This phrase sometimes appears on my airline reservation, and it means I’m traveling out of the country. It also creates a situation that I have yet to resolve: trying to sleep on an overnight flight!
It’s not that I haven’t read article after article about how to sleep/rest/relax on one of these flights. I’ve also asked other people what they do. This has produced some helpful answers, such as taking sleeping pills, wearing eye shades, ear plugs, and so on. These are very interesting. But my biggest distraction is the little screen in front of me with on-demand options.
You would think that I’d never watched a movie or a television program the way I treat this. I check all the choices for movies, and even if I would never have watched them at home, suddenly they become fascinating. My record is five movies on a trip to Europe. And I only liked two of them! This leaves little, if any, time for actually sleeping. The only reason I know that I dozed off a little is when I’m watching a movie and suddenly the credits are rolling. Then I know I must have fallen asleep. So I rewind the movie to where I lost track and I have an idea of long I was asleep.
When I decide it’s time to try to rest, I’ll put on classical music and turn the volume down. This works a little, but not really. Then I decide to watch documentaries thinking this will put me to sleep. But I have found them quite interesting, too.
When the plane arrives at our destination, I’m surprisingly awake and alert. At this point I’m on the local time zone, so I’m up all day! Even that night I’m still wide awake. But an adventure is starting and I can always catch up on my sleep when I get home.
Meg Travels 
I feel tired now! I can’t sleep on planes either, and I don’t like long flights for that reason. The thing is that I really want to lie down and that’s not usually possible. Don’t you get bored watching 5 movies one after the other? I’m amazed you can do that.
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I’d really like to say I get bored, but I don’t! When I get up to walk around, I can see that almost everyone else is asleep. I then go back to my seat and start another movie… :)
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I wish I could do that, maybe I should try it.
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If I ever find a way to rest on an airplane, I’ll definitely share that information!
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Thank you, likewise!
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I have never experienced a long flight before and I am glad on arrival you were ready for your adventure. Love the photos.
BE ENCOURAGED! BE BLESSED!
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Thanks Francine. I really don’t mind not sleeping on the plane because I’m looking forward to beginning the adventure!
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Hi,
I always have trouble sleeping on flights, as you know from Australia it is always 18 to 24 hour flights depending on your destination. I put it down to adrenaline pumping over time in the system, excitement of new things to see and do, I have tried a lot of different things to keep the adrenaline down, but nothing has worked to date. :D
Lovely photos.
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I definitely understand what you’re saying. I think I’m doing well if I get in a nap or doze for a few minutes. It’s a start… :)
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Sorry, can’t help you out. Even on short flights, I’m the guy in the next seat snorring to keep you awake. ;)
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That’s quite all right. I’ve noticed that some people fall asleep as soon as they’ve fastened their seat belts. It must be nice… :)
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The lovely Paris!
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It’s such a beautiful place!
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LOVE the paris pics. We returned recently and now your posts make me want to go back…………..NOW
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So glad to be able to remind you of Paris! Especially since anytime is a good time to visit there… :)
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It’s a while since I have flown long-haul but I do remember that I was never able to sleep for long on the flight. I agree with you that there well be plenty of time to catch up on sleep when you arrive home. I love your images of Paris – one of my favourite cities.
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I think knowing that I’d be in Paris the next day made it impossible for me to even think about sleeping…so losing a few hours of sleep was a small price to pay!
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Maybe you need to consider taking some “BORING” material with you on the plane – physics, algebra, accounting, etc. – ha! I cannot sleep on planes either – tried covering the eyes and ears as well as Tylenol PM with no success. I usually do better sneaking in a power nap once I arrive at my destination:) Safe Traveling!!!
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Now that’s a really good idea! I’ll look for something uninteresting to read to take with me. It’s worth a try… :)
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It sounds like you’re just “amped” with excitement, and I’m not sure there is any way you really want to suppress that! You’re right, you’ll acclimate when you get home. I don’t enjoy flying and on a business trip took something “the doctor ordered”–BUT, I later fell asleep IN the meeting. I had to claim I was sick! I won’t do that again! Your trip had to be most lovely…just looking at the pictures I can see that :-) Debra
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I think you’re right Debra- I really can’t wait for a trip to begin. And even if I miss out on a few hours of sleep, the whole experience was worth it!
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Sounds like you’re on an exciting adventure! Great photos!
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Thanks. I really do enjoy everything about traveling, including the plane rides!
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I have the same problem and if I do manage to doze off, I can always count on a member of the flight crew to wake me up with an important announcement about duty free shopping or a weather report for the destination I won’t reach for another five or six hours.
These are wonderful photos by the way. I especially love that shot of the Eiffel Tower!
