“I used to take whatever came my way in terms of beverages. Yes, I’d love a wine! Another coffee – why not? These days, I’m pretty strict about what I drink and when. For instance, the only caffeine I have is during the final service of a long-haul flight (and only if it lands before 1pm, local time). I also skip water in the hour leading up to my planned nap time – I’m a window-seat devotee so I’ll do anything to avoid disrupting my sleep patterns or my snoozing seatmate.”

Bridget De Maine, Editor, Travel Insider

“I used to spend long-haul flights catching up on all the films I’d missed seeing at the cinema but in the interests of arriving refreshed, I tried the Timeshifter app a few years ago. Fast forward several trips and now I use it every time I catch an international flight. It describes itself as ‘The Jet Lag App’. Once you go through the settings (I select the caffeine and melatonin options) and enter your flight details, it generates a schedule that indicates when you should nap, get some sun, have a coffee and more. The suggestions aren’t always foolproof but if I stick to them as best as I can, I arrive at my destination ready to holiday.” 

Hana Jo, Head of Digital Production and Operations

“In the lead-up to visiting a new city, I go on a pin-saving spree on Google Maps – attractions, restaurants and hidden gems recommended by friends and colleagues. In my excitement I inevitably go overboard and save more spots than I can feasibly visit in the allotted time. So I use the forced downtime on the plane to create a detailed itinerary, based on proximity of pins to my accommodation and each other, in order to hit the ground running. No wi-fi? No worries. Download the area on Google Maps before you take off and you’ll still be able to view the streets and your saved pins while you’re offline.” 

Melanie Colwell, Senior Campaigns Editor

“Long-haul flights are generally when I let myself relax a bit: I won’t do my make-up; my clothing choices are based on comfort; and I dedicate space in my carry-on to as many snacks as I can fit. But one thing I always do to add a little glamour to the process is pack a hydrating sheet mask, which I’ll then pop on in the middle of the flight. It helps ensure my skin looks fresh when I land and makes me feel like I’m kicking off my holiday with some self-care.”

Christina Rae, Managing Editor, Travel Insider

“I’ve always viewed long-haul flight time as a chance to catch up on overdue work or missed emails. My main rookie error used to be giving myself a few hours to get comfy, decompress, have a meal and shift into travel mode before attempting a work task but I’d often find myself trying to finish the job through bleary eyes at the 11th (or 20th) hour. Nowadays, I open my laptop as soon as the aircraft reaches a safe altitude and get what I need done and out of the way. Finishing my to-do list up front means I can relax and get stuck into a good romcom or sleep, guilt-free.”   

Genevra Leek, Editor-in-Chief, Qantas magazine and Travel Insider

“I live for a long-haul flight – it’s the best opportunity to hunker down and burn through my epic (and often overwhelming) list of TV shows to binge, podcasts to catch up on, books, magazines and months of gathered clippings to read. My main tip would be to make sure you download as many episodes as you can in the various apps on your device before taking off – you never know when you’ll find yourself without wi-fi or have issues accessing content overseas. Armed with years’ worth of viewing and reading, the flight time will, er, fly.” 

Mark Brandon, Content and Partnerships Director

“I board the flight armed with downloaded games (Candy Crush forever!), face wipes and loads of moisturiser – La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5+ is effective against dryness because it’s very thick. But when the meals are cleared and the lights are low, I take melatonin and magnesium and drift off.” 

Natalie Reilly, Contributing Editor

“When I get on a plane, I like to remember that the experience has been designed to deliver the best flight possible. Rather than creating my own schedule of meals, movies and sleep times, I roll with whatever comes. Cabin crew offering snacks? Sure, thanks. Lights dimmed? Time to catch some shut-eye. No matter how many hours I’m in the air, I enjoy the experience more when I just take it as it comes.” 

Faith Campbell, Content Director

“There are few opportunities as a social media producer to completely switch off from my ever-distracting device and a flight is one of them. I always take the chance to dive into a new read, with the duration of the journey often deciding the material. On a domestic trip, you’ll likely find the latest Frankie issue in my hands or for a longer flight it might be a short novel. I set myself the challenge to finish it before landing. It’s only been achieved once because usually heavy eyelids have forced me to sleep but a snooze is still a win.” 

Hollie Wornes, senior social and digital producer

“My favourite thing about flying (apart from heading off somewhere) is being incommunicado during the flight. Depending on the nature of the trip, I may catch up on some writing or work on my laptop but otherwise, one of the first things I’ll do is peruse the inflight entertainment options to settle in for hours of switching off. It’s one of my favourite times to catch up on new movies or TV series I may have missed. I remember binge-watching the first White Lotus series on a Qantas flight and I was looking forward to the return flight to finish it and see what happened! I might also tune in to the inflight podcasts or meditations to explore topics of interest. Sure, while there’s wi-fi available, I find that bubble of being inside an aircraft one of the last places on earth where you really can escape the notifications.”

Katrina Holden, associate content director, Rare Creative

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“I make sure I have all the essentials out and ready to go before I do that seatbelt up. Water bottle, book, reading glasses all in the pocket in front of me - and a snuggly wrap near my feet, ready for my snooze or rest time. Because no matter how short or long that flight is, I can guarantee my eyes will be closed for a decent amount of it. Flight time to me is all about recharging and resting.”

Katrina O’Brien, content director