The future is here! From today you can book a non-stop flight from London to Perth. Qantas announced today that their Perth-London Heathrow tickets are now available to purchase. First flights will be departing on March 24, 2018. This route will be offered daily. This is officially the longest flight in the world.
17 Hours to Spare
Here is entrepreneurs guide to flying long haul. Instead of looking at it as the worst 17h of your life we offer an alternative approach to travel.
Meditate
First hour in any given flight is rather a waste of time. You have to watch the safety video (we don’t advise against – it is a 17h flight and if the plane goes down you better know what to do!), get settled and familiarise yourself with neighbours. It is unlikely that any food will be served in that time so my recommendation is to use this time to meditate. Make sure to have a decent pair of headphones (over the ears preferably!) and use an app such as Calm to destress after the airport experience and even potentially nap for an hour. This will give you a wonderful boost of energy you are going to need on that flight.
Write
It is time to get your shiny laptop out of the bag. Use the first 2h for a productive work. You can write a number of blog posts, make a list of podcast episodes you would like to record or start writing the first few chapters of your book. Perhaps there is a presentation you ought to start working on? Writing is the key – you want to squeeze out as much as possible out of your brain in this time. Having a good quality headphones and endless supply of good music (go for variety!) will guarantee a successful trip. No amount of screaming children will ruin your experience!
Eat and Stretch
You will likely have a number of meals on your journey. Lunch, dinner or breakfast. Make sure to use this time to MOVE as much as you can. Eating will not take you more than 15 minutes. Use the 45 to just walk up and down the plane, do stretches and try to be the one annoying passenger who chooses to do yoga in the crew hall space (who doesn’t want to do yoga in the air!?). I have always been nervous about jumping on the plane…
Podcast
After food I usually find it rather hard to focus. Try to find a good podcast to listen to or an audio book of something you wanted to read for a long time. Close your eyes and listen for an hour at a time. It will be relaxing and also will serve a good purpose of education – no amount of that time will be wasted. Going for more than hour risks less of an attention so try to space the time between your audio reads. I also advise against physical books on a plane. You never know what sort of lighting you will get but also you can be easily distracted by people moving about and doing silly things. Just close your eyes and actively listen. It may be worth to ask your neighbour to wake you up when the food trolly comes along.
Planning
If you have a continuous 17h of time to spare why not use it to make short, medium and the long term plans for your business. All you need is a pen, a piece of paper and your imagination. As entrepreneurs we usually complain of a lack of time to do the time consuming things. This is your golden ticket to have it done! On average I take 2 long haul flights a year – if I only focused I would have my years planned with a great detail by now 🙂
Inbox Zero
Some flights now enjoy internet connectivity. For a small fee you can connect online and simply do what everyone struggles with – grind till your reach inbox zero!
Food and Beverages
If you want to have a good flight and feel like at least half human when you land then follow those simple tips. Especially if it literally is the longest flight in the world. Your body will have enough time to perform a complete shut down if not looked after.
- Always order a vegetarian food – you will always be served first and you don’t have to eat an animal that was sitting in the fridge for 3 days or more.
- Water all the way – don’t drink anything plane made (apart from water). Stick to water and if you can bring a fresh juice on board (some airports sell them after the security) then stock up! You can also bring your own herbal teas and just ask the crew for a hot water.
- Nut and fruit energy bars – if you can get them on a plane then do! Fantastic way to boost your energy and your bowels will be thankful too!
- Avoid alcohol – yes I am serious! Drinking alcohol will make you want to use the loo twice as much as you would otherwise, you will have a headache when landing AND you will not be able to catch a quality sleep. WHY would you do this to yourself. All for a “free” cheep alcohol? You can do much better than this AFTER you land.
Clothes
Bring with you pyjamas. Change as soon as you can after the take off. It does not have to be strictly pyjamas but something baggy and made from breathable materials will do. For ladies I suggest something you can wear with no bra – you will feel 100% better for it! Don’t forget to bring a fresh set of underwear to change to before the landing.
Enjoy
Most of all approach your travel with a smile. Crying baby? No problem! Give that poor mum a big smile. She will be happy and you will be officially a 5 star flyer!
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