I thought a 17-hour flight itinerary was draining enough, so I did not ever see myself going through a 24-hour one.
For the first flight and layover, I felt I was doing great. After all, I still had a lot more energy in me than I thought I would. Unfortunately, not everything went as smoothly as I’d hoped during the latter half of the trip.
Nonetheless, I did my best to make this trip as bearable as possible and pray that I got to my destination as efficiently and safely as possible.
A Little Background Information
This was my first ever 24-hour flight itinerary, 16 of which were in flight.
I was flying from San Francisco, CA to Saipan, MP, and had layovers in Tokyo and Guam.
All three airlines were United.
I was traveling by myself.
The information presented in this post is based on my own personal experiences and opinions, and should not be taken as professional advice. I, myself, am still learning and figuring out ways on how I can possibly make any future 24-hour flight itineraries more relaxing and tolerable.
Preparing for a 24-Hour Flight Itinerary
DRESS COMFORTABLY
Normally, I would wear jeans, a blouse, and a jacket for my flights.
This time around, I went in my long pajama bottoms, a regular tee, and a jacket. I also had on socks and running shoes. And of course my mask, along with extra ones in my carry-on. I wanted to be completely comfortable during my flights. I also kept an extra tee and undergarment in my backpack in case I needed a refresher.
ORGANIZE CARRY-ONS AND TOILETRIES WELL
I had one duffel bag as a carry-on and a regular-sized backpack as my handheld item.
I put any extra important items that couldn’t fit in my backpack inside the duffel bag, which goes in the overhead bin during the flight.
My backpack is my most valuable item. It carries all of my liquid bottles, tech equipment, keys, toiletries, an extra tee and undergarments, passport and boarding passes, wallet, and disinfectant items. My backpack is placed beneath the seat in front of me and is packed this way so that I don’t have to reach for anything in my duffel. Being a short person doesn’t exactly make it easy to constantly reach for and place back my bag up there.
I typically have my toiletries in zip locks, and they include: at least 1-2 of every travel-sized item I thought I’d need – toothbrush, toothpaste, sanitizing wipes, facial cleanser, as well as lip balm, eyeliner, and a couple of pads and extra panty liners. I also brought a couple of Vitamin C, Tylenol, and Midol with me since these are my only three go-to medicines/vitamins for practically everything.
PREPARE ENTERTAINMENT
Before heading to the airport, I downloaded at least two movies and two TV series for offline viewing on Netflix. I also placed two stories for offline reading on Wattpad. Thankfully during my first flight, there was in-flight entertainment, and it had a lot of movies that I was interested in.
I didn’t get to watch or read much during my flights though because I get dizzy after a couple of minutes.
Other than those, I also had my journal with me that I doodled and wrote a bunch of random things in.
TRY AND GET SOME REST DURING THE FLIGHT
My longest flight duration during this trip was about 11 hours, so I did spend extra to get Premium Economy so that I can be close to the toilets, as I wanted to avoid having to pass through many other passengers, should the flight be filled up. Plus, I knew that I needed to use the toilet at least once throughout the flight. I was also tempted to get extra legroom, but it was $200 over my budget.
For all of my flights, I wanted the window seat because I often lean my head against the edge of the window when I attempt to sleep. I also used my jacket as my pillow, and surprisingly found laying my head on the tray table to be comfortable. I get backaches after a while, but I can’t seem to sleep if I were to just sit up on my seat.
I might invest in a neck pillow for future flights. I have never tried one, but it seems to do wonders for people who have.
STAY HYDRATED
As much as I want to avoid using the toilets when I travel, I still make sure to keep myself hydrated with water. Even if I don’t feel thirsty, I noticed that drinking water often helps keep my energy up. We’re not allowed to bring outside drinks, but once we’re inside the airport, we can get bottles of water at the stores and drink up. The airline also typically offers complimentary bottled waters during the flights.
SPEND LAYOVER TIMES WISELY
During layovers, I always look for my connecting gate first. Once I located them, I either freshened up in the ladies’ room or sat on one of the chairs near it and wait. I used the time to also just stretch my arms and legs, and take in all the free space around me before getting into a much compact airline with more passengers.
Hopefully, on my next long layover, I can try exploring the airports more. I always never wanted to stray away from my gate because I often lose any sense of direction. I check out some local souvenirs and bring some back with me from the airport shops.
SCHEDULE AIRPORT PICKUP
For my final destination, I didn’t have to worry about how I’ll be picked up. In a normal situation, my parents would pick me up at the airport.
For this flight, it was part of the CNMI COVID-19 Protocols that all arriving passengers were to automatically be transported to a quarantine site in one of the shuttle buses provided by the government.
If I were to be landing in a different country with a 24-hour flight itinerary, I would probably search up and schedule any transportation service to get me because I would be extremely tired to try and flag down a taxi or get into public transportation.
Let's chat!
What was your experience like of going through a 24-hour+ travel itinerary, if you had one?
