General Mock Tests

Long-Haul Flights

A couple of weeks ago, I was reminded of the realities of a long-haul flight - overnight across the Atlantic. My neck was locked rigid and my legs were twisted, shins cramped against the underside of the seat in front and knees jammed against the seat back. Nevertheless, after three or four hours of fitful wakefulness, I managed to drop off to sleep. Then, as they always do in economy, the crew switched on the cabin lights so that they could serve breakfast. It is the most brutal awakening and the nadir of most night flights.

Short of using ear plugs and an eye mask and hanging a "Do not disturb notice" around your neck, I can't think of a way around this particular downside to long-haul flying. But there are some things you can do. Here are 5 tips to make a long journey more bearable.

1 Book a decent seat

Most airlines that fly long haul allow you to select your seat well in advance of the flight via their website. Some have started to charge for this privilege. In BA's case, it will cost you £25 per seat for return flights in the World Traveller cabin (long haul, economy class).

However, free seat choice and online check-in opens 24 hours before departure. When I checked a couple of virtually-full flights recently, I found that there were still plenty of seats that hadn't been booked. So, as long as you are well organised and log on at the right time, you should be able to get decent seats. Choosing the best seat to book is the next problem. Bulkhead seats and seats in the emergency-exit row (for which you often have to pay extra) are popular. Seats in the emergency-exit row give you extra legroom but you are right by the lavatory door, and the legroom in the seat nearest the side of the plane is compromised because part of the door juts out. The bulkhead seats at the front of the cabin seem attractive since there is no one in front of you to recline a seat into your space. But it is also the row most often used by parents with babies.

2 Fly east to west

This will work only if you are travelling around the world, but it is a strategy worth considering for those flying to Australia or New Zealand, when a round-the-world ticket may be the same price as a normal return, or only slightly more expensive.

If you do circumnavigate in this way, you will avoid the worst effects of jet lag. Flying east to west means that your body adjusts more easily to the new time zone and you can sleep in for longer, rather than find yourself lagging behind the clock. However, the time you gain on each leg will be lost the moment you cross the International Date Line in the Pacific Ocean, when suddenly an entire day will be wiped out. Travel the other way and you will gain a day, but lose time on each leg.

3 Use a top-quality agent

One area in which travel agents can still give good advice on a consistent basis is long-haul travel. The complexity of possible routings, fares and airlines, especially on a round-the-world ticket, is not something that lends itself well to online systems. An idea or suggestion from an on-the-ball consultant who is compiling itineraries every day could save you both time and money.

4 Pick the best airline

There is no doubt that the top airlines have significantly improved things for long-haul passengers over the past three or four years. Key developments include seats with more space in front of your knees; "wings" on the headrests to support your head; and on-demand seat-back entertainment so that you can choose what you want to watch and when and can put programmes on pause. But not all airlines offer equal standards of service or the same amount of legroom and, since there is a choice of carriers on nearly all routes, it is worth thinking about more than just the cheapest fare when deciding who you fly with.

5 Avoid peak-time flights

You will have more space, more air, more personal service and a nicer experience all round on a half-empty flight. Since fares vary according to demand, you are also likely to pay less for it. A good agent (see above) will be able to advise on the quietest times on individual routes but obvious times to avoid are school holidays, weekends and Monday - the busiest flying day of the week.

Safety and Security

A Civil Unrest/Political Tension

You should avoid any large public gatherings or political demonstrations as they may turn violent.

B Crime

Petty crime targeting foreigners, including pickpocketing, mugging and theft, occurs throughout Turkmenistan particularly on trains (commonly on overnight rail services) and in markets.

Travellers have been robbed when using unofficial taxis. You should seek assistance from staff at hotels, restaurants or places of entertainment to book a licensed taxi.

Crime levels are higher at night. You should avoid walking alone and avoid using public transport after dark. Women can be subjected to verbal and physical harassment. You should take care when travelling alone and pay attention to your immediate surroundings.

