Assuming there¡¯s no delays or cancellations I¡¯ll be boarding the plane and in no time I¡¯ll be on the flight heading east, this is probably the worst part of the trip, having to stay seated for the good part of a day, I¡¯m not an overly active person normally but I still appreciate being able to get up and take a stroll outside. This is obviously not an option unless I sprout wings, although there¡¯s a list of smaller exercises you can do whilst sat on a plane in order to keep the circulation going and reducing the risk of a Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT).
As well as this the pressurised cabin is going to really make me uncomfortable due to my contact lenses, the air is really dry in a plane so I think I¡¯ll be taking them out before the flight, the dryness of the air will also mean that you¡¯re left dehydrated. Being dehydrated is the greatest problem on a plane, it is not unknown for people to not realise and end up fainting or passing out. Although drinks like coffee and alcohol are free it isn¡¯t advisable since these drinks are considered as diuretics, meaning you¡¯re going to be up and down going to the toilet all through the flight.
Going to the toilet is obviously an expected occurrence but if you¡¯ve ever had to endure an airplane¡¯s toilet in the past you¡¯ll know they¡¯re not the most pleasant facility in the world, so the less I need to go the better, it is advised that drinking plenty of water prior to flying keeps you hydrated and having some water in a bottle during your flights is a good idea especially since you¡¯ll be on the plane for a long time.
Aside from the in-flight entertainment which always seems to involve an episode of Only Fools and Horses that I¡¯ve seen a thousand times and a film that I probably would have never seen if given the choice there¡¯s not much else on offer. Luckily I¡¯ve got a few options since I plan to bring my PSP and iPod to while away the time, some flights even have electrical outlets in the seat but this tends to be a feature of business or first class travel, so if the flight has sockets then I won¡¯t need to worry about batteries running out. I¡¯ve always got a book which I¡¯ve been meaning to work my way through so I¡¯m a bit spoiled for choice in the entertainment department.
One thing I don¡¯t want to do when I get there is feel like I need to take a nap, by then I should be wide awake and ready to do some sightseeing, especially in Singapore so I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll spend too much time playing music and games and get some shut eye. I¡¯ve heard from some travel tipsters that setting your watch to the local time of where you¡¯re going and sleeping according to that time is a great way to avoid jetlag; this is something I¡¯m going to try out since I don¡¯t want to get into Singapore and end up sleeping whilst my connecting flight takes off.
So if I follow the advice I¡¯ve found out about and do some preparation then hopefully I¡¯ll have a fairly pleasant flight. Contrary to popular belief it¡¯s possible to get cheap flights to Sydney these days and coupled with the fact that I won¡¯t need to pay accommodation this should work out as a pretty thrifty holiday.