Fly in heavenly peace

Forget image and embrace the neck cushions, earplugs and fluffy socks to survive that long flight, writes KAREN HOLDOM.

You see one on every long-haul flight. The Seasoned Traveller. The one who shuns alcohol and conversation. The one who, before the movie has even started, disappears under an array of travel accessories: fluffy socks, bottle of mineral water, earplugs, eye-mask and blow-up neck cushion.

"Is it really worth the bother?" you wonder three hours later, watching the Seasoned Traveller gently snore while you shift your weight in the seat, your ears ringing from the engine drone, head throbbing from the wine, throat dry, calves aching ominously. "Is all that paraphernalia really going to help him to arrive in better shape than me?"

You betcha, is the overwhelming response from New Zealanders who fly all the time for their work, sport or passion for travel. They say the bottom line on getting through long flights with maximum comfort and minimum aches and pains is being prepared, and leaving your self-consciousness on the ground.

Olympic windsurfer and frequent flier Barbara Kendall tries to sleep as much
as possible on international flights — aware that she will be under pressure from
the moment she gets off the plane.

"I try to be really tired before the flight so that when I get on that plane I am so stoked to sit down and do nothing that I totally relax and sometimes fall asleep before the plane takes off. I always have one of those head cushions — I need to have my head against something to relax — and of course the good old eye-patches. I try not to dribble but I always seem to," she laughs.

Another woman who boards her flights armed with travel accessories is Getaway presenter Suzy Aiken. Like Kendall, she packs earplugs, eye-shades, a neck cushion and mineral water spray for her face. The latest addition to her travel kit is a dust-mask.

"I wore one on a flight to the Middle East a few weeks ago. I'd packed it because I had a cold and wanted to protect the other passengers from my bugs, but it turned out to be a smoking flight — the only one I've ever been on — so it was a blessing. It may have looked strange but at least I wasn't passive smoking for 20 hours."

Aiken is a stickler for comfort, either wearing loose-fitting clothes onto the plane or changing into them once she's airborne.

"Long flights provide a chance for me to catch up on sleep."

Saatchi & Saatchi's Auckland-based worldwide chief executive officer, Kevin Roberts, is one of the lucky few who usually fly first class. But then he did fly 132 times last year, spending 730 hours in the sky.

Perhaps it's something to do with the luxury, but Roberts actually enjoys flying, commenting that it is sheer bliss to have a 10 to 12-hour stint without a single fax, phone call or
e-mail.

His flight kit is based more around mental preparedness than accessories. Roberts
advises travellers to "go tranquil" in preparation for a flight, arriving on board calm and unflustered. He's not a big fan of sleeping through an entire flight, keeping a policy of "sleep once, don't doze" and he tends to take plenty of work to keep his mind active.

Roberts avoids alcohol and heavy foods, taking half an aspirin to improve circulation and drinking plenty of water. He also tries to exercise shortly before and after each long flight.

His other gem of advice relates to those painful conversations with complete strangers. "Don't socialise on board," he says simply. "Follow the Dalai Lama's advice: 'Spend time on yourself'."

GETTING THROUGH THE FLIGHT

An informal survey of people who fly for business, sport or a passion for travel (including those fonts of all flying knowledge, flight attendants), has come up with the following golden rules for getting through long flights in good shape.

The kit:

Eye-mask; earplugs; inflatable neck cushion; warm, comfortable clothing; a good book; a bottle of mineral water; a water spritzer (to spray on your face, nose, eyes and hands).

The preparation:

Try to get a good night's sleep before a flight.

Be organised so you are not rushing to the airport.

Take only one piece of hand luggage.

The flight:

Don't rush onto the plane.

Don't sit on your wallet (common cause of back pain).

Try to sit up straight in your seat, your shoulders and abdomen relaxed, lower back slightly arched. Use a neck pillow for support when sleeping.

If you're going to drink alcohol, drink plenty of water. Drink plenty of water anyway.

Eat lightly, preferably only one meal a flight.

Try an old flight attendant remedy to relieve dry stinging eyes and sinuses: a steaming drink of hot water with lemon.

Don't worry if you can't sleep — 45-minute catnaps have been shown to be as effective as longer sleeps on long flights.

Pack a pen. Don't be one of the scores of passengers who beg, steal or borrow one when immigration forms arrive.