How to Prepare for Your Next Long-haul Flight

There’s nothing better than touching down after a long-haul flight and feeling refreshed and ready to tackle your action-packed itinerary. With a little preparation before reaching the boarding gate, you can minimise the effects of jet-lag and hit the ground running. Here’s what to do before heading sky-high.

Drink up

“Long-haul travel can be taxing on the whole body, including the skin,” says Rosi Fernandez, managing director of La Prairie Australia and New Zealand. “The air in planes tends to be dry, which can lead to dehydration.” Prepare for these conditions in the period leading up to your trip by drinking at least two litres of water each day. 

Avoid coffee and alcohol the night before you fly and bring an empty water bottle to fill up once you’ve passed through customs. “In addition to drinking lots of water, taking a silk eye mask with you on board to help with getting some shut-eye is a gentler option on your eyes than a fabric one,” suggests Fernandez. 

Give your skin a lift

Between boarding your flight and claiming your checked-in luggage, your skin can go through a lot. “Sitting for extended periods reduces blood circulation, contributing to puffiness and dark circles around the eyes,” says Fernandez. 

To combat this, beauty brand La Prairie offers 30-minute express facials at Sydney International Airport to help hydrate, relax and prepare the skin before take-off. Book a session online (or even on the day of your trip), then head to the Art of Beauty Facial Lounge within the Heinemann Tax & Duty Free space to indulge in one of four treatments. There’s Caviar Essentials Introduction ($195) which helps improve elasticity and tone; Caviar Illumination Introduction ($250) to firm and reveal a glowing complexion; Gold Radiance Introduction ($270) which supports the smoothing and evening out of skin texture; and Platinum Haute-Rejuvenation Introduction ($330) which adds softness and promotes the diminishment of fine lines. 

“The benefits of facial massage are well documented, from nourishing your skin with deep hydration and increasing circulation,” says Fernandez. Getting pampered before a flight can also help to reduce stress and improve your mood. 

Get moving

Doing some endorphin-boosting exercise ahead of your journey can make your long-haul flight more comfortable by assisting with stress management and improving mobility and quality of sleep. Just be sure to keep it light with a relaxed walk, swim or yoga class. Once you’re up in the air, move around as much as you can by strolling up and down the aisles when possible and doing leg stretches while seated to keep your blood flowing.

Eat well

To minimise the impact transiting across time zones has on your body clock, stick to small meals before flying. Fill up on foods high in tryptophan (chicken, tofu, salmon, oats and milk) and pair it with quality carbohydrates (brown rice, quinoa and wholemeal bread) to support your body’s production of melatonin, which helps with sleep.

Colourful fruits and vegetables are packed with antioxidants, vitamins and minerals that can give your immune system a boost. Try to limit drinking to a single celebratory pre-flight champagne – it might feel like alcohol makes it easier to drift off, but even one or two glasses can reduce the quality of your sleep.