What is it like to fly overseas?

Dizzy!!! I get dizzy all the time. Sometimes when the food is good, I get distracted and I guess I don’t feel anything. But it might just be me.

Just awful. When I flew to China and back, (15 hours each way) the ride was very bumpy, and they had this awful music channel that played Michael Jackson’s Thriller every 45 minutes, just a little faster than it should play.
Drove me nuts. Terribly long flight. Sometimes I think I am still on that plane.

Depends on the airline; USA based airlines mediocre, European good and Asian airlines the best.

On commercial, it is great. On military, it is sort of depressing. Uncle Sam does not believe in leather seats and friendly attendants. Then again, that is why they invented books.

I flew 13 hours to Taiwan from San Francisco. A looong flight, and all over the Pacific Ocean. If you fly Air China do not eat the yellow sausages. lol

I was nervous about flying to China, but I wound up loving it. But then, I was in business class.

My first flight was to Canada, when I was 30. A five hour flight. My first experience of take-off was amazing. I looked out the window and saw my country like a map beneath me. Then when we arrived in Toronto airport the landing was so smooth I couldn’t even tell when the wheels touched down, and everyone in the cabin stood up and gave the pilot a standing ovation.

Since then, I have loved flying. I just hate all the tedious hanging around in the airport.

It’s always great on the way to Hawaii.

@tinyfaery If I was going to Hawaii I wouldn’t care if the flight was bad.

Long and boring. Worse if you are in economy. West Coast to Hawaii isn’t bad, it’s about the same if not a bit shorter than SFO – JFK.

Trans-Atlantic is just long, but it ends.

Across the Pacific just seems to never end. You even get tired of being bored and you get tired of sleeping and tired of watching movies and tired of lousy food that you can’t do anything to help digest.

But when you land you are someplace completely different!

When I traveled from Sacramento to Stockholm, I was careful to schedule during my regular sleep time. I was lucky enough to get a flight half way with a decent lay over until the next leg on both going and returning. On the return trip, I had a pulled back muscle, and I was very lucky to be reading a long, interesting novel that kept my mind off everything.

Long, cramped, bad food and sweaty people.

I sprained my ankle, badly, boarding in SFO.
Oh man…the misery!
13 hours, with a soggy, wet, dripping bag of ice, no way to elevate my leg, and limping through Taipei airport in my sock because the swelling was so bad I was lucky to get my damn Durango off. lol
I rallied though, it was Chinese New Year for 2 weeks.

Nothing a few Taiwanese beers and a Xanax couldn’t cure.
I was damn near running through the streets within a few days. haha
Not gonna let a sprained ankle keep me from exploring new worlds. :-)

Anyone here feel claustrophobic?

^^^ Yes, I have to have ALL the air jets pointing at my face. Do not touch my air jets. lol

LOL eek!!!!

Long, crowded and boring. The Yiddish word is nudgedic.

I fly to Asia from time to time on business (but not Business Class, unfortunately). Flying in the back of the plane for 14 – 18 hours at a time is tough, but it’s better than it used to be. The food is so-so, but generally not bad (if you have special dietary needs, you need to let them know at the gate or even better, when you purchase the ticket, and then just remind them at check-in). The movies, though, and the individualized entertainment system, make the flights bearable for me. I generally watch about a half-dozen movies and listen to a lot of the pre-recorded music available on each flight. That’s a lot better than the old system of “one cabin, one movie for all” from years ago. You can start, stop and change programming at any time on your own system.

It helps the time go by when you can’t sleep on the plane.

And it helps enormously to always specify an aisle seat, and in an exit row or forward bulkhead if possible – for the added leg room.

Take things to do to keep your mind busy.
Walk up and down the aisle periodically to exercise, plus exercise your feet under the seat. (I tap dance, but if you can’t, pretend) Exercise your upper torso by placing your arms behind your neck and pulling up from the waist. Twist your torso. When your seat mate(s) are out of their seats, stretch your arms to the sides and bring them up to the top of your head.

Drink plenty of water. Sleep when you can. Watch the movie, even if it’s awful. Engage in conversation, if you like that sort of thing. Practice the language of the place you are going unless it’s the same as yours.
Splash water on your face before you deplane and refresh you makeup, if you wear any. And smile! You made it.

I wandered around the plane a lot, yes, get up and move, and sleep as you are able. The return flight is always easier, tailwinds shave off an extra hour or so.

Long. It’s why God created Ambien.

@Rarebear and God said, “Let there be sleep.”

@Rarebear I beg to differ…Xanax all the way. haha
One Xanax, one Bloody Mary….doze off into international bliss. lol

@tranquilsea: Long, cramped, bad food and sweaty people.

Why I no longer fly.

I have done it so much I can remember when you could smoke and sit in the companion drinking big cans of Fosters. It would be so crowded and awful. China East airlines does not get the customer service thing at all. Now they have much better entertainment services. The best best airline is Emirates, they do not care about flying half empty planes so it’s like flying over in your bed.

Coach is miserable. This las flight I did economy plus and it was a bit better but I think they go out of their way to make the seats uncomfortable!
Business class is doable.
Never been overseas in first class but I’m sure it is a breeze.

If I forget Tylenol PM or a normal bed pillow, it is utter misery…

I fly from Memphis (US) to Manchester (UK) at least once a year with a connection in Atlanta. It makes for a really long day, but it can be quite fun if treated as an adventure and if the traveler is well prepared.

Like @YARNLADY said, if there is a connecting flight, it’s a matter of booking several hours between the flights in case of delays. This aids in alleviating any panic in getting from gate to gate on time. And like her as well, I book the flight to England to start in the late afternoon and to arrive in the morning. That way, I can catch a couple of hours sleep.

On the long flights, the passengers are constantly getting fed. I enjoy the food…it’s like a little picnic and it kills the time.

The other passengers can make or break the trip. One time, I was seated in front of Mr. Cranky Pants who would kick the back of my chair every time I attempted to recline it. I finally looked around. With a glaring look, he said, “There is no leg room back here.” Most of the time though, people are pleasant, and I’ve met some interesting people.

One time, there was a change in planes and the connecting flight was changed to land in Amsterdam before heading to England. By the time we got there, all flights out were cancelled due to a sudden snow. A few people were able to find a hotel room, but the rest of us claimed a spot on the floor or in a chair to wait it out. It was quite an adventure.

I like the fact that I’m in suspension. I’m unable to take care of business so I imagine stuff and mull things over that I usually don’t have enough distance from. The food is usually pretty uncanny – they can’t help it. I like to bring my own and make all the people around me hate me because it involves oranges and other things that smell delicious.

I don’t mind flying as I have never had a bad experience. I have flown many times and the worst I have experienced is minor turbulence. I also love plane food!!!

Tiring, but certainly better than taking a bus, a train, a boat and then a train and then a bus.

Almost always a thrill.

Almost never tiring when drinking more than half a gallon of water during the flight. Dehydration is the number one reason for feeling miserable afterwards.