© UnknownLatitude Images/ShutterstockWhether it's cross-country or across the Atlantic, it helps to have a few handy go-to tricks to make the flying process as smooth as it can possibly be (if you're afraid of flying, that's a whole other conversation). With airlines continuing to cancel thousands of flights, slashing routes, or banning pets to reduce the ridiculously high number of delays and baggage issues, we need all the help we can get to make it to the other side in one piece (and without a breakdown). Here are a few tried-and-true tips for surviving a super-long flight for those of us not fortunate enough to be pampered up in business.© Asada Nami/Shutterstock
On a flight to Japan, I had a window seat. The legroom was minimal, but I'm 5'3", so that wasn't a huge concern for me. Aside from having an incredible view, it also meant I had a wall to lean on, sleep on, and shamelessly drool all over. On the flip side, I was trapped. I was forced to repeatedly interrupt the woman next to me right in the middle of her inflight rom-coms every time I needed to stretch my legs or my bladder reached the point of desperation. Eventually, I just started getting up every time she did.
On the return flight, I sat in an aisle seat. That meant I was the person whose inflight movie got interrupted every time the person next to me had to get up. While one of my legs might have had a little extra room to creep into the aisle, that did not make up for the frequent interruptions or the challenges of sleeping upright. Even with a neck pillow, my head was falling all over the place like a broken bobblehead doll every time I dozed off. Out of 11 hours in the air, I didn't get a minute of sleep.
Sara Norris is a freelance writer and photographer based in San Diego.