Tips for Long Flights

There are loads of tips out there for surviving and thriving on long haul flights. I won't try to compile an exhaustive list here, but I will share my favorite ideas to avoid utter exhaustion, as I prep for a trip half way around the world to celebrate the holidays with family in the charming Santa Fe, New Mexico.

The list appears more or less in the order in which I do these things:

1. Request a special meal. Most flights, especially big international carriers, cater to a lot of diets. Whether you have dietary restrictions or not, requesting a specific meal gives you some choice in what you eat AND it gets you your meal delivered before the service cart takes its trip down those long aisles. 
2. Download new music, podcasts and books to your devices before departing. Make sure those devices are charged (and maybe even keep chargers or a power supply handy - I like this little guy).
3. Pack a travel pillow, comfortable layers, earplugs and an eye mask in your carry-on luggage. Closing your auditory and visual senses can really help lull you to sleep.
4. Bring some vitamin D, hand wipes and lotion on the plane. These things help me feel clean and stay healthy (I always have snacks and teabags too).
5. Hydrate. This is so important; I know it's tempting to take advantage of the free booze... and it may help you sleep at first, but it will mess with your sleep patterns in the long run and you will arrive feeling much more run-down if you have imbibed. 
6. Be patient and have fun! The flight is part of your trip! 

What do you do to enjoy long flights? Post below! :) 

Not an example of traveling light, but this was taken when I was moving to Myanmar!

Recipe of the Week:
Simple Vegan Quiche! What?!? I made this for my Vegans Anonymous club and it was a hit! I was never a big quiche-lover, but this version offers a savory breakfast option without use of eggs or cream (it's probably a lot lower calorie too). The hashbrown crust makes it delicious and gluten free as well!

Just finished reading:
Burmese Days by George Orwell, a classic, albeit not exactly a heart-lifting or encouraging novel. Still, a recommendation for anyone interested in Myanmar.

The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett, another young adult novel. This is a fun fiction, what-if, story about the Queen (of England) and how she begins to become distracted from her royal duties because of... books!

The Art of Hearing Heartbeats by Jan-Philipp Senker, a more recent novel, set in Kalaw, Myanmar. My parents and I visited Kalaw last year and so I could really imagine the village and surrounding natural beauty described. This is a work of fiction, a bit of a mystery, but really an epic love story, that also reveals a lot about the culture and people of Burma. I started reading this on a Saturday night and finished less than 3 days later - it was quite the story!

I'll be flying a lot over the holidays, so look for more book recs coming in the new year!