FLIGHT ADVICE- GREAT REASONS TO LOVE SUPER-LONG FLIGHTS

FLIGHT ADVICE- GREAT REASONS TO LOVE SUPER-LONG FLIGHTS

What’s there to love about super long flight schedules? Plenty!

I hear lots of people moaning and groaning about long flights, even among veteran world travelers. Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who says they like long flights.

That always surprises me: I actually love them! Seriously. Maybe if I explain what’s so wonderful about long flight agendas, I can turn around some pre-conceptions and offer more positive attitudes about long international journeys to make everyone’s travel experiences even better. Here goes:

Long journeys = Brake time and break time 

I enjoy a very active daily life. I’m usually bustling around, both physically and mentally, with a full schedule of plans, activities and events. Long journeys actually force me to put on the brakes and take a break. (I bet lots of others could use such a break, too!)

Long flights are like a vacation from life. I approach them as a retreat- one or two days to stop thinking and planning, to stop cycling and hiking, to stop writing and blogging. I look forward to simply unwinding and relaxing, without a care in the world. I sleep, eat, browse shops, read, watch movies. Ahhh, relax and refresh!

Long flights = a new destination

Any flight means I’m heading off to a new destination. Yippie! Wherever that is, I’ll definitely be exited to get there. I just love going to my next destination.

If it’s a place I’ve been before, I will eagerly anticipate my favorite foods, shops, activities and meeting up with friends and acquaintances again. If it’s a new place, I’m bursting with excitement for new experiences. En route, I’ll probably do some final planning about what to eat, see and do when I arrive.

 

Chicago from airplane

Long international flights = money well spent

Long journey = time to ‘get closure’ and mentally prepare

A super long flight (10-14 hours) necessarily means that I’m flying from one culture to an entirely different one. I really appreciate the long journey time to mentally re-adjust. I like to reminisce and contemplate the experiences I’ve just had. A heart-felt review gives me closure on the culture and adventures I’ve just completed.

After that, I like to mentally prepare for my next destination (as above) whether that’s revisiting old stomping grounds or adventuring to an entirely new place. Short flights between different cultures don’t allow me to make the mental adjustment fully, so I feel rushed and I’m splat much too quickly into the new locale. I actually prefer long flights if I’m switching cultures.

I absolutely love flying in airplanes!

Flying in an airplane, way up in the sky, above the Earth is truly a wonderful and amazing experience. What a fantastic human invention! Even though I’ve been flying internationally for 20 years, with well over 100 flights under my belt, I still completely love flying, including the whole experience from beginning to end.

Plane take offs are a real charge. I’m electrified by the urgently racing, roaring engines and the progressively accelerating speed. Go, go, go! I’m practically jumping in my seat, urging the plane on to… lift off. Yippie! Airborne! Imagine that huge hunk of metal actually sailing through the air. It’s thrilling.

During the flight, I can barely keep my eyes off the windows. (I always request a window seat). Earth slowly shrinks away below. Buildings and houses transform into dots, cars into insects, roads and highways into etched lines, rivers into ribbons, mountains into flattened bumps.

Then gorgeous white fluffy clouds start racing past the window. They’re just outside, seemingly close enough to touch. So ethereally beautiful up there. Sometimes a sunrise or sunset scorches the horizon a fierce orange-red, often lingering for hours, depending on the flight direction.

Eventually our decent begins, ribbbons gradually transforming into rivers, mounds into mountains, dots into buildings. My next destination unfolds spectacularly below.

Finally, I thrill to the excitement of landing in an entirely different country. Start to finish, flying is just grand.

I’m generally not much of a shopper. In daily life, I buy a few things I need here and there. That’s it. Consequently, the upscale shops at airports are always a great novelty for me.

I love browsing the bookstores and cosmetic departments of duty free shops. I try out skin care products and perfumes, sunglasses and watches. I get updated on the world’s latest electronics. I browse book stores.

Even better, nowadays, many major airports display cultural arts of their countries. Sometimes I find paintings, traditional housewares and clothes, or other art objects. It’s like visiting a museum store. Restaurants serve local cuisines, which I may have never tried before.

Flights are packed with fun stuff to do

On long flights I get to watch free movies, listen to music, read the in-flight travel magazine, and eat several meals. I sleep, read books, prepare for my next adventures, stretch in the aisles. I sometimes meet new people and have great chats. Flying is fun.

Summary: start to finish, long trips are another great aspect of international travel adventures!

The entire flight experience, from arrival at the first airport all the way through to landing at the final destination, is truly enjoyable. It’s a vacation from hectic life, a time to chill out and reflect on where I’ve been and where I’m going. It’s another chance to board an amazing airplane and soar through clouds above the Earth.

Lash in Krabi, Thailand

Next time you have a super long flight, I hope you can appreciate the amazing opportunities they provide. Happy flying!

Q: Have you had any super-long flights?

    What do you think about long flights? Why?

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