I have never taken a flight longer than 4 or 5 hours, I am not a scared flier but I just really don't care for it. How do you guys deal with the long african flight, other than sleep.

Take a good book, Books on Tape, DVD that you can Watch, watch on Board , in flight movies.

I buy a couple of good books about a month before departure and have my wife hide them from me until the day we leave, that and download a bunch of music on an ipod (or phone nowadays)...that seems to work pretty well for me.

X2 on the good books. Also, the inflight movies and old TV shows on the Delta Flight ATL ~ ORT helped. Other than that not a lot to do except sleep. Do get up ocasionally and walk a bit to keep the blood flowing. You can always get something to munch on from the galley while you're up.

quote:

Originally posted by Tracker49:
X2 on the good books. Also, the inflight movies and old TV shows on the Delta Flight ATL ~ ORT helped. Other than that not a lot to do except sleep. Do get up ocasionally and walk a bit to keep the blood flowing. You can always get something to munch on from the galley while you're up.

Plus,drink lots of water.

GOING TO AFRICA!!!!...'nuff said.

I'm fortunate I can sleep or at least nap through most of the flight. Food and drinks plus in flight entertainment if it works takes up alot of the time too. The real trick is to use you CC miles to book economy plus or business. Then the flight is almost enjoyable.

Mark

Not for everyone, but I like to take lunesta, ambien, etc.

With these meds, I can actually sleep 8 hours on the flight. Makes a big difference.

fly Business, its worth the money.
you can sleep, eat decent food, get off the plane relaxed. I won't go anymore coach.

What jeff h said! Can't do it in coach anymore.

Get some noise canceling headphones, sony makes a pair thats like 50$ they are like 88% knock out...and they work great! Also...Ipad, you can put tons of movies, and the battery life is strong!

I usually watch movies until I pass out, sominex, works wonders! Wake up start watching another movie!

quote:

Originally posted by LionHunter:
What jeff h said! Can't do it in coach anymore.

Agreed, I don't care to be cramped in coach for a three hour domestic flight let alone a real long flight.

A kindle and an I phone loaded with movies helps a lot.

I rarely watch movies, or TV for that matter, so when I fly to Africa, everything on the movie list is something I haven't seen. I watch a movie, doze off for a while, watch another couple movies, then read some African magazines, then doze again. Pretty soon, I'm there.

Long flights stink but Africa is worth it. I fly coach unless my wife is with me. The difference in price, unless I use miles to upgrade pays for tophy fees. This summer we are breaking the flight up by going through Frankfurt. Fly overnight from USA and land in Frankfurt early morning, we will get a day room that we will share to leave junk in and be able to shower, sight see during the day and then another overnight to Windhoek which is our destination. Arrive early that next morning and drive to camp during daylight hours and sight see along the way.That is over a 6 hour drive in itself but fun to look for game, etc. The first leg of the flight is about 9 hours, the second around 11. About the same amount of time in the aircan, just a bigger break in the middle. We would have to overnight in Jobergh if we went through there so no significant time difference as well.

Getting to Frankfurt the first 9 hours puts us basically on Africa time earlier and I think gets my clock adjusted quicker as well. Like everyone says, read a book, watch a movie, get up and stretch your legs. I can not sleep on a plane well and with everyone else getting up to stretch their legs it is tough to rest. Drink plenty of fluids,, I am not talking getting sloushed either. For every cocktail I drink I drink 3 times that much water. Stay hydrated!

I will stay awake sight seeing in Germany, visit several Beer houses and eat plenty of local food. The second flight I will be more fatigued and will nap better on the last leg. The first leg is like the night before Christmas as a kid,, just can't sleep!

You will likely run into other "hunters" in the aisle and you will meet some new friends. Just consider the flight part of the adventure, I didn't like any of the vaccinations I took for some of the places I have been, I just considered it part of the adventure and part of the Mystique about Safari!

quote:

Originally posted by safari-lawyer:
Not for everyone, but I like to take lunesta, ambien, etc.

With these meds, I can actually sleep 8 hours on the flight. Makes a big difference.

+1

A friend gave me a Halcion tablet once, which is a fast acting, short term sleep inducer. I take one with an ambien, at it's good night, sleep tight. 8-9 hours of sleep works wonders for shortening that trip.

Another +1 on using miles to get to the front of the bus. Those 777s Delta uses have a very nice business section.

