Secrets to SURVIVE Long-Haul Flights in 2025 (Even in Economy)

After thousands of hours in the air and hundreds of comments from you guys sharing your own long haul flight tips, today I put them all together into the ultimate survival guide to make your next flight comfy and stress free, even if you're stuck in economy like most of us mortals. I've got some controversial snack strategies, clothing hacks that'll get you VIP treatment, and a few sleep tricks that even veteran travelers don't know about. First up, and I don't care how many of you roast me in the comments because of this, but the fanny pack is still king. It gives you extra packing space and you have everything at your fingertips in the airport and on the plane. Yes, airlines are cracking down on fanny packs, but I'll get to a solution in a second. I'll link to my favorite one down below, it's super affordable and big enough to fit a ton of stuff in it, but not too bulky that it draws attention from the airlines. Okay, so before we get into my somewhat controversial food hacks, and yes, one time I did have a standoff with the TSA over some peanut butter, let's talk about what actually goes in the fanny pack. There's two different phases. In the airport, I keep all my small valuables in my fanny pack. I have a dedicated pocket for my passport and boarding pass since I'm constantly taking that out all the time. Hand sanitizer goes in another pocket. Then in the big pocket, I just cram all my small valuables in there when I'm passing through TSA to keep everything safe and together, like my wallet, phone, watch, earbuds, and that sorts of stuff. Then when I'm waiting at the gate, I switch things around a little bit so I'll have all my flight essentials at arm's reach, like my Kindle, power bank, charging cable, snacks, headphones, eye mask, earplugs, chapstick, pen for immigration, and this Bluetooth adapter thingy which we'll get to in a second. Then I put the bigger items that I want close by, like my laptop, inside my personal item which will go under the seat in front of me. Make sure your personal item actually does fit under the seat though because it's not very nice to steal other people's overhead bin space with your personal item. 18 by 14 by 8 inches is a pretty safe size, but every airline is different. I recommend not jamming things 100% full in case you need to squeeze it in there, but sometimes you can't help it and I've been known to break my own rules sometimes too. Alright, before we get into food, entertainment, and sleep hacks, let's talk travel clothes. I feel like there's three different camps in the travel clothes world. The pajama people, the fashionistas, and the Goldilockses, or people who look put together but are low-key super comfy. In my experience, dressing somewhat nice but also comfy can make your entire airport experience smoother. For example, when I dress nice and have a cheery attitude at the check-in counter, they're more likely to let those minor baggage way issues slide. It also helps when I ask if I can volunteer to sit in the emergency exit row which gives me more leg room. Then after that, when you look nice in airport security, they tend to be less thorough in their screening process. Though it didn't help me very much during my infamous peanut butter incident. At lounges, staff treats you differently, gate agents are more likely to upgrade someone who looks nice, and flight attendants are more likely to say yes to your special requests. I'm not saying you need to wear a three-piece suit or high heels because comfort is still key here. And I'll show you my favorite clothes that look snazzy but are also super comfy in a second. But first, some of you may have heard of the fanny pack crackdown in many US airports where a lot of them are now considering a fanny pack as a personal item. And while I still think it's possible to use them perfectly fine if you keep them hidden behind your back when you're going through check-in and the boarding gate, I have found an alternative solution which I've been recently using on all of my flights and really in everyday life. Instead of using a fanny pack, which apparently can be counted as a separate item, you can just wear a jacket that has tons of different secret pockets. Scottie Vest, who sponsored this video, specializes in pocket science, which basically means strategically loading 20 to 30 pockets into their clothes without making it look bulky or awkward. For example, on my last flight, I packed an entire backpack's worth of stuff into my vest and passed through the airport no problemo. I honestly couldn't believe how much stuff I crammed in here without making it look suspicious. That video's coming out soon, by the way, so subscribe and hit the bell if you want to see me outsmart the airlines and how this jacket looked when I jammed it full. Wearing Scottie Vest clothes kinda makes me feel like I'm living 100 years in the future. And it's super convenient to have a home pocket for all your valuables so you have quick access to them in the airport and on your flights. For 20% off, use the link in the description and then send a message to their chat saying that Project Untethered sent you. So while we're talking about clothes, let's settle the jeans debate once and for all. A bunch of people commented on my videos saying they don't trust anything I say because they've seen me wear jeans on flights and jeans are uncomfortable, they say. Well, welcome to 2024, folks! These are not your grandpa's jeans. Modern travel jeans are basically like sweatpants in disguise. They're also the biggest pants that I travel with, and so when I wear them on the plane, it means I have more space in my luggage to pack other stuff. And if I want to look even more classy without sacrificing comfort, then I just wear these travel khakis that Western Rise sent me. These are probably my favorite travel pants because they're super stretchy and they pack down super tiny, they dry fast, and they don't really get wrinkled. So basically when I wear stuff like this, I'm as comfortable as the people who are wearing their jammies, but I look nice so the airline staff tends to treat me better. Another tip to survive long-haul flights is to pack multifunctional items in your personal item that can be used as a