A Long-Haul Flight Ordeal

Earlier this year, I traveled to Paris with my friends for a week, and it turned out to be the most memorable trip of my life.

I've been to several countries before, but France is definitely my favorite now.

I've been to several countries before, but France is my favorite now.

Almost everything about its capital city, Paris, appealed to me—its medieval cathedrals, classical art museums, historical monuments, scenic villages, grand department stores, and quaint, teeming streets.

Almost everything about its capital city, Paris, appealed to me—its medieval cathedrals, classical art museums, historic monuments, scenic villages, grand department stores, and quaint, teeming streets.

Even though it's been 10 months, the cityscape of Paris still lingers vividly in my mind.

When I close my eyes, I can picture it in detail.

Going to Paris was completely unexpected.

Initially, we had planned to travel abroad in February and had our hearts set on going to Australia because of its summer season.

However, due to some unexpected circumstances, we didn't manage to book the flight.

We then considered Munich, Germany, as our alternative destination, but found that most direct flights were exorbitantly overpriced.

We then chose Munich, Germany, as our destination, but found that most direct flights were exorbitantly overpriced.

Consequently, we ended up in Paris.

So, we ended up in Paris.

The only thing I didn't like about the trip was having to sit in the middle seat in economy class on the airplane for sixteen hours.

Due to the war between Ukraine and Russia, the airline erred on the side of caution and took a bit of a detour, which slightly extended the flight time.

In addition, westbound flights are generally longer than eastbound ones because of the Earth's rotation on its axis.

Before this trip, I'd never realized I was prone to getting airsick.

I felt nauseous and dizzy during the 16-hour flight.

I was also unaware that the distance between Taipei and Paris is greater than the distances from Taipei to London, UK; Reykjavik, Iceland; Stockholm, Sweden; Oslo, Norway; and even Greenland.

I suppose my ignorance stemmed from my high exposure to the Mercator projection, which is the most commonly used projection for world maps.

I suppose my ignorance stemmed from my high exposure to the Mercator projection, the most commonly used projection for world maps.

As a standard map projection for navigation, it preserves local directions and shapes but distorts sizes and distances.

We took off at 11 p.m. Taiwan time, so I was supposed to be sleeping on the plane.

But the reality was that, with the unfamiliar surroundings and a worsening headache, sleep eluded me throughout all 16 hours of the flight.

However, with the unfamiliar surroundings and a worsening headache, sleep eluded me throughout all 16 hours of the flight.

I remember sitting uncomfortably in my cramped airplane seat for hours, staring at the entertainment screen, wishing for slumber.

I remember that I sat uncomfortably in my cramped airplane seat for hours staring at the entertainment screen, wishing for slumber.

When our plane landed in France at 7 a.m. local time, my friends and I decided to start looking at the sights in Paris right away without first heading to the hotel for some rest.

When our plane landed in France at 7 a.m. local time, my friends and I decided to start exploring the sights in Paris immediately without heading to the hotel for some rest.

Since I hadn't slept for more than 48 hours, I went out like a light as soon as I hit the pillow.

Sure enough, I went out like a light as soon as I hit the pillow.

Fortunately, I didn't suffer from severe jet lag.

When I woke up the next morning, my body seemed to have effortlessly adjusted to the new time; it was as if the jet lag had completely disappeared.

A Long-Haul Flight Ordeal

Earlier this year, I traveled to Paris with my friends for a week, and it turned out to be the most memorable trip in my life.

I've been to several countries before, but France is definitely my favorite now.

Even though it's been 10 months, the cityscape of Paris still lingers vividly in my mind.

Going to Paris was completely unexpected.

Initially, we had planned to travel abroad in February and had our hearts set on going to Australia because of its summer season.

We then considered Munich, Germany, as our alternative destination, but found that most direct flights were exorbitantly overpriced.

We then chose Munich, Germany, as our destination, but found that most direct flights were exorbitantly overpriced.

Consequently, we ended up in Paris.

The only thing I didn't like about the trip was having to sit in the middle seat in economy class on the airplane for sixteen hours.

Due to the war between Ukraine and Russia, the airline erred on the side of caution and took a bit of a detour, which slightly extended the flight time.

In addition, westbound flights are generally longer than eastbound ones because of the Earth's rotation on its axis.

Before this trip, I'd never realized I was prone to getting airsick.

I felt nauseous and dizzy during the 16-hour flight.

I was also unaware that the distance between Taipei and Paris is greater than the distances from Taipei to London, UK; Reykjavik, Iceland; Stockholm, Sweden; Oslo, Norway; and even Greenland.

As a standard map projection for navigation, it preserves local directions and shapes but distorts sizes and distances.

We took off at 11 p.m. Taiwan time, so I was supposed to be sleeping on the plane.

When our plane landed in France at 7 a.m. local time, my friends and I decided to start looking at the sights in Paris right away without first heading to the hotel for some rest.

Sure enough, I went out like a light as soon as I hit the pillow.

Fortunately, I didn't suffer from severe jet lag.

When I woke up the next morning, my body seemed to have effortlessly adjusted to the new time; it was as if the jet lag had completely disappeared.