Flying to Europe

[howe4866]

Hello everyone; just reaching out to get anyone’s advise on flying to Europe… Tips, tricks, etc. First time flying across the Atlantic for this guy. Thank you!

[RG306]

On 7/6/2021 at 12:15 AM, howe4866 said:

Hello everyone; just reaching out to get anyone’s advise on flying to Europe… Tips, tricks, etc. First time flying across the Atlantic for this guy. Thank you!

So I don't actually love flying (airports and planes- neither are my jam) but I do love traveling which makes it necessary evil 😈. This means comfort and convenience is the goal.  
1. So we have Nexus which grants us both TSA precheck and global entry and generally makes the airport experience smoother. 2. We buy our tickets early so we get a good rate and best seat selection and try to use points or companion vouchers to upgrade where we can premium economy or business. 

3. Comfy clothes and layers. I also like compression stockings for longer flights.

4. Good travel pillow, sleep mask & headphones

5. lots of entertainment options - download movies, tv shows, books, more than you think you'll need.

6. hydrate & sleep - leading up to the flight & during

 

Hope that helps!

 

[howe4866]

RG306, very helpful, thank you!

[salboz]

If your itinerary includes  stop in Iceland , use Iceland Air but book  through their site to book comfort Air.We were flying into Barcelona and by spending another $100 each for comfort air, we got  lot extra including use of their lounge which had free food and drink and also had cots where you could take a nap if you had long enough layover.  All included in comfort economy fare

[CPT Trips]

Fly a European Union Airline rather than a US or UK airline from the States to Europe. You’ll benefit from the much superior consumer protections offered under EU Regulation 261 if there is a flight delay or other problem. Those protections are complicated for me to explain, so do a search for them. 

[CaptFantastic]

If you wear a watch set it to your destination time at some point before you take off, then act accordingly....ie sleep on the plane if you can. I usually do it while waiting at the gate. It's supposed to help counter the effects of jet lag by tricking your brain by getting used to the new time zone.

 

Chances are you'll be excited and be fairly wired (at least for a few hours) when you get there anyway, but resist the urge to sleep in the afternoon.

I find the jet lag worse when flying home, either due to the time change or the disappointment of my trip being over.

[Zach1213]

12 hours ago, CaptFantastic said:

If you wear a watch set it to your destination time at some point before you take off, then act accordingly....ie sleep on the plane if you can. I usually do it while waiting at the gate. It's supposed to help counter the effects of jet lag by tricking your brain by getting used to the new time zone.

 

 

I do this too. I'll usually do a manual change on my phone to whatever time zone because I look at that way more than my watch. And then I try to sleep as close to that place's "normal" as I can. 

[travelplus]

Fly on the 787. Look for a flight leaving around 10:00 PM arriving at 4:00 PM or at the very least a 6:30 PM flight.  Fly out on a Saturday to avoid crowds and to arrive Sunday afternoon before late afternoon.

 

Purchase a Business Class amenity kit on EBAY along with airline PJs to make your flight comfortable. United Polaris Tin includes some comfortable eyeshades. Picked it up for $12 on EBAY with shipping and a nice tin to boot.

Purchase MPOW Bluetooth Noise Cancelling Headphones. 

 

Order a Special Meal on the Plane.

 

Purchase a Lounge Day Pass or Priority Pass /AMEX Membership to relax before your flight and ou can even use some arrivals airport lounges for a shower. I take a shower before the flight to help me feel better and upon arrival i f there is an airline arrivals lounge.

 

Eat a well balanced high carb dinner the night before and an early breakfast with high energy foods. For lunch eat a Pasta or potato based meal with Beef and lots of water.  On the flight eat lightly and see about requesting the Fruit Platter then go to sleep.

Walk up and down the aisles on the plane every so often.  When its light on the plane pretend its morning try to get 5-8 hours of sleep. Stray up until your bedtime and have a nice dinner and a quick get to know your neighborhood walk. If you need to nap set your alarm for 45 minutes then continue your day.

 

Download White Noise App on your phone(Worth the paid upgrade) for loud hotel rooms. I love the Pink Noise as it drones out any loud noises. 

 

Download the Calm app to relax yourself on the plane and put on some nice relaxing music while you sleep on the plane.