pillow and a blanket during your flight. Airlines sometimes provide these for you, but trust me, they don't get washed as much as you'd expect. And plenty of you have left comments about the grody stuff that you found in your blankets. If you're going to a beach destination, it's handy to pack one of those microfiber towels that you can use as a towel for the beach, but also it'll double as a blanket on the plane. You can also pack a travel pillow, and I personally find the turtle pillow to be most comfortable, but on long-term trips, I don't usually pack travel pillows at all because I find that they just get in the way after a while. Instead, I just use my packable raincoat as a pillow on the plane because again, it's multifunctional. That said, my wife does travel with a travel pillow that she emptied out and added a zipper to so that she could pack clothes in and fit more stuff. If you decide to try this for yourself, I recommend being careful and kind of hiding it so the check-in agents don't see it. Some of you also recommended a shamag or pashima, I hope I'm saying those right, which are kind of like scarf face cover thingies that can double as a pillow or blanket. Alright, this next one is a big one. Your comfort level during your flight is directly related to the types of foods you eat before and during said flight. I highly recommend avoiding greasy foods, eggs, anything that's super salty, caffeine, fizzy drinks, and alcohol. All of this stuff makes you gassy, and when you're flying at altitude, those gases expand. That means you're gonna feel bloated and probably get a bunch of nasty looks from your neighbors from ripping farts the entire flight. That said, you definitely do want to pack snacks for your flight because you never know what time that they're gonna serve the food. One time back in the Stone Age of days, before I had lounge access and free food, I was flying on a 24-hour itinerary. I was determined not to get ripped off by expensive airport food, and so I packed a full loaf of bread, an entire jug of jam, and an entire jug of peanut butter. But it turns out, peanut butter is considered a liquid, and since I had more than 100 milliliters of it, the TSA wouldn't let me pass through. The joke was on them, though, because instead of forfeiting my beloved peanut butter, I turned around, left the security area, made myself 10 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, then passed through security successfully. Take that, TSA. That said, if you prefer not to complicate life like I tend to do, you could just pack yourself some apples or protein bars or something. Just make sure to eat those apples before passing customs in your destination country. Also, I know this is a hot topic, but I got a lot of hate in the comments in another video where I told this peanut butter story because apparently I wasn't being thoughtful enough about other people who might have peanut butter allergies on the plane. I feel like if someone has a life-threatening allergy, then it's on them to notify the airlines to make sure nobody around them has peanuts, especially because there's a lot of dumb people out there like me who don't know any better or think about those things. But I'm interested to hear your take on the issue in the comments. Is it insensitive to travel with snacks that have peanuts in them? And if you think it is, what is your go-to snack that you pack instead? Now for some tricks to stay hydrated on long flights without driving yourself and your seatmates crazy with bathroom breaks. It's all about being strategic. Most people hit the bathrooms either right after meals or right after the seatbelt sign turns off. So when everyone else zigs, you're gonna zag. Always force yourself to go to the bathroom right before you board the plane. And when you see the meal cart coming, that's your cue to hit the bathrooms to avoid huge lines and dirty bathrooms. I don't know if they were serious, but I've even had someone comment that they use adult diapers when they're flying so that they can sit in the window seat and never have to get up to go to the bathroom. I mean, I like where their head's at, but I'm not sure if I can condone this type of behavior. There's another gross thing that I hope you don't do in the bathrooms that we'll get to in a sec, but first we need to talk about seats. Personally, I like the aisle seat when flying on shorter flights and on budget airlines because there's normally a little bit more legroom. At least if you stick your feet out in the aisle. But long-haul flights tend to have more legroom to begin with, and if you want to make sure, you can check it out on SeatGuru.com. Because of this, I always prefer the window seats on long-haul flights so that I can rest my head on the window and I don't have to worry about neighbors with tiny bladders waking me up all the time. That said, if you think you're going to be the frequent peer, then the aisle may be better for you. In this case, I recommend choosing the aisle seat that's in the interior section of seats. That way, the person next to you can get out from both different sides so you might not get bothered as much. But no matter where you sit, you should always get up from time to time to stretch your legs and avoid the blood from pulling down your feet. And if you have varicose veins or a personal or family history of blood clots, then compression socks might be a good idea. I know that we've covered a lot of tips so far, and we've still got some even better ones to go. So if you need help remembering them all, I made a free checklist that you can download in the description. Also, if you have any good tips that I haven't mentioned so far, leave them down in the comments and maybe I'll mention them in a future video. So as far as comfort goes, I'm a big fan of using layers, especially if you don't have some sort of blanket with you. The last thing you want is to be shivering for 17 hours plus, and also layering just means you'll have more space to pack in your luggage. Slip-on shoes are also handy both in the airport and on the plane because you can slip them on and off really easily whenever you need to get up to go do something. That said, if your feet smell like old eggs, please keep your shoes on or bring a fresh pair of