Flying to Vietnam: A Survival Guide
As 2019 is rapidly drawing to a close, I thought it would be a great time to finally start posting about another area of the world, which also happens to coincide with the first anniversary of when we began this particular adventure on December 30th, of 2018.
Traveling to Southeast Asia
First off, congratulations on your choice to visit that region of the world, and potentially stepping outside of your western comfort zone.
Second, I hope you packed your compression socks.
The Flight
My husband and I are avid travelers, but mainly to Europe. Having made the six to nine-hour flight across the pond several times, I considered myself a semi-professional traveler, and since we decided to take a much-delayed honeymoon, we wanted to GO BIG!
For several reasons, Vietnam shot to the top of our list, and thanks to a deal we found through Scott’s Cheap Flights, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity. Backpacks at the ready, we boarded the first leg of our journey to Hanoi Vietnam, on December 30th, 2018.
From Kansas City, we flew Delta airlines to Seattle Washington, where we caught our second and longest flight, to Seoul South Korea.
After a three hour layover, we boarded our third and final flight to Hanoi, this time on Korean Air (which was a MUCH better flight experience, that I’ll come back to later in this post).
After three flights with layovers, amounting to just over 27 hours of travel, we landed in Hanoi at around 10:30 pm, on December 31st (Keep in mind that Vietnam is twelve hours ahead).
Landing in Hanoi
Half out of my mind (I can’t sleep on planes), in need of showers, and not at our most functional, I was grateful that my husband had sprung for the car service provided by our hotel (which we had booked with points). I’ve heard terrible stories about weary travelers being picked up by independent drivers/car services and then being ransomed for release, but our hotel had a very clearly identified reception area for us to meet them upon our arrival, which set us at ease.
Challenges of Extended Flight
As I said earlier in this post, I thought that my multiple trips to Europe had prepared me for the duration of travel required to fly to Southeast Asia. I was wrong, and nothing could have prepared me (other than maybe first-class, hehehe).
Adding to the general stress of being cooped up for that long, were a few factors which won't apply to everyone, but should be taken into consideration none the less.
Physical and Medical Challenges
Typically I’m a very healthy person, but due to an accident a couple of months before this trip, I was still living with a great deal of physical discomfort, stemming from a herniated disc in my back (an improvement from my initial injury of three herniated discs). Additionally, and most difficult to cope with, was that the compromised disc, was pinching my sciatic nerve, leaving me often in tears, and with little to no recourse other than to just “grin and bear it.”
Struggling to sit or stand without pain, made the idea of 27 hours without being able to lay down to mitigate that stress, more than a little horrifying. But beyond back issues, sitting for more than just a handful of hours can result in swelling of your legs, which can be uncomfortable at best, and unhealthy at worst.
Depending on which seat you’re in, it might result in getting up and down semi-regularly to let people out of your row, or could be that you avoid getting-up at all, because you have to displace as many as three people to do so, just to walk the short distance of the aisle and return to your seat just three minutes later to repeat the whole shuffle.
Plane Design
For anyone that travels, it’s no secret that in recent years, Airlines have been reducing the level of comfort to those passengers purchasing Basic Economy tickets. Generally, I welcome the reduced sticker price of these seats and don’t even bother to investigate the model of plane a given flight may be on, for a domestic flight.
However, for international flights, when you know your backside is gonna start regretting your choice to be cheap around hour four, it can be helpful to investigate the actual model of the plane before you purchase the ticket, commercial aircraft are NOT all created equal.
That being said, even the best-laid plans can change, and never is this more true than when traveling. A great example was our flight from Seattle to Seoul, which was supposed to have been on a large plane operated by Korean Air. However, at the last minute, Delta (whom we had booked our travel through) changed the plane from the partner airline to one of their own Boeing 666 planes. If you’re not familiar with the 666, it’s an older style plane, is smaller than is typically flown internationally, and was a very unwelcome surprise for the twelve-hour duration of this leg of our flight.
How-To Improve Your Inflight Experience
While most people covet the window seat, on long flights, it pays to get up and move around at least once every couple of hours. In my case, I had to get up and walk the isles in an attempt to keep my back from cramping, every 45 minutes, much to the chagrin of the passengers I had to displace each time I left my seat.
As an additional aside to this, it can be really easy to forget to drink water while on long flights. Remembering to stay hydrated, while increasing the number of times you may need to “go” during your flight, will help keep your body comfortable by the act of getting up, and will in general help you feel much less gross and irregular by the time you land.
Compression socks! While not at all fashionable, they do help keep your legs from feeling like watermelons about to burst. I would advise putting them on before boarding the plane though because it can be a challenge to do so once in your seat.
Invest in your rest, and get a good neck pillow. The typical crescent-shaped neck pillows are a total waste of money for me because I have a long neck. I spent a little more money (about $35) and got a neck-wrap, which looks like a blanket wrapped around your neck but hides a supportive neck form for one side of your neck and lower jaw. This design also packs away MUCH better than a pillow.
I’m not recommending drugs, but it’s not a bad idea to bring some over the counter options with you. I typically keep a couple of tablets of aspirin or ibuprofen, and low dose melatonin, at arms reach. The melatonin doesn’t help me sleep, but it does help me relax and feel less crampy on long flights.
Headphones can change your life. I’m guilty of being a bit of a scrooge when it comes to spending money on headphones, but on a long flight, they can help keep you from losing your mind. My husband has a nice pair of over-ear, noise-canceling, BOSE headphones, which he often uses solely for the noise-canceling function to block the loud hum of the plane engines out. I, on the other hand, have a much cheaper option of noise-canceling earbuds which cost about $50 (generic brand found on Amazon). The noise-canceling function isn’t nearly as good, and the earbuds aren’t as comfortable for prolonged wear but are MUCH better than having none, or not having any noise-canceling function at all.
Hygiene can improve your inflight disposition, so I try to make that easier on myself by not wearing makeup while traveling. Instead, I wear a tinted moisturizer, and keep a travel-size tube of it, along with facial cleansing cloths, a mini hairbrush, and a toothbrush in my purse. You can wash, brush, and re-moisturize as often as you need.
Learn some yoga poses before you go! While the thought of doing some downward dog while waiting at your gate might seem “icky,” it was my saving grace on this trip. Stretching cramped muscles, and decompressing your spine (injury or no), is a great tool to have in your traveler toolbox. Not restricted just to layovers in the airport, there are even some stretches you can do while seated on the plane! Granted you may not be as uncomfortable as I was, but I gave no F’s what other people thought I was doing, and instead did whatever it took to remain comfortable.
Per what I mentioned above regarding investigating the model of the plane before booking your trip, this is also a way to help mitigate discomfort. Planes might be changed, but if they don’t, you might have the opportunity to gain yourself an additional couple of inches of legroom, over another plane. At 5’9” both of my knees touched the seat in front of me on the 666… for twelve hours. Chew on that before you rush through the checkout process.
While I’m not making this an item on my list, I would hope that if you’re considering a trip like this, it goes without saying that comfort MUST take precedence over fashion. I wore my “laying around the house on a Sunday” outfit and just make it a point not to take pictures of myself while in travel mode.
Got Travel Tips?
I want to hear from you, things that you do or use, to improve your travel experience. Leave your comments below, and let's have a conversation :)
