I recommend that you plan the flight rather like you plan any other day of your life. The first thing is to sort out when or if you are going to sleep. You want to wake up in Houston as close to the right time zone as possible. Don't get too much too sleep - it is better to be tired than wide awake. You want to be tired when it is bedtime in Houston, if possible. Having planned the amount of sleep, break the flight down into blocks of 2-3 hours. You can guess that you will eat in the second hour and then you can plan a film, read, do puzzles, listen to music (or whatever amuses you) in blocks of two hours.
Of course, if you can't sleep and you can't sit down and relax, it's a lot tougher. The advice about avoiding young children is a good one. Try to book a seat that is away from the front of each block of seats. The check-in staff will usually know where there aren't young children, so ask.
Funnily enough, I am heading back to the UK tonight from Vietnam.
Errrr....i think you missed the tone of this thread TMA!
Blag a second hand iron lung - two seats guaranteed and loads of sympathy alcohol en route. Trust me - a mate did it back from Thailand and nearly drowned in sympathy champagne.
Travelling to Houston, TX from Heathrow tomorrow afternoon. Anything you've found that help the long journey go a bit quicker?
I assume you are referring to the M25 when you say "long journey"?
But seriously, while too late for this trip, my tips would be don't use an american airline, they are rubbish and stay overnight at a LHR hotel before the flight so you don't have all the "am I actually going to get there in time" stress.
Forgot to say: seatguru.com/ is really helpful for finding out which seats to avoid on which flights because they are too near the galley or the bog or have some other issue.
My best tip for drinking on a plane is to always have the wine. Beer and spirits are a rip-off, but with wine you usually get a reasonable sized drink.
Getting smashed on/before a 2hr flight to Majorca is a good idea, getting ruined on a 10hr flight to the States is a very, very bad idea - no matter how much fun it sounds.
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(...don't think I've ever made a weirder post on CharltonLife)
Of course, if you can't sleep and you can't sit down and relax, it's a lot tougher. The advice about avoiding young children is a good one. Try to book a seat that is away from the front of each block of seats. The check-in staff will usually know where there aren't young children, so ask.
Funnily enough, I am heading back to the UK tonight from Vietnam.
Blag a second hand iron lung - two seats guaranteed and loads of sympathy alcohol en route.
Trust me - a mate did it back from Thailand and nearly drowned in sympathy champagne.
Get plastered
But seriously, while too late for this trip, my tips would be don't use an american airline, they are rubbish and stay overnight at a LHR hotel before the flight so you don't have all the "am I actually going to get there in time" stress.
Hope your flight was a good one though.