Opinions on extra long flights?

I have never been good at sleeping on planes - a few short naps is the best I can hope for. And I'm also prone to the swollen ankles thing, although since I discovered flight socks I have not really had to worry about that (do try them Rosalie, if you haven't already). I used to just go into the state of limbo Katherin talks about, but lately I've had problems with the nerves in my legs that make sitting in uncomfortable airplane seats rather painful. My husband is fed up with long flights too so in future we plan to try to have stop-overs - ideally somewhere interesting so we can make the break part of our holiday, but if necessary just a night in an airport hotel to get some sleep!

For our upcoming trip to Botswana we're not flying, as most Brits do, via Johannesburg (11.5 hours from London) and straight on to Botswana. Instead we're flying via Nairobi (7.5 hours) and spending a couple of nights there as a little extension to the trip.

If they ever get approval to use the cargo compartment for bunks during the cruising segment of the flight, I will find that a very attractive upgrade option.

I can imagine them giving people less space in business class but being allocated some time in a bunk.

I can't sleep on flights, but this might make the difference. Sounds more attractive than longer flights to avoid changing planes.

Bunks in cargo sounds interesting. We usually take direct flights from SFO to CDG and that's about 11 hours more or less. We get aisle seats across the aisle from each other so we're still together but can easily get up and walk around. This is fine during the day but most of the time at least one way is an overnight. My husband can sleep on the plane but I usually end up reading all night or reading and napping. Most airline magazines have exercises in the back of the magazine and I do those so haven't had trouble with legs or ankles swelling. When I was younger (much younger), I had horrible swelling on one trip and that's when I decided to try the exercises. They are wonderful and very easy to do on the plane even in cattle class. I haven't had a problem since doing them.

A couple times we've stopped in Michigan to visit family, spent a few days there and continued on to France. That is the easiest way to get there. A few days running around with grandkids and then a much shorter hop to France is quite comfortable. I'm a great fan of breaking up the trip when it makes sense. Unless you are doing something you enjoy, it might be a waste of vacation time though. Depends on the circumstances. For us, it's great.

I always try to add a couple of days after I have crossed a bunch of time zones. So flights of the same length (10-11 hours) are more stressful to me when going from Houston to Amsterdam (7 time zones) than the same length flight going from Amsterdam to Tanzania (only 1 time zone).

Time zones mean nothing to me, in a flight context. I've never experienced any kind of deleterious " jet lagged" effect. Sitting on a flight for a long time is taxing. Day or night, I'll get to the hotel and rack out for a while. If it's seven in the morning, that time will be brief. Seven at night...also brief. But the up time will also be brief, then back to bed. I'm able to sleep any time ....if I can lie down to do it.

I share Albert's (karazyal) views.

I don't mind a long flight as it gets me to where I want to go expeditiously. My routine is to eat, nap, watch a movie; and repeat. I always try to grab an aisle seat. That way I can get up regularly to walk around and do some simple exercises and stretch. That's important to prevent blood clots, which can be a problem if you're sitting for lengthy periods. I suspect most people move when they sleep on a bed at night (though they may not be aware of it). So moving around is important; and the inability to sleep soundly upright on a long flight might not necessarily be such a bad thing if it gets you moving.

I don't use compression socks. And I don't drink alcohol on flights. But I keep hydrated not only by drinking water but also by using saline nasal spray.

Massage your legs. My feet will be puffy for days sometimes after a long-haul in coach so every few hours I will massage my legs from toes to knees, to encourage circulation. In an exit/premium row it is easy to do in-seat, otherwise head to the galley when no one else is congregating there. In general doing a good set of stretches mid-flight is a must for me, also after landing if possible.

Also, I find it extremely beneficial to be able to get up and stretch at least once every 90 minutes. Not only does this keep me mentally more active/sane, it prevents DVT and cramping later on.

It does depend on whether you go cattle class or first class.

I hate long flightsI never sleep and I always come off feeling so sick. I chose now to always have stopovers where possible. Thirteen hours straight flying is probably my limit Once I got a chance to experience business class long haul. They had seats that became flat beds so I thought great I am going to sleep well Turned out this airline ran an eat when you want service so there was this constant noise and vibration of staff going up and down, serving meals on top of passangers ordering one drink after another (if you ask me after a certain amount of drinks just give them the bottle already ). Overall it wasn't the most restful environment