socks. Also, please, please, please put your shoes on before using the bathroom. Think of how much pee and poop are on the floors in there, and yes, I said poop. Also, I'm by no means a germaphobe, and I know that some people hate masks with a passion, but I like to have one in my jacket pocket or my fanny pack just in case. I usually don't wear it, but if there's someone sitting right next to me hacking up a lung for the entire flight, then I might just slip it on. You can call me a sheep if you want to, but when I'm going on vacation, I prefer not to be sick. As far as headphones go, noise-canceling headphones are going to be your best friend. I see a lot of people wearing those fancy over-the-ear headphones though, and I'm just not a big fan of those, at least for flights. Just try leaning against the window with those big bulky things or using your travel pillow. It's not that comfortable. That's why I'm an earbuds kind of guy. The risk here is that one of the buds falls out and gets lost, but I've never had a problem with this. And if you're worried about it, there's some super cheap solutions. I bought this cheap silicone case thingy on Amazon, and it came with one of these wire thingies that you can slip your earbuds or AirPods into, and so it hangs around your neck and it's impossible to lose. And if you're flying a ton of long-haul flights, it's also handy to get one of these little Bluetooth adapter thingies that plugs into the plane's entertainment system and then allows you to connect via Bluetooth to your own headphones. That means you'll never have to use those crappy wired headphones that the airlines give you where the sound is cutting out and breaking all the time. All that said, yeah, the adapter thingy is kind of cool, but I do think it's a little bit expensive for what it is, especially if you're not doing many flights. To save money, you could just download movies and podcasts and things to your phone and then just use your own headphones. I'm a big fan of YouTube Premium, which lets you download videos offline. And if you don't want to pay, you might be able to get a free trial and sign up right before you leave on your trip, and so when you get home, you can just cancel it. And while you're at it, don't forget to download some offline guided meditations or sleep sounds onto your phone. You'll thank me later when there's a baby having a meltdown three rows back or some kid blasting their iPad games at full volume. I really shouldn't complain, though, because my wife Diane is pretty frickin' pregnant right now and pretty soon that's going to be our crying baby. Overall, I highly recommend bringing your own entertainment onto the flight on your phone or whatever and not relying on the plane's entertainment system because if you have shorter connecting flights, it might not even have an entertainment system. And even on the long ones, there's no guarantee that it won't be broken. And if it is broken and you don't have a backup plan, that's going to be a really long 17 hour whatever flight. Also, if you want to block out the world even more, don't forget your eye mask. If you're flying business class, they'll probably give these for you. But if you're in economy, it's BYOM. Okay, before we get into the sleeping strategy that prevents jet lag, make sure to subscribe if you want to see more useful travel videos like this one. If you've ever experienced jet lag, you know how bad it sucks and how it can really put a damper on the first couple days of your trip. It's basically when your body's internal clock gets messed up and it happens especially when you're flying east. One way to avoid it is to start to adjust your schedule before you even leave on your trip. If you're flying east, try to go to bed one hour earlier each night every night before your flight. And do the opposite if you're flying west. Then on your flight, try to sleep when it's nighttime in your final destination and stay awake when it's daytime in your final destination. This can be easier said than done and might mean that you're trying to sleep while everyone else is talking and eating lunch or trying to stay awake when the cabin's dark and quiet. This is where our eye mask, noise canceling headphones, entertainment, and soothing sounds come in handy. Also, popping a melatonin around 30 minutes before your new bedtime can help trick your body into adjusting faster. And there's also a few new ways to use technology to help fight jet lag. I once tested out an app called Time Shifter that takes your flight info and then creates a custom jet lag strategy for you. It gave me all the times that I should be awake, sleeping, drinking caffeine, avoiding screen time, and all those things on the day of my flight and on the days leading up to my flight. This is pretty cool in theory, but when I ended up testing it, my flight ended up getting delayed, which screwed up the whole plan. Another anti-jet lag tool that I'm excited about is this Ultrahuman ring that was sent to me to test out. It's kind of like that Aura ring sleep tracker that's all the rage these days, except unlike Aura, there's no ongoing monthly fees and it works all around the world. Anyway, it looks like they have a new jet lag feature coming out soon that uses your personal health data from your ring to create your own anti-jet lag plan. I'm super excited to test it out and I'll link it below if you're interested. Apart from using these tools and strategies to fight jet lag, you can also help avoid jet lag if you're able to choose a flight that arrives in your final destination in the morning time, which makes it easier to adjust. But keep in mind, after 17 plus hours in the air, crossing tons of different time zones, you're bound to be a little bit groggy when you land, no matter what. And this is exactly what scammers in the airport are hoping for. Easy targets. Scams happen more often than you think in airports and landing after a long flight is when you're most likely to get tricked. To avoid this, you need to be aware of the sneakiest airport scams to look out for, which you can learn by watching this video next. These scams trick travelers like you every day, so make sure to watch it to make sure you're not the next victim. Alright guys, like, subscribe, do the things, love you, bye bye.