There have been reports of harassment, mistreatment and extortion by police or other local officials. Gangs of bandits are known to operate in the south-east area of the country.

C Local Travel

Identity checks are common and you should carry identification with you at all times and ensure all travel documents are in order. Foreigners may be subject to increased security checks and scrutiny from internal security, including questioning and car and home searches.

The regions bordering Afghanistan, Iran and Uzbekistan, areas of the Caspian coast and Dashoguz are designated restricted zones and are closed to foreigners without government permission.

Road conditions and driving standards are poor. Roads can be particularly hazardous in winter and spring, when avalanches and landslides occur. Driving at night is also particularly dangerous. Access to service stations can be limited in rural areas.

Arbitrary police checks and security checkpoints on roads are common. You should carry a copy of your passport and visa at all times.

Rail travel can be unreliable and dangerous due to criminal activity. If you are travelling overnight, store your valuables in a safe place. Do not leave the compartment unattended and secure the door from the inside.

D Airline Safety

Airline and air charter safety and maintenance standards vary throughout the world. It is not known whether maintenance procedures and safety standards on aircraft used on internal flights are always properly observed or whether passengers are covered by airline insurance.

E Money and Valuables

Before you go, organise a variety of ways to access your money overseas, such as credit cards, travellers' cheques, cash, debit cards or cash cards. Australian currency and travellers' cheques are not accepted in many countries. Consult with your bank to find out which is the most appropriate currency to carry and whether your ATM card will work overseas. Turkmenistan is predominantly a cash economy and travellers’ cheques are only accepted in some major hotels. There are no ATMs in Turkmenistan. The official currency is the Turkmen Manat (TMM). US dollars are readily exchanged. To avoid difficulties, ensure banknotes are in good condition. You should exchange any unspent local currency prior to departure as you may not be able to exchange it outside Turkmenistan.

Tourism in Mexico

They appear out of nowhere like a heat-addled mirage on the flat, straight, mangrove-fringed road. The first sign of humanity in 40 miles, the tourists have ripened to pink under the glare of the tropical sun, with their legs wrapped around shiny red all-terrain vehicles buzzing down the asphalt like one giant invasive insect.

It's a strange sight, all right. But it's eclipsed moments later by an even stranger one. Looming on the Caribbean just beyond the end of the road is the world's largest cruise ship, the Independence of the Seas, harboring a bounty of 3,811 passengers.

Thanks to cruise ships like this one, Mexico's Costa Maya (not to be confused with the Riviera Maya farther north), set along a once mostly deserted stretch of the Yucatán Peninsula, is becoming one of the most visited, albeit least known, tourist regions in the nation. In 2006, just five years after the opening of the cruise ship facility here, 850,000 passengers sailed into port. By then, the once tiny fishing village of Mahahual had exploded from 80 souls dependent on the sea, to 3,500 dependent on tourism.

The region begins about 80 miles south of Cancun and stretches from the vast Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve almost to the Belize border. It encompasses huge swaths of protected jungle, a number of lesser-known Maya archaeological sites, indigenous villages, pristine lagoons and top-notch diving. Plans call for low-rise, low-density development emphasizing small, eco-friendly hotels that cater to adventure seekers and cultural travelers.

South of Tulum, a lengthy stretch of almost uninterrupted resort development comes to an abrupt halt at the northern edge of the Sian Ka'an Reserve. The UNESCO World Heritage site (whose name is Maya for "where the sky is born") is a 1.3-million-acre haven of tropical forest and wetlands. It's alive with more than 300 bird species, pig-like peccaries, monkeys, puma and jaguar. It harbors turquoise lagoons where orchids and bromeliads cling to mangroves whose spiny roots grasp the earth like gnarled fingers.

Save for a few fishing lodges, Sian Ka'an isn't set up for overnight visitors. But day trips are organized by a number of tour operators, including Community Tours of Sian Ka'an, a cooperative formed in an attempt to keep profits - and residents - in the small Maya town of Muyil.