Well if I’m being nit picky, it’s really only 21 hours of flying. It’s six hours from JFK to LAX, then you have a two hour layover, and then a quick (queue sarcasm) 15 hour flight from LAX to SYD. But of course, it just had to snow on the day I was flying out, so the flight was delayed for about an hour and a half. So naturally, I was worried that I would miss the connecting flight. Thankfully, the plane to SYD from LAX was late so I made it! The plane actually landed 15 minutes ahead of its scheduled time!
Even so, this was the longest plane ride I’ve ever been on and probably will ever be on. (Until I go to New Zealand, whenever that is!) I’m not a fan of flying. At all. I’m not scared or anything but I just get restless if it’s anything over three hours. Plus, I can’t sleep on planes. But surprisingly, the flight was not as bad as I was expecting it to be. I’ve only been on short flights to Europe and Hawaii (yes, compared to Australia, those were short). So I think the problem with those is that they were too short. But before you ridicule me, hear me out. In order to function, the ideal number of hours of sleep you should get each night is 8 hours. Most nonstop flights from NYC to somewhere in Europe are around there. So technically, you should be asleep the whole time you’re flying. Realistically, if you’re like me, you’re probably only getting about 3 hours of sleep in total. But with Australia, I had time to sleep. Don’t get me wrong – it wasn’t good sleep, but I did manage to get maybe five or six hours of shut eye in total, which is doable.
And the trick to those five luxurious hours? A nightcap! Now, I’m not saying that you should get drunk…you don’t want to be THAT person. But if a glass or two of wine will help you sleep (and by glass, I mean those small plastic bottles that you pour into a plastic cup), then go for it! You’re on vacation! You deserve it! It’s 5 o’clock somewhere!
So what do you when you’re not sleeping or at least attempting to sleep? Watch a movie, or four!
And don’t forget to factor in meal time! Qantas gave us three free meals (and that’s not including the one we already had on the way from NYC to LA. Of course, it’s not the best tasting meal. It’s not Instagram-worthy and it probably isn’t even photo-worthy. Still, it wasn’t the worst plane food I’ve ever had.
Food, booze, and TV – what more could you ask for on a long haul flight like this one? It’s as good as it gets!
how to be a traveler 