by Angela Mccullough

Created on: October 03, 2008

Exotic destinations sound great in theory, but have a considerable draw back the long haul flight. Travelling for 24 hours to get to your holiday destination is great if you have a vacation of 2 weeks or more, but terrible if you are only there for a short stay.

If we forget about the environmental angle of long haul flights carbon footprints etc and the cost factor, you still have the impact that one of these makes to you and your family.

The flight itself can be horrific. If you are stuck on a plane with screaming children, blocked toilets or irritating passengers then those 12 hours you spend at the beginning of your holiday can cause you more stress than you care to think about.

Being cooped up on a plane for more than 10 hours is likely to leave you feeling tired, irritable and, like many, puffy! You are also more likely to have picked up a bug of some description due to the length of time you have spent in close proximity to large numbers of snivelling strangers in re circulated air!

There are of course the more serious risks, such as DVT (Deep Vein Thrombosis), which can be caused from immobility for long periods of time - a common occurrence on the often cramped and crowded flights.

Once you get to your destination you are likely to need at least a day or two to recover from the flight eating into your precious vacation schedule. If you get sick on top of that then cross more days off your free time, before you have to hop back to the airport for that second long haul flight home.

If you happen to be travelling with small children, consider the impact on other passengers. Not that you shouldn't be allowed to travel with little ones, but they often cant understand why they have to stay on a plane for so long and can become irritable easily. Not great if you are on the really long haul flights of more than 15 hours being glared at by a couple of hundred people for that long can add even more stress. As can the constant apologising!

In summary, there are a lot of down sides to long haul travel, however this is not to say that you shouldn't consider travelling further a field, after all there is nothing like experiencing the wonders of a new and different culture, but you need to be aware of the pitfalls. Those who love travel understand that it comes with the territory, but also know when sometimes it's just not worth it. Save the long-haul trips for those times when you have enough of a vacation to warrant it. In the meantime explore in your own back yard, become a tourist in your own country and you will find the most amazing gems that you never knew existed.

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