Don't forget to look out the window. Sometimes, even at 37,000 feet up, there are some nifty sights. Big white fluffy clouds are good. The Grand Canyon looks terrific and so does Uluru, if you are lucky enough to be passing over them. Coasts and river deltas are always interesting.

I won't go into all that stuff about DVT and exercising, keeping your seatbelt on, drinking lots of water etc - you know all that stuff. Here's our main tip for long haul flight:

Tip: Do it as quickly as possible, or break it up.

* If we're going to USA or Canada, we go DIRECT to San Francisco, not via Auckland or Honolulu, not into LA, and we don't try to take connecting flights to anywhere on the same day. Direct to SFO is only about 13 hours these days. That's long enough.

* If we're going anywhere in Europe, we usually break the journey with a two-night stopover, or at the very least, a one-night stop (the transit hotel in Singapore airport is fine for this). Two nights means you can get out in the fresh air, get a bit of exercise and maybe even do some shopping.

Some fun short-haul experiences

Sometimes you just have to go by plane, and if you are only going a short distance, you might be lucky and they fly at an altitude which gives you a good view of what you are flying over. The downside to these short trips is that they are often on VERY small planes - which adds that extra element of excitement! Here are a couple of experiences you might want to build into your trip - or perhaps do your best to avoid, depending on your "fun" threshhold.

One time we decided to fly between Boston and New York. We boarded a long, silver, skinny (two mini-seats each side) commuter jet which reminded me of one of those aluminium cigar cases. We took off at night into a raging storm and bounced along all the way, accompanied by the roar of rain, thunder and crash of lightening. It was such a bouncy ride I didn't realise we'd landed until Trev told me it was time to get out of the plane (no, really - I had my eyes shut because they were getting sore - so to me it was just another bump and then a smooth bit! I quite enjoyed it, but if that sort of experience isn't for you, I can recommend the train - you see a lot more that way too!

Another one for weak stomachs to avoid (if they still run this one) is the 10-seater that takes you from Burbank airport in LA to the Grand Canyon. Actually, the outgoing trip is probably quite ok and you get an interesting view. The one to be careful of is the return trip. The lady behind me had eaten chicory-ribs for lunch (trust me, I KNOW what she had for lunch) and there were only 4 little air-sick bags on the plane. Not quite enough to serve her needs. Tip for this trip: BYO air-sick bags.