Flying to Australia

Flying to Australia from the UK is just about the longest journey anyone can undertake. Many Brits do take a trip down under though either to see family, work or emigrate.

There is varying advice on how to survive 24 hours locked up in a cabin.

The first is to get blinding drunk so that the flight passes by in a blur. This is ok, but a bit anti-social. Imagine if they were a noisy, rowdy drunk in a window seat, scrabbling over the poor person in the aisle seat every 20mins to go to the loo.

Then there is the pill popping option. This allows you to sleep right through the flight, with the added advantage that rowdy drunk bloke won't get on your nerves at all.

Audio books are another option. It is still possible to listen to an adio book when reading a conventional book would be impossible, such as in turbulence, or relaxed with eyes closed. These days there are loads os audio books to choose from - perhaps the perfect opportunity to read that book you always meant to read.

The best option is always to sleep if at all possible. Get up and walk about as often as possible and when awake try to occupy your mind - do puzzles, read, audio books as mentioned above, or plan something to do when you get to the hotel and dropped your bags off before the jet lag kicks in properly. Try not to let the other passengers annoy you and keep partially refreshed by splashing some water on your face.

To have time to make the most of your visit in Australia, at least 3 weeks is recommended to allow the body to get used to the time zone. Do lots of research on the local wildlife, Australia is home to a large proportion of the most deadly creatures on the planet. It also has some of the most breathtaking scenery and should be an experience never to forget.