 

A good red wine/spirit on the plane is not so bad just don't over indulge.  Avoid taking medicine and take Melatonin or No Jetlag instead.

 

Going East take 0.5 mcg in the Afternoon. Going west take it in the morning and start 3-4 days before your flight and continue it for 1-2 days after .

 

Take a Hot Shower then if you can tolerate it turn  the temperature to cold to shock your body to wae up in a gentle way.

Eat Dark Chocolate just as you wake up on the plane going east and going west drink  a Black Coffee or have  a piece of Dark Chocolate in the late afternoon just before landing. 

 

Hope these tips help.

[Billish]

8 hours ago, travelplus said:

Fly on the 787. Look for a flight leaving around 10:00 PM arriving at 4:00 PM or at the very least a 6:30 PM flight.  Fly out on a Saturday to avoid crowds and to arrive Sunday afternoon before late afternoon.

 

Purchase a Business Class amenity kit on EBAY along with airline PJs to make your flight comfortable. United Polaris Tin includes some comfortable eyeshades. Picked it up for $12 on EBAY with shipping and a nice tin to boot.

Purchase MPOW Bluetooth Noise Cancelling Headphones. 

 

Order a Special Meal on the Plane.

 

Purchase a Lounge Day Pass or Priority Pass /AMEX Membership to relax before your flight and ou can even use some arrivals airport lounges for a shower. I take a shower before the flight to help me feel better and upon arrival i f there is an airline arrivals lounge.

 

Eat a well balanced high carb dinner the night before and an early breakfast with high energy foods. For lunch eat a Pasta or potato based meal with Beef and lots of water.  On the flight eat lightly and see about requesting the Fruit Platter then go to sleep.

Walk up and down the aisles on the plane every so often.  When its light on the plane pretend its morning try to get 5-8 hours of sleep. Stray up until your bedtime and have a nice dinner and a quick get to know your neighborhood walk. If you need to nap set your alarm for 45 minutes then continue your day.

 

Download White Noise App on your phone(Worth the paid upgrade) for loud hotel rooms. I love the Pink Noise as it drones out any loud noises. 

 

Download the Calm app to relax yourself on the plane and put on some nice relaxing music while you sleep on the plane.

 

A good red wine/spirit on the plane is not so bad just don't over indulge.  Avoid taking medicine and take Melatonin or No Jetlag instead.

 

Going East take 0.5 mcg in the Afternoon. Going west take it in the morning and start 3-4 days before your flight and continue it for 1-2 days after .

 

Take a Hot Shower then if you can tolerate it turn  the temperature to cold to shock your body to wae up in a gentle way.

Eat Dark Chocolate just as you wake up on the plane going east and going west drink  a Black Coffee or have  a piece of Dark Chocolate in the late afternoon just before landing. 

 

Hope these tips help.

As the OP asked in July last year, I think it fair to say that he has probably travelled by now ! 

[6rugrats]

Request a fruit platter?

[iancal]

We just booked premium economy yesterday for a May flight to Lisbon and home from Faro.   

 

We were watching the flights for the past  few weeks.  Prices were going up so we booked.

 

It was less expensive to book two one ways than book a return.  Plus it was much more convenient for our schedule.

 

We were pricing return air to Athens at the same time but decided on Portugal.   The Athens fare were up by quite a bit.

Edited March 22, 2022 by iancal

[Lois R]

On 7/6/2021 at 12:15 AM, howe4866 said:

Hello everyone; just reaching out to get anyone’s advise on flying to Europe… Tips, tricks, etc. First time flying across the Atlantic for this guy. Thank you!

Did you take your cruise? How was the flight?😃

[howe4866]

The cruise is this May! (Hopefully)

Will be flying in and out of ROME!

[iancal]

Normally we would book closer to our departure date given the covid unknowns.    Certainty has a value to us and we are quite prepared to pay a little more  rather than having a forced cancelation and a credit note.

 

We booked this week for a late May flight  (early for us) because the outbound airline had a cash refund policy on premium economy should we cancel. Plus the right schedule, connection, and price.

 

Coming home, the airline we chose has free changes and airline credits.  The difference is that it is an airline we often use for flight to Europe or to Mexico.  If we do end up with a credit it will be easy for us to use it well within the timeframe.

