable neck pillow. But most importantly I take compression socks!
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nice tips. I always go for a window seat if i can as I can lean on the wall/window and snooze plus I love seeing the view too. but yes, then its time to use the loo!
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Agree. I always book a aisle seat…best especially on a long haul flight ✈️
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I learnt what you have written bit by bit over the years. Now I’m too old to travel much!
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