After 13 trips over the pond, two words:
SLEEPING PILLS.
Cheers,
Cal

quote:

Originally posted by cal pappas:
After 13 trips over the pond, two words:
SLEEPING PILLS.
Cheers,
Cal

And Xanax

Just flew 14 hours out and 15 hours back. Watched four movies each way. Watch a movie, get up and walk, repeat. Works for me.

We didn't go the most direct way to RSA due to using airline miles so we headed from DFW to Madrid to Johannesburg. On the way over we slept as much as we could and had a long layover in Madrid. After hanging out there for a 15 hr. layover, we were in the proper timezone to Joberg and just did what came naturally, if that was sleep then sleep. We met our PH's in the airport and drove to the lodge/camp and felt slightly worn but pretty decent.

The return trip was the bear. We did the best we could with sleeping up to and including Madrid and then stayed awake from there to DFW watching our own movies on a personal DVD player. We were "smoked" when we arrived but had enough energy to get back to the house and not scare anyone else on the road. But boy was the bed nice.

Going is definitely easier than coming back.

A couple books, magazines, crosswords, ipod and a bottle of ambiem and after all that its still painful. My last PH told me to just close your eyes and dream you are in a leopard blind and it will be over before you know it. Tried it...didn't work.

In a similar topic here last spring, someone suggested getting a small REI inflatable pad. It is about 12"x18"x1" and was the best $20 I ever spent. Unfortunately my local REI only had the one, so the Mrs. and I had to share. It made all the difference on my rear. You can move it around, front and back, before you get any numb spots. It deflates and rolls up into a package smaller than a beer can.
Lou

An inflatable neck collar is a great investment.

Also, jet lag is no joke. The older you are, the worse it will affect you.

I always go in a couple of days early, get a hotel somewhere and sleep and begin to acclimate to the time jump.

I commuted around the world for 38 years. I know most of the tricks.

As someone else said, stay hydrated. Go for an aisle seat if you can get it so you can get up and walk around occasionally to maintain lower extremity circulation. A clot will ruin your day.

Some can afford business class. Most cannot. If you can, then do it. The increased leg room is worth it.

Many good suggestions here, I'm all about the inflatable neck collar; drink more water than normal, get up and walk, stand, do leg exercises; take your own noise reduction headphones (ear buds won't knock out engine noise) and if you have one, your own I-phone/pod, Zune or kindle. Big advantage on long flights. Most of all, read this and take it seriously:
DVT
There is a reason they continuously show those obnoxious cartoons.
LDK

I live (and start) from Frankfurt/Main in Germany. So it is not far away from me and I had 1 to 1 in time.
So I had no jet-lack.
:-)

But I was several times in the beautifull USA and know the problem...

Get up and walk every couple of hours. Drink lots of water. Bring a good book. The longest flight I've done is 14 hours, this advise to me worked well.

Business Class is the only way to go! Delta's new 777 has the seats that lay 180 degrees flat! Amazing what a bit of comfort will get you in the sleep department. I rolled over on the trip back and didn't move for 9 hours. Woke up feeling like a champ!

quote:

Originally posted by cal pappas:
After 13 trips over the pond, two words:
SLEEPING PILLS.
Cheers,
Cal

How about "single malt"?

quote:

Originally posted by L. David Keith:
Many good suggestions here, I'm all about the inflatable neck collar; drink more water than normal, get up and walk, stand, do leg exercises; take your own noise reduction headphones (ear buds won't knock out engine noise) and if you have one, your own I-phone/pod, Zune or kindle. Big advantage on long flights. Most of all, read this and take it seriously:
DVT
There is a reason they continuously show those obnoxious cartoons.
LDK

David is absolutely correct. Excellent link.

Okay, I can understand all of these suggestions. And being from the desert I'm fairly obsessed with drinking water. But how does drinking water help you pass the time?

With long flights it is surprising easy to get dehydrated and just end of feeling like crap. On a couple of our flights I have had the video screen in the head rest of the chair in front of me. It was loaded with new movies, tv shows, music, and with noise canceling headphones it got me through the whole flight quite well.

I'm not interested in the movies, and find the video apparatus useless. I just go into my Zen mode of "I'm on my way to Africa." A good book helps. Just my method. Done it many times. Record to date is 36 hours portal-to-portal.
Brice

quote:

Originally posted by 7MMNut:
Okay, I can understand all of these suggestions. And being from the desert I'm fairly obsessed with drinking water. But how does drinking water help you pass the time?

The air conditioning systems on heavy jet aircraft are extremely efficient. On long flights, dehydration is a distinct possibility. You're not passing the time per se, but you are staying healthy.