How to become confident when flying long-haul alone

It’s good to often reflect on how much you change and develop as a person. Ten years ago I would never have even dreamed of travelling or flying alone to another country. Ask me now to meet you on the other side of the world, and I’m there in a second! As I’m very fortunate to be able to travel the world often, a lot of people ask me how I manage to take so many flights alone. I have friends and family in various countries around the world, so I like to go and visit as much as possible. Over the years, I’ve mastered a few ways to help me stay calm and confident when travelling and taking long-haul flights alone.

Prepare for your flight

Try to think of everything you’ll need whilst in the air. I used to take sickness tablets to make me feel better before a long haul flight, but luckily now I seem to have gone past that stage. When I was nine years old my first long haul flight was to India and I had air sickness pretty much the whole way. It was awful and I was worried that it would put me off travelling when I was older. I'm so glad that it didn't. Basically anything that makes you take your mind off things is great, such as headphones to listen to your favourite music and even skincare products to use whilst on the flight. The more prepared you are, the less anxious you will be.

Speak to people around you

You’ll generally find that people are really friendly and when I’ve travelled alone, I always find people to talk to. Once I was on a flight back home from Thailand and I met a lovely Australian couple who were travelling to London. They were so friendly and it was really interesting to hear some of their travel stories. Saying hello to the person next to you on the flight could really make your journey a lot more fun.

Look after yourself

This one may seem obvious, but so many people forget it. Move around the plane as much as possible (when the seat belt signs are off) to stretch your legs. I’ve mentioned before taking some skincare bits with you so that you can do a mini skincare routine on the flight. This is where those travel size bottles come in useful! Also, drink plenty of water as it’s so easy to get dehydrated on planes. With long haul flights, there are usually two or three meals so I always ask for water with all of my meals.

Use the time wisely

A 12 hour flight on your own can feel really long. However, I always try to use my time effectively. After watching a couple of films and having a quick snooze, I use the time to reflect on things, write down lists of what I want to do and future goals, and plans for my future. I love taking my notebook and pen with me when I travel, as I find that I’m always thinking about things that I want to jot down and getting inspired by the different places.

Taking the plunge and booking my first long haul flight alone all those years ago was honestly one of the best things I’ve ever done. It made me more confident and made me want to travel more. My first flight completely alone was a 12 hour flight to Thailand where I went to stay with friends. Since then, I’ve flown to multiple countries alone, both for work and for leisure including Dubai, Norway, Belgium, Scotland and Germany. It’s great to travel with people, but if you ever need to travel alone then I urge you to do it, as I’ve never looked back. I’m really excited for more of my trips abroad in 2018, some of which I will be flying alone again.

“Life begins at the end of your comfort zone” - Neale Donald Walsch.

I hope this blog post inspires some of you, and I would love to know any travel plans you have coming up?

This gorgeous blue lace bardot dress is from Boohoo and you can shop it here.

Photography by Kirstie Melville.