Long Haul Flight Tips for Kiwis: Surviving the Big Flight

How do you beat jet lag after a long flight?

Jet lag is a mismatch between your body clock and the new time zone, and it usually bites once you've crossed more than three time zones. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggests easing into it before you fly - heading to bed an hour or two later for westbound travel or earlier for eastbound - and, on long flights, following the sleep schedule of your destination once the time difference is three hours or more.

Most Kiwi trips are a long way east or west of home, so the practical move is to set your phone and watch to destination time as soon as you board, then sleep when it's night there and stay up when it's day. Short naps of 15-20 minutes are fine if you're flagging; a three-hour sleep at the wrong time is what wrecks the first week.

On arrival, get outside. The CDC notes that spending time in bright light at your destination during the day helps your body clock shift. A walk to find lunch and a coffee beats crashing on the hotel bed at 2pm. Aim to arrive at least two days before anything that matters - a wedding, a job start or a hiking booking - so you're not doing it on no sleep.

How do you look after your legs on a 12+ hour flight?

Sitting still for hours is the real health risk of a long flight. The CDC says anyone travelling more than four hours - by air, car or bus - can be at risk of blood clots, and recommends moving your legs regularly and walking the aisle every one to two hours. Healthify, New Zealand's health information service, gives similar advice: flex your calf and foot muscles every half hour or so, walk when the seatbelt sign is off, and avoid sleeping tablets because they keep you still for longer.

Simple seated exercises do the job: straighten a leg and flex the ankle, or pull each knee towards your chest and hold it for about 15 seconds. If you have had a clot before, have a family history of clotting, or have other risk factors, talk to your doctor before you fly - they may suggest graduated compression stockings, which a pharmacist can fit. If you notice swelling, pain or warmth in a leg after a flight, or breathlessness or chest pain, get medical help straight away.

What should you eat and drink on a long haul flight?

Drink water steadily rather than waiting until you feel thirsty, and take an empty bottle through security to fill up airside. The CDC advises small meals and avoiding alcohol during flights, and using caffeine strategically - only during destination daytime so it doesn't wreck your sleep. A glass of wine feels like a good idea at 35,000 feet; it tends to mean a worse sleep and a groggier landing.

What goes in your long haul carry-on?

• Documents and copies - SafeTravel, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade's service, recommends carrying copies of your passport, visas, prescriptions and insurance policy, keeping your passport valid for at least six months past your return date, and having travel insurance that covers what you plan to do. Registering your trip with SafeTravel takes a few minutes.
• Liquids in 100ml containers - On international flights from New Zealand, liquids, aerosols and gels in your carry-on need to be in containers of 100ml or less, packed together in a single resealable transparent bag of up to one litre. Medicines and baby items for the flight are treated differently, so check the Auckland Airport and Aviation Security guidance before you pack.
• Power and batteries - Spare lithium batteries and power banks belong in your carry-on, not checked luggage. Airlines are tightening their own rules on where you can keep and charge them, so check yours before you fly. Pack a short cable so you can charge from the seat.
• Comfort kit - A neck pillow, eye mask, earplugs or noise-cancelling headphones, a warm layer, socks and lip balm. Cabins are dry and cold, and a change of top and underwear in your carry-on is gold if your checked bag turns up late.
• Entertainment you downloaded earlier - Download shows, podcasts and playlists on home Wi-Fi so you're not relying on airport or onboard connections. Our guide to how much data you actually need overseas explains how much streaming costs you when you do use mobile data.

Is a stopover worth it on a long haul flight?

Often yes. Splitting the journey gives your body clock a gentler shift and breaks up the sitting. Popular hubs on the way from New Zealand to Europe and beyond include Singapore, Dubai, Doha, Abu Dhabi and Hong Kong, and a night or two there is a cheap way to add a country to your trip.

If you do stop, sort connectivity for the stopover as well as the destination. A Singapore eSIM or Hong Kong eSIM covers a layover city for the length of your stay, while the UAE eSIM plans and Qatar eSIM plans do the same for the Gulf hubs. For a bigger trip, compare a regional bundle against separate plans on the destination pages - the live prices decide it, not us.

How do you get online when you land?

Landing jet-lagged in a foreign arrivals hall is the worst time to hunt for a SIM kiosk or work out roaming. Buy and install an eSIM at home on your own Wi-Fi, switch it on when you land and you have maps, ride-hailing and messaging straight away. Our guide to eSIM versus a physical SIM covers how that works and when a local SIM still makes sense, and our setup guide walks you through installing it.

If you're heading overseas for months rather than weeks, see our OE eSIM guide for how to get through the first stretch. Doing a big North American or Asian trip? The US trip guide and Japan guide show the live-priced plan we'd pick for each.

Your long haul flight checklist

• A week out: shift your bedtime an hour or two toward your destination, register on SafeTravel and download entertainment and offline maps.
• The day before: install your eSIM at home, check passport validity and pack liquids in 100ml containers.
• On the plane: set your watch to destination time, drink water, walk every hour or two and skip the sleeping tablets.
• When you land: get into daylight, eat at local meal times and push through to a normal bedtime.