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I forgot about the announcements! There are so many distractions on long flights… And thanks – I kept looking for different vantage points for the Eiffel Tower picture!
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Meg, I am tired now….wow how did you do it all and not rest well? I loved the photos…felt like I travelled somewhere!!
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I don’t know why I’m not tired by the morning, since I only “rest” an hour or two! And I’m glad that you enjoyed the pictures… :)
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Living in Australia means that most flights overseas are long and flights to Europe always include ‘sleep time’, but I’m a bit like you, I watch movies and tv shows or read a book. The excitement of travel and discomfort of being squashed into economy means that I tend to have naps rather than really sleep. What I did on our last trip is choose a flight that lands about midday so I only have to keep busy for half a day and then once I go to bed I sleep like a log – it helped us avoid jet lag as well. We had a few hours in Dubai to break up the flight but it was still 27 hours of travel and very tiring.
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You’ve thought of a great way to deal with being on a long flight! It really makes sense and since it helps to avoid jet lag, all the better. These are some of the best tips I’ve heard! Thank you… :)
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You’re very welcome, long flights can be tedious but getting stressed about not sleeping will only hinder sleep. I just nap when I can and remind myself that fun and adventure awaits me :-)
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That’s such a good reminder that the adventures and memories from travel are what’s important!
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I really envy the folk who can just turn off and snooze during a flight. I useally find that even if I do nod off the crew will try and wake me up with a sales pitch for something I don’t want!
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I agree! And with all the distractions, it’s really a modest goal to just get in a nap… :)
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It’s not asking much really :)
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I rarely sleep either.
In my case it’s usually because I’m being sick. My friend can hand me a paper bag and explain to other passengers that I’m ‘overexcited (again)’ without even looking up from her book. She’s the ideal travel companion all the same.
I think it is the seats. Far too uncomfortable to sleep sitting up, and if I do flake out from exhaustion I wake up with a neck that won’t straighten up. Worth it though.
I really must see Paris. It isn’t even far – relatively – from me and I’ve hankered to go there for twenty years now. I could even go by train!
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Travel can be challenging… But you should try to go to Paris, especially if you could go by train!
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I love Paris. :-)
Thanks for reminding me how much. :-)
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I’m so happy that this story reminds you of Paris. It’s such a beautiful place!
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You are nominated for The Versatile Blogger award!
Check here for details – http://theurgetowander.com/2012/03/15/its-raining-blog-love/
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Thank you so much for the nomination! It is really an honor… :)
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Lovely Paris photos. I am “bad sleeper” in airplanes. Last time really slept when flying from Buenos Aires to Frankfurt on nonstop flight which lasted about 15 hours.
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I think that’s wonderful that you were able to sleep on a long flight! And I’m glad that you liked the pictures of Paris… :)
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Looking at your pictures takes me back to when I travelled to Paris :)
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I’m so glad to know that! I think that being reminded of Paris is a good thing… :)
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Same here! I also can´t resist the movies, even though I´d probably not choose to see most of them on “dry land”. We crossed the International Date Line 3 times on a round the world trip – horribly confusing and we really messed up some of our hotel bookings ;)
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I don’t know what it is about watching movies on a long flight! Just thinking about a round the world trip sounds wonderful – and tiring… :)
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Oh I sympathise, there have been times when I’ve been wide awake, usually because my brain is whirring as I’m so excited to be off on my travels, but for the most part I can usually get some sleep – sheer exhaustion usually works the best for me!
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I agree with you! The excitement of starting a trip does make it hard to sleep. But at some point it becomes necessary to rest, too… :)
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I could offer to tell you an incredibly boring story . . . guaranteed sleep-inducer. Perhaps my feckless youth? Perhaps my admirable history as a social leader and popular party guest? Ummm, maybe you’ll be better off with a good sleeping pill or something. :)
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Actually I think that your stories would be really interesting! They’d be anything but boring… :)
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I have yet to sleep while en route. There is too much excitement about where I am going, what there is to see…
Be glad you are flying over the Atlantic and not crossing the Pacific Ocean. When I flew to Vietnam from Los Angeles ten years ago, it was two days before I got any sleep at all, the time difference was huge and there was so much to see and do.
Hopefully you will do better than I do traveling. I get so excited about the possibilities that sleep often suffers until I get home. C’est la vie!
Léa
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It’s a real challenge trying to sleep on a plane! Maybe the next time I have an overnight flight I’ll just stay up and not even try to sleep. That way, if I doze at all I’ll think it’s a great accomplishment!
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That is what I do. I am not saying that is the thing to do but it is how I deal with it. Best wishes,
Léa
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Wouldn’t it be great if you went backwards across the time zones if the ticket read – Past Arrival…
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That’s an intriguing idea! I’ll have to investigate and see if there’s really a name for it… :)
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