Wow guys! Long time no see! I've been back in the US for about a week now and I'm finally starting to readjust. The worst part is I was in japan long enough to adjust the first time only to have to come back and adjust again.
One of the hardest parts of the trip though was the long haul flight. No matter where you stop on the way there, you're going to be traveling for about 24-36 hours. The cheaper you try to book your flight, the longer you're going to be squatting in airport corners with your DS. Unfortunately I'm here to tell you that no matter how much you love travel, these flights are going to be absolutely miserable, and I can almost guarantee that you're going to be sick by the time you land. I'm going to try my best to give you some tips that I picked up while flying
NOTE: Some of these things will apply specifically to the airline and countries I flew threw, so I wont be able to help with things like lay overs in Dubai or Korea, which are very common lay over areas when flying to Japan.
Tip 1: Booking your flight.
That's the most important part right? Booking the flight. Now if you're a little more free with your money it's totally worth it to book right out of your local airport. It'll save you some hassle. If you can REALLY afford it I'd book first class. The extra space, better food, and personalized attention is completely worth it for an international flight.
However if you're trying to do the trip as cheap as possible like I did I have a little trick for you. Book in two separate trips. If you're east coast book out of JFK airport in New York, if you're west coast, book out of LAX in Los Angles. Both are huge international hubs and while your local airport may say 'international airport' like mine does, that doesn't mean that it's going to have big international chains landing there. The more companies coming in and out, the lower the prices are going to be.
For example: A flight out of my local airport to japan was around 1,300 USD.
A flight from my local airport to JFK was about 215 dollars
My flight from JFK to NRT (Narita airport in Tokyo) was about 675
So all in all I saved a little more then 400 dollars by booking it in two separate flights. It added about 10 hours to my travel time, but for me that was totally worth it.
Tip 2: Preparing for the flight.
That seems silly right? Preparing for the flight, but trust me, don't make the same mistake I made the first time. Make sure that you eat a full meal before you leave. I'd suggest something relatively healthy. The flights are going to mess with your stomach and take my word for it, the combination of hungry and sick is miserable.
The second most important thing I can say is GET A WATER BOTTLE! If your flight leaves in the middle of the night like mine did, bring an empty plastic bottle and fill it up once you get past security. Getting water on the flights is hard. My flight was 15 hours and I only got 4 cups of water the entire flight. I was so thirsty I had to keep requesting cups of water.
Another tip, bring snacks. All my tips are relating to food so far, right? Can you tell what types of things are important to me? Haha
But all joking aside, Airplane food isn't exactly considered top cuisine. I flew with China eastern airlines, and they provided two full meals and one snack. Unfortunately the quality wasn't fantastic, so I didn't really end up eating more then half of what was given to me. That's where my snacks came in handy. They helped hold me over until I got to japan. You can bring food through airport security, as long as it's not liquid. So I'd suggest that you bring something healthy but filling. Granola is a pretty great option, as well as something like a peanut butter sandwich. Anything that would equate to one full meal and a snack for you.
Tip 3: In flight tips.
One of the things that caught me the most off guard during the flight was how much you'll bloat. I ended up falling asleep for most of the trip on the way back and because of that I didn't get up and move around at all! I felt like an over stuffed back of Jelly when I woke up! It was awful! Make sure you get up and walk around! I would suggest getting up at least once every two hours to move around for about fifteen minutes, and every five hours doing some simple stretches. I did that on my flight there and let me tell you it made a world of difference.
Tip 4: Customs and Arrivals
Customs can be the most terrifying thing ever. There's always that feeling in the back of your mind that you screwed up something and you're not going to get out of the country. The easiest way to handle customs is to have anything out and ready.
Chinese Customs: Chinese customs was by far the most unnerving customs to go through. I had a lay over in shanghai, and whenever you have a lay over in another country you still have to go through a customs check because each country allows and doesn't allow different things. One thing that China is really big on is taking your lithium battery packs out when you go through the security screening. Because of the language barrier, it can be intimidating to have these really stern looking officers telling you you've done something wrong, so the thing to remember when going through China is remove all the things you would in the US (minus taking off your shoes) plus battery packs. Same as stated earlier, make sure you have everything out and ready. This means passport, any forms you had to fill out, your transfer ticket, and in the case of China Eastern Airlines, make sure to put on the sticker they give you. This helps the customs officers know that you're not stopping in china, so if you get in the wrong line (which there are a million of) they can re direct you easily. Put it on your chest or upper arm as these are the places that are easiest to spot.
Japanese customs: Japanese customs is a breeze. Their efficient, friendly, fast, and have tons of people there to direct you and make sure you have everything filled out proper. Again just make sure you have everything out and you'll breeze right through.
US Customs: Ok US customs, at least at JFK was a bit of a cluster. Everything is done with machines, which leads to a lot of people needing help. Even if you're a US citizen it's weird, disorganized, and the customs guys all look like they're out to get you. That's probably part of their job? It rattled me however, especially after I'd been in the air for fifteen hours and was tired, sick, and starving. They're going to ask you really weird questions, like what did you buy, how much did you buy, how much money did you bring back, a lot of stuff like that. Just be honest with them and don't let their tone of voice catch you off guard. If you're not a resident know that it's even like that for citizens. Don't let it get to you.
So those were my tips for flying internationally! I hope it helps someone in the future~ Have fun on your trips and look forward to more Japan posts.
