score:14
That is not as bad as it sounds. Below are some tips of mine, which is just an incomplete list of course.
Regarding clothing, etc, I like to carry some spares and comfortable clothing that is functional enough for traveling nonetheless.
Regarding your extra question, whether it is worth staying up for the meal: it depends
So in the end, it is up to you, at that moment. Don't worry too much.
Upvote:0
Me, I get my noise reducing headphones and play my favorite white noise or depending on my mood simply listen to a relaxing playlist (jazz, piano...etc). It is well known that white noise has a calming effect by masking all other sounds. For me, this work every time, but it depends a lot on every person.
Recently this is my goto white noise sound, every time I have a long flight. I downloaded it from youtube and it work brilliantly without internet connection..
https://youtu.be/m6UBupBqsTo
You don't need to watch the video, but listening to the sounds helps a lot.
Upvote:4
Some tips:
If this is you first long-haul flight, sorry, this is when you're going to realize what you should do for the next one. Over preparing can be just as bad as under preparing.
Upvote:23
We have a number of questions here already about preparing for long haul flights, and about sleeping on flights including the canonical What is the most comfortable way to sleep on a plane? . Combining the suggestions from those may help you a lot. Bring something to read to pass the time, a sleeping mask to help you sleep on the plane, and so on. If you want to wear slippers on the flight, put them in your carryon and switch into them once you are in your seat on the plane.
The hard part about catching a flight so late at night is being tired in the airport. I had a 1am flight to catch once that was delayed until 2. That was very difficult. We had arrived very early because there was nothing else to do where we were, and were relaxing while we passed the hours. Reading, chatting, charging our devices. Around 11:30 another plane came in, people lined up, and then staff started going around talking to all the people who were waiting. I couldn't tell why because as soon as they saw my passport in my hand they moved on to someone else. About 1 am, a woman came running up to the gate looking very panicked. By this time the plane had been gone for an hour of course. She looked hysterical. Clearly she had fallen asleep somewhere far from the gate. The staff had been looking for her, but not found her. So my tip for you is wait directly at your gate. Wait in the seats closest to where you will board, and in seats that the staff can easily see. That way if you happen to fall asleep, they will find you and you won't miss your flight by being asleep in a far corner of the airport when it leaves.