 

We noticed these types of offers with other airlines.  Need to read the fine print because they often do not apply to basic fares.

[FlaMariner]

When you arrive in Europe, keep moving.....make it to an early dinner and then crash.......Whatever you do, do not take a nap.  You have Europe to see and you need to endure the pain to get on the right time as quick as you can. Best way is to push through the day. 

[Zach1213]

1 hour ago, FlaMariner said:

When you arrive in Europe, keep moving.....make it to an early dinner and then crash.......Whatever you do, do not take a nap.  You have Europe to see and you need to endure the pain to get on the right time as quick as you can. Best way is to push through the day. 

 

My cure after longhaul travel (which I do very frequently) is to get a lot of fresh air and water during the day, have a good dinner, have one too many drinks, and just absolutely crash on the early side. Sleep in a bit the next morning if possible, and I'm good to go and (almost) fully adjusted. 

[rkacruiser]

1 hour ago, FlaMariner said:

When you arrive in Europe, keep moving.....make it to an early dinner and then crash.......Whatever you do, do not take a nap.  You have Europe to see and you need to endure the pain to get on the right time as quick as you can. Best way is to push through the day. 

 

This is what my traveling companion I did when we arrived in Amsterdam.  After showering and changing clothes at our hotel, we began the sightseeing that we had planned and ended the day with a dinner canal cruise.  We were going to take a tram back to the hotel after the canal cruise, but, we were both so tired, when I saw a taxi was waiting at the head of the pier where the canal boat docked, I decided it was the proper transportation for us at that time.  And, it was! 

[iancal]

On 4/6/2022 at 1:31 PM, rkacruiser said:

 

This is what my traveling companion I did when we arrived in Amsterdam.  After showering and changing clothes at our hotel, we began the sightseeing that we had planned and ended the day with a dinner canal cruise.  We were going to take a tram back to the hotel after the canal cruise, but, we were both so tired, when I saw a taxi was waiting at the head of the pier where the canal boat docked, I decided it was the proper transportation for us at that time.  And, it was! 

We do the same.  Typically arrive at a Europe destination in the late morning or noon.     When we go to Thailand we arrive about midnight.   Straight to bed, sleep in a little, good breakfast, and we are off the races as it were.

 

Our challenge is when we come home.  Either from Europe or from SE/Asia or Australia.  Seems to take us a few days to adjust.  Not certain why this is.

[rkacruiser]

4 hours ago, iancal said:

Our challenge is when we come home.  Either from Europe or from SE/Asia or Australia.  Seems to take us a few days to adjust.  Not certain why this is.

 

The worst jet lag that I have experienced was when I flew from Singapore to San Francisco with a couple of days in San Francisco.  Thought those two days would help me re-adjust.  On the third day, I flew to DAY.  It took me about 10 days to begin to feel "normal".  

 

I haven't flown from Europe very much, but, when I have, usually after a day or two, I am OK.  

Edited April 10, 2022 by rkacruiser

[iancal]

We started stopping in HNL for two or three days on our way back from Sydney.  It helps to a certain extent.  Flying home from Bangkok is a killer for us.  Perhaps because we have typically been there for 2 months.  It seems to have become worse over the past  few trips.  Perhaps it is age or because it is much faster coming home.  18/19 hours vs 23/24.

Edited April 10, 2022 by iancal

[Zach1213]

23 hours ago, rkacruiser said:

 

The worst jet lag that I have experienced was when I flew from Singapore to San Francisco with a couple of days in San Francisco.  Thought those two days would help me re-adjust.  On the third day, I flew to DAY.  It took me about 10 days to begin to feel "normal".  

 

I haven't flown from Europe very much, but, when I have, usually after a day or two, I am OK.  

 

In all the travel I have done, my worst was when I went from Chicago to London to Dubai to Hong Kong to Tokyo to Chicago within 10 days. Going around the world, in 10 days, from west to east the whole way, absolutely killed me. My (now) wife and I were fairly new in to dating at that time and she says she thought I was going to break up with her after that trip, because I didn't want to be around anybody, didn't want to talk to anybody, I just wanted to curl up in a ball and rest for like a week.