Twenty two hours is a really long time to be on a plane. 14 hours to Doha, an hour on the ground and then another 7 to Paris. It might be a means to an end but it’s no picnic. In fact, even a picnic would have been nice.

I hadn’t done the long haul thing before, at least not on my own. When I was eight, Mum and Dad bought the snacks and extra jumpers and all that jazz – how was I to know how I would be affected by high altitude?

They don’t let you wear contact lenses on long haul flights either.

Your feet blow up. Your legs retain fluid. It’s cold and your back hurts. The pillows they give you cushion nothing. The food is bad. The lights go out for hours. My TV didn’t work. I had the window seat. I didn’t go to the bathroom for ELEVEN HOURS!

Now, not all of these complaints occurred all the time. Sometimes, the food wasn’t awful (to a point and still NOTHING on real food). Miss J bought me the most brilliant travel pillow, which saved my neck a number of times. On the way home I really didn’t care whom I had to ask to move to go to the bathroom. Again, Miss J saved me from frostbite with a handy pair of spare socks.

But I was definitely rescued by a product not usually reserved for planes, but for the racetrack. Or stumbling home from a nightclub.

Tipsy Toes Shoes.

Of course I had dressed for fashion, not function, while travelling and was wearing very cute peep toe flats half a size too small. After a few hours at great heights, my feet were busting out of my cute shoes and the thought of walking though the airport (in PARIS, no less) with scary toe cleavage was too much to bare.

Thank goodness for modern miracles (and overpacking)!

Get yours: http://tipsytoes.com.au

Note: I flew Qatar airlines and even with my limited flying experience, I know they do a pretty decent job and I would recommend them – oh, except for the part where they gave my gluten free meal to someone else. Oops! (but seriously, pleasant staff and ‘decent’ leg room. You know, for economy.)