1st overnight flight to rome - any tips?

[susanlindsey]

I like my Moshi rectangular pillow. Its soft, loose cover and zillions of polystyrene microbeads conform infinitely to any seat back or head. I have a contoured eye mask that doesn't interfere with REM sleep, is more comfortable than a flat one, and, coincidentally, preserves my eye makeup. I practiced falling asleep with these and ear plugs in a straight, high back chair in my living room.

[Dididi]

If you are not sitting in business or economy plus, consider sitting in the back of the plane. Not the last row, but a couple of rows from the last one. Check the seat map for possible "empty" rows. Chances are that if there are any empty seats on board, these will be middle seats in the back and not in the front since most people want to get off the plane in a hurry. Ten or 15 more minutes in the plane is not going to wreck your stay in Rome, and might yield an empty middle seat, whether to stretch out or to sit there if the person in front of your original is leaned all the way back (and the back of his/her head is practically on you).

 

We flew from Toronto to Rome three months ago. We ate dinner prior to boarding, thus maximizing our "sleep" time on board.

 

Great tips on this thread. Eye drops, neck pillow, comfy socks, eye mask, wipes (the clorox-kind to wipe the seat and tray, and the Olay or baby-kind to wipe face clean). The washrooms at Fiumicino Airport are not large, so there will likely be a queue, and lighting is not great (to apply makeup expertly). So consider instead taking a good shower once you get to your hotel room. A shower will revive you and help you enjoy your first day in Rome.