Flight of Fancy: How to Travel in Style

Yesterday at 3am (some might call this morning but I prefer to think of it as the night of the day before) I went to the airport to say goodbye to a friend who was going overseas on a one way ticket. In less than two weeks that's going to be me!

Granted my flight is 12 hours later in the day, but in my experience flying at any time is never as glamourous an experience as is often suggested. Particularly when that flight consists of 12 hours sitting in economy.

Luckily, I have picked up a few tips over the years to make future flights as enjoyable as possible:

• Spend all your soon-to-be-foreign coins on snacks for the flight :)
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• Take postcards and stamps in your handbag. It will make you twice as likely to actually send postcards. That way they might even arrive before you return home (confession: I have been known to actually put a postcard in someone's letterbox once back in the country and blame slow mail delivery for the late arrival).
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• Take all important documents in your handbag - not your luggage!
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• Bring a small snaplock bag with you for liquids. You don't want to end up throwing away a new bottle of foundation because you forgot to do so :(
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• Take an empty water bottle - you can fill it up after you have passed through security, as they're pretty stingy with giving out water on the plane. My theory is that they're trying to reduce bathroom queues.
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• Take a hand-held mirror in case you need to look presentable as soon as you get off the plane.
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• Dress in something appropriate for your destination. There's nothing worse than leaving a warm airport in a pretty dress and stepping off the plane into rain and southerlies.
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• Use the bathroom when they announce that meals will be arriving. They take aaages to clear and there's nothing more annoying than playing musical trays because the person in the window seat needs to pee...
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• Take a facewipe. They're super-refreshing, more moisturising than hot towels, and make-up doesn't hold up well in aeroplane cabins anyway.
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• Look up what movies are playing before you fly. I'm already trying to figure out how I can fit 500 Days of Summer, My Sister's Keeper, The Changeling and a good six hours sleep into my flight schedule. Nerd alert!
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• Once the plane has taken off, look around and see if there are any rows of seats available - sometimes you can obnoxiously sprawl across three seats to get a good horizontal lie-down.
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• Don't get drunk - get tipsy, but not drunk. Not only does it dehydrate you but it makes you laugh out loud at the movie you're watching while forgetting that the people around you aren't wearing your headphones and can't hear what's funny.
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• Wear loose shoes - ones you can put on again with swollen feet.
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• Don't bring too many heavy books - you won't want to throw them away and after you've finished will have to carry them around with you.
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• Flirt/chat with the flight staff - even if you're not after a quickie in the bathroom, an extra cold beer is super-appreciated on a long flight.
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• Talk to people around you. While they might not invite you to cocktails at the Hilton, it's good to get advice about the area you're traveling to from a source other than Lonely Planet.
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• Request a special meal. It's probably fresher than standard meals and, most importantly, will arrive before anyone else's :)
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What are your long distance travel secrets?

PS - Does anyone know where I can obtain an aviator cap?

xx