Air travel is the first step in most people’s New Zealand vacations. This flight is going to be a long one regardless of where in the United States you start from. You can expect to spend around 24 to 27 hours in the air, including lay overs at Pacific island nations.
Since you are going to spend so much time in the air you really need to think about how you are going to keep yourself and your travelmates entertained during the flight. If you have kids you will need to think about what little things you can bring to make them comfortable and to keep them occupied while traveling, and if you are traveling with people that have medical conditions then you will need to think about planning ahead for their care.
The first thing that you need to do is figure out when the best time to leave for your New Zealand flight, in the morning, afternoon or night. This will impact at what point in your trip you will be sleeping.
Medical needs are important to plan ahead for when packing for your flight. You need to make sure you have your medications that you will need during the flight in your carry on and you will need to make sure that it has been packaged in a manner that meets current airline restrictions. Also keep a note from your doctor handy to prove that your medications are required for your health.
When packing for entertainment purposes think about small and quiet. You do not want to pack items that make a lot of noise, that are heavy or that will be disallowed by the airline.
