Top tips for surviving a long-haul flight

I'M FLYING TO THE CARIBBEAN VIA LOS ANGELES AND MIAMI IN JANUARY. I HAVEN'T DONE ANY LONG-HAUL FLIGHTS LIKE THIS BEFORE. I'VE BOOKED AISLE SEATS SO I CAN AT LEAST STRETCH MY LEGS, AS I AM FAIRLY TALL. ANY TIPS TO HELP ME MAKE THE TRIP MORE COMFORTABLE?

W. ORTH, BILGOLA

Even better than an aisle seat is an exit-row seat. Some airlines sell these for a modest surcharge and it's well worth the extra cost on a long-haul flight – check with yours. If not, get to the check-in desk early and request an exit-row seat.

Pack a neck pillow, earplugs and an eye mask, and if you can possibly lay your hands on a pair, noise-cancelling headphones.

Maintaining hydration is important and on many airlines, crew don't come around with the water often enough. Buy a litre once you're past the security checks and ask the crew for refills. From the same school of thought, alcohol will add to the dehydrating effect of the low-humidity cabin environment.

If the flight isn't full, grab an extra pillow; the more you can fit your lumps and bumps to the seat the better.

Get up and walk down the aisle as often as you can. Sitting immobile for long periods carries a risk of deep-vein thrombosis, which is what happens when blood clots form in the leg, and the best way to stop this from happening is by moving around the cabin.

I like to throw a couple of Colgate Wisp toothbrushes into my carry-on kit. They're small, no toothpaste is required and they deliver an instant fresh-feeling mouth. Ditto for pill-size mints. I also take along some one-shot eye-drop sachets to get rid of that scratchy red-eye feeling.