By my last count, we’ve flown with over 36 different airlines on 100-plus flights over the years. As I write this, I’m sitting aboard a Xiamen Air 787 Dreamliner somewhere between Melbourne and Xiamen, China.
Travelling by aeroplane still amazes me. The idea that you can board a plane on one side of the world and twelve hours later walk out of an airport terminal on the other side of the world still blows my mind. I can sit at the big glass windows in airport terminals for hours just watching planes land and take off.
Seeing an airline I’ve never seen before still gets me. The fact that something that big and heavy can just drop the hammer and lift off into the sky is, and always will be, mind-boggling to me.
If you live in Australia like we do, long-haul flying isn’t optional. We’re an island. There’s no train to hop on, no ferry to catch. You fly or you stay home.
We’re also unlucky enough that Melbourne Airport, which is right at the bottom of Australia, is our nearest airport. It means we have to fly four-plus hours north just to clear the Australian continent before we even get out of the country.
You’d think with all that genuine love of planes, I’d enjoy flying. I don’t. Not even close. If there was another way to get there, I’d take it every day of the week. It’s not that I have a fear of flying or anything like that. It’s just that when I actually get on a plane, I’m reminded pretty quickly of all the reasons flying annoys me.
Things I hate about flying
You’re basically sitting in a metal cylinder that Boeing or Airbus built as cheaply as possible, crammed with as many seats as the airline could fit in. That’s the reality of long-haul flying in economy. Does that sound like a good time?
The tray table situation. They bring you a full meal — main, bread roll, fruit cup, drink — and then just leave it all sitting in front of you for what feels like an hour. Meanwhile you can’t move, can’t open your laptop, can’t do anything. I just want my tray cleared from in front of me faster. That’s all I’m asking.
The reclining seat. The person in front drops their seat back and suddenly your meal tray is in your chest. I know seats are designed to recline, but come on — they should only be used at night. I just wish people thought about the person behind them before they did it. And yes, people will ask you to switch airplane seats too, most likely families who don’t want to pay for seat allocations — another joy of economy travel.
The aisle seat has its own problem. The moment you get comfortable, someone in your row needs the bathroom — most likely my wife Bec. You spend the next ten minutes doing that awkward half-stand shuffle while you wait for them to get back from the toilet. I am not sitting back down getting comfortable just to get up again when she comes back from the toilet.
Travelling as a couple has its own flying dynamic too. Bec falls asleep before we’ve even finished taxiing. Every time. I’m sitting next to her, wide awake, watching the flight map and calculating how many hours are left. She wakes up somewhere over Asia looking completely refreshed. I have no idea how she does it — if you’ve got a special technique for relaxing on a plane, I’m all ears.
The older I get — and I’m in my early 50s now — the harder the long-haul flights get. Travel after 50 is brilliant in most ways, but the seats don’t get any bigger and the legs don’t get any more patient. The seat gets smaller, the legs get stiffer and the tolerance for all of the above gets shorter. That’s just the truth of midlife travel.
Things I love about flying
One thing I will say — I actually like aeroplane food. There, I said it. I love the little tray with everything in its own compartment, peeling back the foil, checking what the sweet treat is and so on. Probably not a popular opinion. i’m sticking with it.
At the end of the day, the thing that gets me on every flight is what’s waiting at the other end. New cities, new streets, new food — these are the travel experiences that make it all worth it for me. When you base your life around travel it wins every time over my desire to never get on a plane again. The two feelings will never be reconciled. I just keep flying.
In an ideal world, i’d love to do three or four hours, get off, spend a night somewhere, then fly again the next day. Slow travel all the way to the destination. No time pressure, no rushing. Maybe one day that happens. For now, there are plenty more flights ahead for us.
We’ve been giving straight-up travel advice for midlife couples for over 26 years. Take a look at the story behind Street Eats & Window Seats. And if any of this sounds familiar, head over to our Life & Travel section — it’s full of the honest stuff.
Does long haul flying get harder as you get older?
Yes, honestly. In your 50s the seats feel smaller, the legs stiffen up faster and things annoy you more easily — noise, reclined seats, crying babies. That doesn’t mean you stop flying, it just means you get smarter about it. Aisle seats, compression socks, and getting up to walk every couple of hours all help.
What are the best tips for long haul flying in economy?
Book your seat early and pick carefully — aisle if you move around a lot, window if you want to sleep. Bring a neck pillow, noise cancelling headphones if you have them, and wear comfortable clothes. Drink water regularly and avoid too much alcohol. Get up and walk every couple of hours. Accept that it’s going to be uncomfortable and do what you have to do to get through it.
How do you sleep on a long haul flight?
Some people — like Bec — can fall asleep before the plane has finished taxiing. Others, like me, just can’t switch off. If you struggle to sleep on planes, a sleep mask and earplugs help more than most things. I use an inflatable pillow that wedges between myself and the seat in front of me. Turn the movie off, close your eyes and take some deep breaths — that can also help. Melatonin tablets are worth looking into for very long haul flights.
Is long haul flying from Australia harder than from other countries?
In a word, yes. Australia is geographically isolated at the bottom of the world — there’s no such thing as a short international flight if you’re heading to Europe, Asia or the Americas from the southern states. You get used to it, but it never stops being a long day.
Should you recline your seat on a long haul flight?
This is one of the great debates of economy travel. Our take — if it’s a daytime flight, leave it upright. At night, when everyone is trying to sleep, then go ahead and recline. The basic rule is just to be aware of the person behind you before you drop the seat back without warning.
