Could You Sit On A Plane For 19 Hours?

There are people who love air travel and there are people who hate air travel. I'm somewhere in between.

I'll be a lot more excited about it when the transporter from Star Trek becomes a reality. Overnight flight to London? How about you beam me up instead, Scotty?

My sister lives in Singapore. Long story, short, her husband's career took them there. As a result, we see them and our niece once every two years, usually here in the U.S. or in Europe. I have never made the trip to Asia to visit them. I've also never had great excuses for not going except that it takes a long time to get there and usually involves a lot of layovers. But that has changed. Sort of.

Singapore Airlines has begun non-stop service between Newark, NJ and Singapore. At nearly 19 hours, it's the longest commercial flight available. On the one hand, it's nice not having to change planes two or three times, which eliminates the possibility of missing a connecting flight. On the other hand, it's 19 hours on a plane. I have a hard time sitting through a two-hour movie!

How do you endure that much time in a big metal tube? Wall Street Journal travel writer Scott McCartney took the epic-length flight and shares his tips for maintaining your physical and mental well-being while in high-altitude captivity: