As a tourist, when you're traveling to destinations like Thailand, Hong Kong, Melbourne and Bali, the flights can be quite time consuming, up to 30 hours sometimes even. This is the only downfall when you plan to visit locations overseas.

having to be in the air for that amount of time is never fun; even if you are flying first class. While it's true that the food on long haul flights is generally better than you would expect, you can only eat so often.

By the time you arrive in your exotic destination you'll be able to get up and move about and you'll be quite thrilled to have arrived. Some tips to make your flight more enjoyable are as follows:

1. As enjoying as it is to unwind with some alcoholic beverages, wait until you're in your exotic destination to get into the booze. This is because alcohol dehydrates you, affects you more in a pressured cabin, can alter your perception and even makes it harder to achieve a good sleep.

2. Book your flight early and request an aisle seat. You do not want to get stuck in the middle row on a 28-hour flight ever.

3. Get up and walk around the plane. Sitting in one place all day cannot only be uncomfortable; it can be bad for your health. Get up on a regular basis and walk around the plane to keep your circulation flowing.

4. Check into getting a portable DVD player or a mobile multimedia platform. Instead of sitting through a movie that isn't very good you can now watch something you would rather watch like perhaps your favourite TV show or some movies you've been meaning to watch. This isn't necessary on flights like Virgin or British Airways that give you your own screen with many choices, so you might want to check the plane you're on and its features.

5. If you perhaps you have some sort of anxiety or need medication to help sleep while flying, consider talking to your family doctor to get a prescription drug to help.

6. If you smoke cigarettes or other tobacco products you should really consider purchasing nicotine patches so that you don't go insane waiting for that cigarette.

7. Keep a change of clothes in your carry-on bag in case your luggage gets lost.

8. The ability to purchase a business class seat really does make a huge difference due. Furthermore, most airlines will give you a mileage upgrade if you go with the full coach fare. On a long flight the ability to be able to relax and lay down will not only make you more comfortable but it can also help you with adjusting to the time difference in your exotic location.

9. Don't worry about how fashionable you look while on long flights. Instead wear loose fitting clothing that you find comfortable.

10. Right before you get on the plane get as relaxed as possible by stretching your legs and just generally getting comfortable for the long haul.

11. One of the best things to take on a plane is an iPod. If you like music, this may bring you solace enough to make the journey much better for you. On my last 6 or 7 trips to Thailand, I noticed more of more of these things on each trip. While most airlines do have music and video built into their planes, you have to rely on their selection. If you bring your own entertainment, you will have what you need at your fingertips. The new iPods allow you to store many hours of TV shows and movies as well.

12. If you have a business class seat, many of the airline lounges in Tokyo and Hong Kong have free showers. It really does make a difference to jump into the shower and get fresh before the last leg of your journey.

13. One of the most important things is to make sure you have your hotel already booked and waiting when you get to your destination. You don't want to end up flying half way across the world and then when you finally get to your destination of say, Melbourne, have to frantically try to find cheap Melbourne hotel when really you should be able to just collapse into your hotel bed.