Copyright New York Magazine
Illustration: Jackson Gibbs Ever wondered which city in the world is located the farthest distance from New York? That’d be my hometown Perth, Western Australia, which sits on the coast of the Indian Ocean (on the opposite side of the country to Sydney and Melbourne), around 11,633 miles (or approximately 24 hours of flying, spread across two to three different legs) away. I moved from there to the Big Apple eight years ago, and grueling travel itineraries have been my cross to bear ever since. As you can imagine, I’ve become something of a jet-lag expert over time. And I’m sorry to say that economy-class passengers can never truly avoid experiencing that groggy out-of-body feeling. It’s certainly possible, though, to strategize and prepare enough to feel at least close to human upon arrival at your far-flung destination. Here’s everything I use to survive my annual long-haul air journeys to visit friends and family. Tactical sleep supplements Saved View Want to be emailed when products you’ve saved are over 20% off? Success! You'll get an email when something you've saved goes on sale. Yes New! You can now save this product for later. The physical discomforts of plane seats and circadian-rhythm disruptions are real, but mental strength can absolutely help overcome them. You’ve got to believe that you’re capable of sleeping for eight hours in a cramped position with your arm weirdly touching a stranger’s, rather than boarding the plane full of dread and bad airport food. A helpful first step is to draw up a sleep schedule and channel all energies into sticking to it. To do this I use the biohacking app Timeshifter, which analyzes my flight itinerary then tells me when to sleep, expose my eyes to bright light, drink caffeine, and take melatonin. It’s a strict regimen that begins a couple of days before takeoff and tends to gets in the way of in-flight movie-watching (sadly, even after taking like ten flights this year, I still haven’t seen Sinners), but the results are worth it. Saved View Want to be emailed when products you’ve saved are over 20% off? Success! You'll get an email when something you've saved goes on sale. Yes New! You can now save this product for later. Saved View Want to be emailed when products you’ve saved are over 20% off? Success! You'll get an email when something you've saved goes on sale. Yes New! You can now save this product for later. Speaking of melatonin, I along with numerous experts definitely believe in using it to induce sleep, alongside a small dose of magnesium. This Moon Juice powder contains both ingredients and tastes great; I’ll mix some up in my Hydro Flask at the gate. Saved View Want to be emailed when products you’ve saved are over 20% off? Success! You'll get an email when something you've saved goes on sale. Yes New! You can now save this product for later. I discovered these mysterious anti-jet-lag pills at church, which is what I call the Soho REI location, the year that I moved to New York and was going back-and-forth to Australia a lot. They’re probably snake oil, but beating jet-lag requires having faith in both yourself and homeopathic “medicine.” I’ll pop one every few hours. Why not? Saved View Want to be emailed when products you’ve saved are over 20% off? Success! You'll get an email when something you've saved goes on sale. Yes New! You can now save this product for later. DripDrop Hydration Packets - Juicy Variety Pack, 16 Servings $20 now 15% off $17 Ingesting large volumes of water while up in the air is absolutely essential, annoying as it is to get up and pee a lot. I’ll head to the galley and politely ask the flight attendants for a refill every two hours during the periods that I’m awake. Electrolytes don’t go astray, either, and I always travel with a number of single-serve sachets. In general, anything that can help beat a hangover tends to double as a jet-lag preventative and cure. Saved View Want to be emailed when products you’ve saved are over 20% off? Success! You'll get an email when something you've saved goes on sale. Yes New! You can now save this product for later. Long-haul air travel puts one’s immune system at enormous risk of common colds or worse, so I’ll usually also add these sachets of vitamin C, echinacea, and zinc to my Hydro Flask full of potentially placebo-effect powders. Saved View Want to be emailed when products you’ve saved are over 20% off? Success! You'll get an email when something you've saved goes on sale. Yes New! You can now save this product for later. Saved View Want to be emailed when products you’ve saved are over 20% off? Success! You'll get an email when something you've saved goes on sale. Yes New! You can now save this product for later. The Timeshifter app will recommend drinking caffeine and exposing your eyes to light during certain periods in order to get your body ready for its future new timezone. Airline coffee is terrible, and served in such small portions. So I bring my own artisanal instant stuff, along with a Keep Cup to brew it in. Saved View Want to be emailed when products you’ve saved are over 20% off? Success! You'll get an email when something you've saved goes on sale. Yes New! You can now save this product for later. Airlines generally only offer caffeinated black tea, so I always pack a few herbal options into my carry-on, in case I desire a soothing hot drink during the hours that Timeshifter advises against imbibing stimulants. Comfort and clothing Saved View Want to be emailed when products you’ve saved are over 20% off? Success! You'll get an email when something you've saved goes on sale. Yes New! You can now save this product for later. I find compression socks to be unbearably uncomfortable, even when they’re cute patterned ones from trendy brands. I prefer to wear warm woolen socks for coziness. If you don’t suffer from circulation issues and are