Whether you're booking long haul flights to Tokyo, South America, or another great destination, we often end up dreading the long flight ahead. Here are our top six tips for arriving at your destination feeling fresh and ready to go!

1. Sleep Well - When you're excited about your upcoming travel and thinking about all the things you're going to do when you get there, sleep can be an elusive luxury! Then add in the mental checklist that keeps playing through your mind: passport, check; tickets, check; hotel booking, check; and so on... and sleep gets even harder to achieve.

Before your flight though, a good nights sleep can really help you get through the long haul and arrive at the other end feeling refreshed and full of energy.

So how to get a good night's sleep before your long haul flight? Re-assure yourself that you've remembered everything. Have a relaxing evening with a good book or other stress reducing activity. Avoid parties or anything that's going to stimulate your brain as this makes it difficult to quiet your mind.

Then, go to bed early and even if sleep seems like it's going to be difficult, let your body relax and try to empty your mind of intrusive or distracting thoughts. Actually imagine yourself throwing out the annoying thoughts.

Do these and hopefully you will get a good night's sleep to set you up for your long haul flight.

2. Top Up On Water - It's a fact that due to the atmosphere inside airplanes it's easy for our bodies to become dehydrated. Drinking plenty of water both before and during your flight will help keep your body feeling comfortable and avoid excessive loss of moisture.

As well as drinking water, if you have a small pump spray which is refillable (remember this must meet the size standard for immigration exit rules) fill it with some water and then you can spray it on your face when you need a pick me up. The skin on your face is particularly sensitive and this can really make a difference between feeling like you've just aged 5 years or getting off the plane feeling tip top and ready to go.

3. Avoid Alcohol - Yes I know this is stating the obvious and we've all heard it a million times before but it does help to stay clear of alcohol for a few hours.

Even under normal circumstances alcohol leaves you dehydrated. When you're incarcerated on one of the many long haul flights crossing the skies in a pressurized container, the effects of dehydration become heightened and occasionally can lead to severe illness.

4. Flight Socks - When my mum-in-law bought us some flight socks for Christmas in readiness for our return flight home to Tokyo from the UK I chuckled to myself thinking, 'Sure, like these are going to make a difference!' As it turned out though they were a great present. Instead of getting off the flight with swollen ankles and legs that didn't feel like my own, my flight socks really helped keep my circulation flowing and reduced the discomfort of sitting for so long on a long distance flight.

5. Take Off And Landing Ear Popping Tips - One of the things I hated most when I first started flying was the pain and pressure I'd get in my ears during take off and landing. My top tip for this one is to keep some gum or candy in your bag that you chew for the 20 minutes it takes to go up and down. The action of chewing helps release the pressure in your ears for a much more comfortable experience.

6. In Flight Exercise - Finally, but not least, just as you should exercise before your flight, make sure you stretch and get up to walk around (if you can) during your long haul journey. Of course, if the seatbelt light is on then you should stay seated but it's still possible to do some basic foot and arm wiggles to keep your body active.

I hope these six top tips for long haul flights will help you arrive at your destination feeling fit and rearing to go!

If you want to find out tips on how to pay less for long haul flights to Tokyo, visit Honor's page at http://www.tokyotopia.com/flights-to-tokyo.html Make sure to check out all the other great info she shares about Tokyo and the things you can do while you're there.

Publishers please note you are free to publish this article in its entirety provided that the above information and resource links to TokyoTopia.com are included.