A question came up during our Zoom meeting with Amy about sleeping on the plane. I so wish there was a magical answer for that question! Doesn’t everyone hope that somehow they can get a few winks of sleep during the long flight to Norway?!
While I do not have that magical answer, I have seen some ways in which folks attempt to get those precious few moments of sleep. Of course, having the window seat is an advantage. There, you can use the provided (or your own) pillow and blanket to snuggle up to the corner of the plane’s fuselage and your seat. I often find the window seat cold, so if I know that I am seated in that spot, I wear an extra layer of clothing. I’ve learned to jam both the pillow and blanket into the space so that my head is supported while trying to get a few winks.
It is more difficult if you have to be in the middle row. I saw this trick once on a red-eye flight from Las Vegas to Chicago. The woman across the aisle from me put down her tray table. Both passengers on either side of her were laying back so she put a pillow on the tray table, placed her arms up on the tray table and laid her head on it. I was in the exact same situation, so I tried it. It truly worked for a little while until my arms fell asleep!
Another technique I have used is to take my computer case from under the seat, prop it up and down, and place my feet up on that. By just raising my feet a few inches allowed me to lay back and get some rest.
My sister swears her inflatable neck pillow works. Deflated, it doesn’t take much room in her carryon bag, she can inflate it once onboard, and it gives her neck enough support so that she can get some sleep.
While I have never tried this, I’ve seen many advertisements to this neck wrap/brace that holds your neck in place as you attempt to get some rest. This makes sense to me! When I attempt to sleep upright, my head goes down to my chest, and after a while, my neck get very sore. Let’s not even begin to talk about the drooling. I suspect something like this would avoid those things!
I will admit, after one HORRIBLE flight to England, where the person next to me had no social skills or personal boundary space, we have flown business class. There, the seats can fold down and one can actually get some rest. But that’s not an option for this tour flight.
Hopefully you will be able to get a little sleep on the plane but remember this. In the long run, you will be better off to remain up and active once in Bergen. Try not to take a nap. Even if you hold off until 8 p.m. their time, your body will do a better job of acclimating to the new time change if you try to make it through the day.
Best wishes for some sleep on the flight to Norway!