It’s is not the airline’s fault, but catching a red-eye international flight is nothing glamorous.
If you have always pictured overnight flights like the scene in ‘The Lizzie McGuire Movie”, sadly it’s usually not how they go.
Fighting the cold temperatures
My whole body shivered with goosebumps. Achieving homeostasis is not an option. I couldn’t get warm. They gave me a blanket as soon as I was seated, but it wasn’t enough. The worst part of the Arctic my feet suffered in. I made the mistake of wearing open-toed shoes on the flight. Rookie mistake. They were cold, but not numb so I felt their discomfort every minute of the flight.
No comfortable way to snooze
There is no comfortable position. As hard as I tried there is no way to fall asleep comfortably on an airplane. I tried sticking my knees in the air and shoving my toes in the pocket in front of me usually used only for airplane magazines. But I worried that my knee caps were digging in the passenger’s back seated in front of me. I tried leaning my seat back, with the consent of the person behind me of course, and it was to no avail. Turning to the left, turning to the right, both made my neck ache with stiffness. Finally, I resulted in folding my pillow in half and laying my head on the pull out tray table. This is the most comfortable position I have found and I was able to sleep for about an hour.
Food-related illness
It was nice to have free food, but there is a reason why a certain food is free. I got the vegetarian option which included a six vegetable stir fry with noodles, a salad with grains, raisins, and some kind of leafy green, all topped with a loaf of bread. After I ate it my stomach didn’t feel great, and I knew to eat on the flight was a mistake. An hour later they came by with mango sorbet and water. This time I was very satisfied. A few hours pass by and they are required to serve breakfast, which is odd considering it is 12:30 in United States time. Breakfast included greek yogurt and a croissant with strawberry jam. A perfect breakfast or midnight snack.
Exhausted & sleepy upon arrival
At around 1:00 am our flight arrived. Only it was 7 am in Italy time. As much as I was aware there was a time difference I simply assumed that we would be on the flight until 8 am, not 8 am Italy time which is still midnight for Americans. The time difference is difficult to cope with. It is three in the morning and everyone is up and ready to go to Italy. Needless to say, I took a long siesta afterward.
Hair pulled back in a now greasy bun, face unwashed, and eyes red as hell I walked out of the airport ready to start the day.
Hopefully, you have a better experience catching a red-eye international flight.
Love,
Morgan
Other travel articles:
10 Things I Thought I Would Have To Give Up To Travel Abroad But Didn’t
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