I took a 13-hour flight to New Zealand from LA. Here are 8 mistakes I made and what I'll do differently on my flight home.

• I flew from Los Angeles, California to New Zealand in June for 13 hours.

• I made a lot of mistakes before and after the flight.

• I want to make my flight home a better experience.

If you live in the US and want to see the amazing scenery of New Zealand, you have to fly there. I traveled to the country in a single day.

I boarded a flight in Denver, Colorado, to Los Angeles, California. I arrived in New Zealand on the 25th of June.

I spent nearly 24 hours in airports, airport lounges, and airplanes between time-zone changes, a 13-hour flight, and a 2.5 hour flight.

While I was fortunate to have a business class seat on my Air New Zealand flight that made the flight more comfortable than it likely would have been in coach, there are a lot of things I'm going to do differently on the plane ride home.

Insider received a press rate for the flight.

I will be spending more time in the airport lounge.

I had a 10-hour layover in Los Angeles. I took advantage of my business class perks and spent a lot of time in the lounge.

It was the first time I've been in an airport lounge and I passed time by drinking and eating.

I didn't know a representative for each airline was in the lounge. The rep let passengers know when the flights would start.

I was on Air New Zealand's only flight out of Los Angeles and I walked over to my gate more than 45 minutes before boarding.

The time was wasted. When the Air New Zealand representative said my flight was boarding, I should have stayed in the lounge.

Next time, I'll stay in the lounge, grab a last bite to eat, and wait for the boarding announcement from the lounge representative.

Before and during the flight, I will walk and stretch more.

I try to squeeze in a few laps around the terminal before I board the plane.

It wasn't enough for me to stretch before my flight. I should've spent more time walking around the airport because I'm about to fly.

I wasn't active enough on the plane. Some of my fellow passengers were smart enough to take a few laps around the cabin, but I only took a few bathroom breaks.

I have time to run before I head to the airport. I plan to walk around the airplane cabin during the flight to prevent any post-flight pains.

I will pack my toothbrush and toothpaste in my backpack.

I boarded the flight and found my toothbrush in my suitcase. I didn't think it was worth it to open my bag to get to my teeth.

Air New Zealand gave me a toothbrush and toothpaste, along with a pen, lotion, and socks, since I was a business class traveler.

I was thankful I could clean my teeth after dinner because the bristles were soft and the toothpaste wasn't as good as I would usually use.

I'll make sure to pack my own toothbrush and toothpaste for my flight since I'm picky about oral hygiene.

I need melatonin for my flight home.

I was able to sleep in a horizontal position on the Air New Zealand business class flight.

Since I was sleeping in a normal position, I thought it would be easy to stay asleep. I had trouble keeping my eyes closed in the unfamiliar space.

I take melatonin to help me sleep. I'm going to take melatonin on the flight home to help me fall asleep and stay asleep.

I forgot to put chocolate in my bag. I'm going to put a few candy bars in my backpack for the return flight.

Pack a few bars of chocolate when you travel. I want to be prepared because there will be a time when I need something sweet.

I was going to pack chocolate for my flight, but I wanted to try some of the country's favorite treats. I didn't leave chocolate off my packing list.

After dinner on the flight I had a craving for my favorite sweet.

Some of my favorite New Zealand chocolates are on my packing list.

Next time, I'll choose an apple or banana.

It's nearly impossible to disembark from a long-haul flight if you don't feel refreshed. The pretzel I ate at the beginning of the flight did not help.

I should have remembered a flight attendant's tip about packing healthy snacks in your carry-on luggage.

I'll eat some chocolate on the flight, but I'll also bring a few healthier snack options or request some fruit from the flight attendants. Insider has previously reported that travelers can feel better after a long-haul flight if they have fiber andProtein in their system.

I'm going to drink more water.

I filled up my water bottle before I boarded the flight.

The bottle was empty by the time I got off the plane, but it wasn't enough to keep me hydrated.

Travelers should drink 8 ounces of water for every hour they are in the air. I'm hoping to drink at least two full water bottles during the flight because I'll struggle to drink 104 ounces on the plane.

I will go to bed when I land in Denver.

When I arrived in New Zealand at 6 a.m. I took a nap after making a major mistake.

After the long flight, the hotel's king-sized bed called my name, even though I knew it was a mistake. I had trouble adjusting to New Zealand's time zone.

Even though I'll be coming off of a flight in the evening, I'll be going to bed at a normal time to help me get over the jet lag.

My flight home is going to go smoothly.

I'm hoping that with healthy snacks and a pre-flight run, I'll be able to pick up my schedule without any issues.

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