prepared to take a walk toward the first-class curtains and back every few hours, I suggest you do the same. Slip-on sandals and clogs are also good to wear, because feet swell at altitude, which makes wearing tight laced shoes rather unpleasant after a while. Saved View Want to be emailed when products you’ve saved are over 20% off? Success! You'll get an email when something you've saved goes on sale. Yes New! You can now save this product for later. I’ll board the plane wearing everyday clothes, usually jeans and a big sweater. Then, when it’s time to sleep, I’ll take off my bra and put on a pair of leggings. The street clothes go back on when I wake up, and that process basically repeats until the final leg of my journey ends. It’s all about enforcing separate periods of rest and wakefulness. Saved View Want to be emailed when products you’ve saved are over 20% off? Success! You'll get an email when something you've saved goes on sale. Yes New! You can now save this product for later. Saved View Want to be emailed when products you’ve saved are over 20% off? Success! You'll get an email when something you've saved goes on sale. Yes New! You can now save this product for later. Saved View Want to be emailed when products you’ve saved are over 20% off? Success! You'll get an email when something you've saved goes on sale. Yes New! You can now save this product for later. The main issue with economy-class plane seats, even the ones that actually recline more than three degrees, is that you can’t stretch your legs out and rest them on anything. In-flight foot rests like the Sleepy Ride and inflatable Fly Pal can help, but I usually just use a Baggu Carry-On bag full of clothes and other relatively squishy items items as an in-flight futon that I can place right in front of my seat to extend its leg support. The goal is to always keep my feet elevated. Earplugs, pillows, and masks Saved View Want to be emailed when products you’ve saved are over 20% off? Success! You'll get an email when something you've saved goes on sale. Yes New! You can now save this product for later. Reusable earplugs are a must, but the small separate ones from brands like Loop always fall out of my ears and get lost in the no-man’s-land beneath my plane seat. Which is why I purchased a corded pair. Saved View Want to be emailed when products you’ve saved are over 20% off? Success! You'll get an email when something you've saved goes on sale. Yes New! You can now save this product for later. I’ll also sometimes drift off to a podcast while wearing these noise-canceling Bose earbuds. It is actually shocking how much engine-clanking these can block out; they reduce the cacophony of the plane cabin to mere “poorly situated Brooklyn apartment” levels, and are more compatible with my sleep mask and pillow than over-ear headphones (although the Bose versions of those are also great). I bring an Airfly to pair them with the in-flight entertainment system, as well as a back-up pair of wired headphones in case of battery issues. Saved View Want to be emailed when products you’ve saved are over 20% off? Success! You'll get an email when something you've saved goes on sale. Yes New! You can now save this product for later. Ornithologically inclined readers will be familiar with the practice of covering a bird’s cage with a blanket and forcing it to sleep. On a plane, you are the bird. Sensory deprivation is the only way to survive. And this lightweight and breathable blackout mask from Manta is better than any eye cover I’ve ever tried. The adjustable cups are deep enough that I can open and shut my eyes without ever touching fabric, yet not a ray of light seeps in. And the padded strap adjusts easily and remains in place without ever feeling too tight. Saved View Want to be emailed when products you’ve saved are over 20% off? Success! You'll get an email when something you've saved goes on sale. Yes New! You can now save this product for later. Airlines usually provide blankets on long-haul flights, but I’ve taken to bringing a backup. It gets cold up there, and how often do those things really get laundered? Trtl’s blanket is plush and warm yet highly packable. Saved View Want to be emailed when products you’ve saved are over 20% off? Success! You'll get an email when something you've saved goes on sale. Yes New! You can now save this product for later. $145 I’ve had plenty of sky-sleep success with Trtl’s neck-brace-like pillow, as well as Cabeau’s more traditional U-shaped memory-foam one. On my most recent flight to Australia, though, I opted for the personal sensory deprivation chamber that is this Pluto Pod. It offers a complete in-flight sleep experience, bracing the neck while also blocking out light and sound. Embarrassing to wear at first, but I try and tell myself that it basically just resembles a big hoodie. Survival upon arrival Saved View Want to be emailed when products you’ve saved are over 20% off? Success! You'll get an email when something you've saved goes on sale. Yes New! You can now save this product for later. I’ve never been able to bring myself to use beauty products on the plane, but after landing I’m a fan of applying eye gels and face masks to moisturize and de-puff in private. These Patchology ones are especially refreshing if you stick them in the fridge for a few minutes first. More From The Strategist An Advent Calendar for Every Kind of Person I’ve Been Sleeping So Well Since I Started Spraying Magnesium on My Feet The Best Clean Anti-Aging Skin-care Routine, According to Experts The Best in Class Hall of Fame See All The Strategist is designed to surface useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Every product is independently selected by our team of editors, whom you can read about here. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change. Everything I Use to Survive 24-Hour Flights to Australia
