After embarking on some of the longest flights in the world, sitting in a plane cabin for hours on end is beginning to feel normal.
I’ve spent 13 hours traveling between Los Angeles and Auckland, New Zealand. I’ve also made my way to Tokyo via a 12-hour flight.
However, getting to Tanzania from Denver was an entirely new feat. It took a whopping four flights and 33 hours.
I arrived at the airport two hours early and kicked off the trip on a three-and-a-half-hour flight to Washington, DC. After a five-and-a-half-hour layover, I embarked on a 13-hour flight to Ethiopia. Next was another two-and-a-half-hour layover followed by a three-hour flight to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
For the last stretch, I had one more two-and-a-half-hour layover and an hourlong flight to Tanzania’s island of Zanzibar.
Altogether, I spent more than 33 hours on planes and in airports. Unsurprisingly, the journey was filled with mistakes.
I packed a neck pillow but forgot my foot hammock.
I’ve experimented with a handful of viral airplane products. While some have let me down, others have drastically improved my flying experience.
One winner is a foot hammock that wraps around a seat’s tray table. It allows me to have my knees bent, creating a different seated position for a long flight.
I love it, but for this flight to Tanzania, I packed an inflatable travel pillow. I was flying light and felt like having two long-haul comforts was overkill in my limited space.
Unfortunately, I didn’t love the blow-up pillow. It felt bulky and uncomfortable, and instead, I longed for my hammock.
Looking back, the hammock wouldn’t have taken up much space and would’ve been worth packing. For future long-haul flights, I might even consider trying a brand-new product.
After landing in Ethiopia, I headed to the airport bathroom to freshen up. Instinctively, I used the tap water to brush my teeth.
Delirious after 22 hours of travel, I landed in Ethiopia feeling gross. I hadn’t brushed my teeth like I typically do on long-haul flights, so I immediately headed to the terminal’s bathroom to freshen up.
Instincts kicked in, and I used the airport’s bathroom water to brush my teeth.
I had spent less than 15 minutes in the country and already made one of the mistakes everyone urges you to avoid — drinking tap water.
The Ethiopia tourism site cautions people against drinking the country’s tap water and brushing their teeth with it, as it can cause waterborne diseases.
I spent the rest of my layover monitoring any slight change in my body. Thankfully, I didn’t consume much and was fine for the rest of my journey.
I typically don’t pack extra clothes, but for this journey, I wish I had.
Some long-haul travelers swear by changing into new clothes during lengthy travel days. I, however, have always considered this a waste. Unless I can shower and get clean, dirtying two sets of clothes typically doesn’t make sense to me.
After this 33-hour day, I’ve changed my mind. Brushing my teeth and washing my face in Ethiopia didn’t make me feel much more refreshed. But having a clean set of clothes would’ve been a game changer — mostly because it would’ve helped my mindset.
Instead of dreading the remainder of the trip, new clothes would’ve felt like a fresh start and potentially helped me manage the nine hours of the journey I had left.
I didn’t drink nearly enough water and should’ve packed electrolytes.
This is a common mistake I make on flights. Experts recommend drinking 8 ounces of water for every hour you’re in the air since flying is a dehydrating experience.
While it would’ve been challenging to consume 160 ounces of water, I definitely didn’t drink close to that amount, which contributed to my exhaustion and lethargy after landing in Tanzania.
Electrolytes or hydration salts could have also helped, so I’ll carry them on future flights.
I slept during the wrong flights.
I started my journey with a red-eye flight, which I initially thought was smart. My game plan was to fall asleep during the first flight and continue sleeping after a five-hour layover and during the longer 13-hour flight.
I successfully slept through most of the first flight, which was only three-and-a-half hours.
As soon as I boarded the 13-hour flight, I realized I made a major error: My body was still on Mountain Standard Time. It was morning, and I was wide awake.
Looking back, I should’ve forced myself to stay awake for the first flight and focused on sleeping during the longer flight. That way I could’ve been better adjusted to my destination’s time zone and had a few more hours of rest.
I didn’t pack enough comforts for when I struggled to fall asleep.
I didn’t give up hope after making that major mistake of snoozing on the first flight. So, after finishing meal service on my Ethiopian Airways flight, I attempted to get more rest.
I blew up my travel pillow, snuggled in my seat, and closed my eyes.
Sleep didn’t come, and I regretted not packing melatonin or another sleeping aid for the flight.
In general, I relied on technology too much for entertainment.
After boarding my 13-hour flight wide awake, I was ready to binge. I had downloaded the latest season of the “Great British Baking Show,” a movie or two, and a handful of “Normal Gossip” podcast episodes.
I was content for four hours. By hour five, my eyes had glazed over, and my ears ached from my headphones. Since I couldn’t sleep, I needed anything to keep me occupied.
What I wanted was a physical book or crossword puzzle. I was tired of looking at screens, but without anything physical in my bag, I was stuck flipping through passenger safety instructions and an e-book on my phone.
Next time, I’ll pack a crossword puzzle, magazine, and book to keep me occupied.
My TV downloads disappeared during my layover.
Once I landed in Ethiopia, I connected to the airport’s WiFi and checked in with friends and family.
Fast-forward to my next three-hour flight — I hopped into the Netflix app to finish my downloaded episodes, but everything had disappeared.
My guess is that the shows I downloaded weren’t licensed for Ethiopia, so Netflix removed them from my downloads.
I believe I would have kept my downloads if I had kept my WiFi turned off and my phone on airplane mode.
Either way, it was another reason for me to have packed a physical book to read.
Despite all these mistakes, I landed in Tanzania eager for new experiences.
I was groggy, smelly, and slightly delirious when I finally landed on the island of Zanzibar.
More importantly, I was thrilled to kick off my adventure. From the people to the animals to the food and scenery, my trip to Tanzania was worth every cramped minute on a plane.
The post My 33-hour journey to Tanzania included 4 flights and hourslong layovers. It was worth it, but I wish I’d avoided these 8 mistakes. appeared first on Business Insider.
