Seoul, Part 1: Long-Haul Flights are a B****

I'd like to meet the person who actually enjoys a 10+ flight in basic economy. And before this flight I would have said that person was me - with my eager excitement as we pull up to the airport shuttle, check our bags and make it through secruity (thank goodness for TSA pre-check). I love people watching from my gate, I feel a skip in my heart as I walk down the plane aisle, and I bounce excitedly in my narrow seat as we get ready for takeoff, full of energy at the thought of the adventure on the horizon. So naive...

But I can with confidence say that I am no longer that person.
Long-haul flights are a bitch.

Before departing Dallas to Seoul...look at that energy and excitement

I've been on all of two long-haul flights previously - when I left Washington, DC for Myanmar in January 2020 and then my too-soon return back to the United States in March 2020. The layover in Dubai (to Myanmar) and Japan (back to the US) almost made the journey a bit more bearable, a welcome break between long flights. But 14 hours non-stop on a plane that smells like Frito feet with a shrieking toddler finally put me in my place.
It was maybe 4 hours into that 14-hour flight to Korea, with my legs numb and head spinning from the screaming kid and chattering women behind us, that I realized this flight was going to be much more exhausting than I had anticipated. Even the flight back to the United States, in much needed upgraded seats (premium economy was a welcome comfort), was still a challenge. We were blessed to again be seated right next to a finicky toddler and their infant brother, with parents who struggled to manage either. I'm pretty sure neither Brent or I got more than 2 hours of sleep during the journey. It was quite an experience to say the least. Although, I will say that extra amount of legroom with a leg and footrest saved the day and had Brent not upgraded us, I may just have sworn off future long-haul flights from sheer exhaustion.

But we survived those hellish flights and there are many more long-haul flights in my future. Maybe one day I'll win the lottery and fly business class, peacefully slumbering in my little pod the entire way (hey, a girl can dream). Until then, I'll just have to settle for good ol' economy.

Signed a very sleep deprived,