While it is possible to fly from Sydney, Australia to New York, USA in 20 hours (still a long haul), Tom and I managed to do it in more than 32. Yes, 32+ hours of transit.

Luckily, we are still together and like each other somewhat. Want to know how we survived? 

1.       Water. Drink at least twice as much water as you normally do, and say no to the alcohol unless you’re willing to drink three times as much water to counteract the dehydration it will bring.The air dries you out, and water will make you feel a little bit more human, and less mummified corpse. Lip balm helps with this too.

2.       If you have two long haul flights and a decent stopover in between, consider getting basic lounge access. We had a fourteen hour flight, a four hour stopover, and then another fourteen hour flight before navigating USA customs and the subway. Don’t underestimate the moral boost a hot shower and some real food (not airline food!) can give you! 

We drank peppermint tea, ate some flat bread with boiled eggs, feta, hummus and tomatoes and had private hot showers with provided shower gel and shampoo. It was heaven. 

Make sure you pack a change of clothes in your day pack if you have more than carry-on:  it’s good practice anyway in case your luggage is lost!

3.    Listen to your body. Or Ipod. Do you want to watch a movie, or would you rather just sit there staring into space, or writing in your journal? Long transit days can be an opportunity to do whatever you want: you could be very productive or get nothing done, and that’s okay. Be nice to yourself. Though you may want to watch at least one movie to get your brother off your back.

4.       If you see a row of empty seats before take-off, QUICK! Throw a book or sweater over them. As soon as the seat belt sign goes off, get your lucky self to your bed for the rest of the trip! There’s nothing like the wonderful feeling of making a bed out of all the extra blankets and pillows and stretching out for a glorious nap. Sleeping also passes the time a lot quicker than blearily staring into space.  I should know, I did both.

5.       Be wary of talking to the person next to you. While some great conversations happen on planes, and I have gotten job offers that way, just be aware that you’re going to be next to that person the entire flight. Smile at them, hand them the peanuts and share the armrest. But please, for your own sanity, do not turn it into a full on social interaction. 

You cannot leave. 

I once had an eager man engage me in conversation at the gate, despite my obvious indications that I wasn't interested in talking. When we boarded the plane, I thought “Whew, finally I can relax.” Except that guess who was in the seat next to mine? In these situations, take out a book or earphones and politely tell the person that you just want to read/listen to music. In this case, he was asking me lots of personal questions and I just wasn't in the mood. 

A friend of mine had a guy she'd just met suggest they watch a movie together by pressing play at the same time. Don’t be afraid to assert yourself. If worst comes to worst, just imitate this cat.

6.       Bring healthy food. I have pretty much failed at this so far, partially due to my confusion about when you can bring your own food and water onto flights. But foods like bananas, nuts and apples are a lifesaver when you are sick of those weird TV dinner meals at random times. I once got served breakfast on a flight for three meals in a row. Not cool.

7.       It’s not over when you land. It sure is a relief when you get to your destination. But you still have to get through a few more obstacles, such as people being unfathomably slow at getting their bags out and bored customs officials. A few years ago, after a failed attempt at a routine fingerprint scan, I was asked by an annoyed official in a ‘damn, girlfriend’ tone whether I had a sweating problem. Since then, I don’t really get fazed by grumpy officials but I do play a game where I try to get a smile out of them.  Yes, I tend to lose that game but so what.

Good luck!

 Did I miss any of your favourite tips? Disagree? Let me know below!

Okay, so we survived our first day of hitchhiking and were feeling pretty good about the next leg of the trip. In the morning, we walked directly out of the inn we’d slept at, held up our signs and put our thumbs out. It was exciting not knowing who we would meet that day.

After about ten minutes, a rental car with two guys pulled over: Nick and Jake.

Nick, who lives in Massachusetts, had surprised his son Jake that morning with a last minute father-son road trip. Jake had thrown some clothes in a bag and jumped into the car. They hadn't been driving long when they saw us.

“You guys just look like normal people,” Jake said. “That’s why we picked you up.”

We felt at home with them right away, passing around the maps to discuss where we all wanted to go. Nick stopped often to check out views of the beautiful coastline. 

Nick talked about his views on karma and quirks of fate. 

"I like to pay it forward," he said. 

He’d pull over and we’d all take pictures and soak up the stunning views.

The car was comfortable and they were friendly. Tom and I didn't realise that things were about to get better… way better. 

Mid-conversation, Jake pointed out a sign for dune buggies and quad bikes. He suggested we check it out, and Nick agreeably swung the car around and drove into the place. We soon learned that there were some huge sand dunes nearby. Jake was really excited about the prospect of quad biking the dunes.

“Dad, let’s do it!” 

Nick shrugged and the two of them got out of the car to speak to the manager. 

Out of sight, Tom and I looked at each other. “I guess we’ll just hang around and wait while they do it,” I whispered. We figured it was worth it to wait and get a guaranteed ride south, even if we did lose some time. 

Nick stuck his head back into the car. 

“Want to do it, guys? I’ll pay.”

We were flabbergasted. 
“We can’t let you do that,” Tom protested. 

“Come on, I’m generous,” Nick replied. 

We didn't need much encouragement. We got some helmets, jumped on a bike and rode them around the back to the dunes!

The dunes were huge, and to get up to the top you had to get a good run up, and then keep increasing speed until you were full throttle. If you eased off at all on your steep ride up, you wouldn't make it to the top: you had to really commit. 

It was seriously exhilarating!

Going down the steep faces of the dunes felt like going on a waterfall ride at a theme park… except that it’s sand, and you’re somewhat in control. I felt the adrenaline rush through me and grinned like a maniac.

Nick was wonderful. He treated me like a favourite niece, zooming around me and offering helpful suggestions. When I nailed it, he gave me a thumbs up. Jake showed us how to do doughnuts in the sand and raced around like a pro.

It was difficult to keep the handles still as my bike jumped along bumps at full throttle, and up a particularly steep dune, I could feel the handlebars moving a lot. I gritted my teeth and stayed at full throttle. 

Unfortunately, I flipped the bike and it landed on my leg. Oops.

But rather than scaring me, I felt relieved. What I'd feared had happened and all I had was a few bruises. Nick, Tom and Jake sped over to help lift the bike off me and checked I hadn't broken anything: human or mechanical. Apart from the little flag that shows where you are to other bikers, I was good to go. So I got back on, rode down the dune, and swung around to try again.

Except this time, I made it.

So, what do you think? Have we convinced you that it's worth it to trust people and say yes to adventure yet? Leave a comment! We would also love to hear about adventures that you've had when you put yourself out there.