10 Ways to Survive a Long-Haul Flight Hearing about a recent IndependentTraveler.com staff discussion concerning the world's longest flights made me remember my first true long-haul flight to Sydney, Australia, for the 2000 Summer Olympics. About six hours into the 15-hour flight, I was feeling strong and confident. I clearly remember thinking, "Six hours down, nine to go. No sweat, I got this." Four long, boring hours later, it was a different story; you could have poured me into a bucket. "Five hours to go? I don't got this." But get there I did. Unfortunately, that meant I had to get back, as well, a flight on which I made a serious tactical error, which led to misery for me and entertainment for my friends on the flight -- about which I will tell more in due course. However, not all long-haul flights have to be miserable; on one direct flight from Tokyo to New York, I was nearing the end of a book I was enjoying immensely, and remember distinctly thinking, "No, no, just a little more time!" when the pilot told us over the in-flight PA that we had started our final descent. Here are 10 tips for preventing boredom, dehydration, deep-vein thrombosis, sleep deprivation, and more so you can confidently say "I got this" the next time you are imprisoned in a metal tube for an entire waking day of your life. 1. Upgrade. When traveling long-haul, you have no better friend on the planet than your