My First Long Haul Flight: Manila-New York-Cancun

February is my birthday month, and the last week of February will forever be etched in my memory. That’s when I took my first-ever long-haul flight, from Manila to Hong Kong, then to New York, and finally to Cancun, Mexico. I never really imagined I’d be able to travel across the world like this, but life had other plans, and I couldn’t say no. It was a whirlwind experience, and I’m so excited to finally write it all down.

I left Manila on a cool February evening, boarding my 8PM Cathay Pacific flight. I had two pieces of luggage with me: one 23kg suitcase for check-in, a small luggage, and my Polène Cyme bag for carry-on essentials. I wore a black skirt paired with a red cardigan and of course my NB 530 sneakers —classic, comfortable, and just right for the Manila-Hong Kong leg, which was a 3-hour flight.

🛬 1st Stop: Hong Kong

We landed in Hong Kong around midnight, and I had a 5-hour layover ahead. I didn’t want to risk freezing later on, so before boarding my next flight, I did a quick outfit change: changed my skirt for a pair of trusty maong pants, pulled on a black thermal turtleneck, and topped it with my black leather jacket. New York was waiting, and it was -0°C!

🛫 2nd Stop: New York

I got comfy in a window seat in the premium economy cabin for the 15-hour flight to JFK. Honestly, it wasn’t bad at all—the legroom was great, the seat reclined, and I was treated to two full meals. My first in-flight meal (still on Hong Kong time) was surprisingly good: tuna and saffron orzo salad, bread and butter, cheese and crackers, barbecued pork with egg omelet jasmine rice, Haagen-Dazs ice cream, orange juice, and Cathay Pacific’s signature house chocolate. I felt fancy.

The second meal came closer to New York’s timezone—scrambled eggs, portobello mushroom, tomato, Lyonnaise potato, seasonal fruits, preserves, butter, and ginger ale. It hit the spot. Since I couldn’t connect to the inflight Wi-Fi, my 15.5-hour flight routine turned into a cozy loop of sleeping, watching movies, and eating. Surprisingly, I’d automatically wake up right when the flight attendant was about to serve food—like my stomach was working on airplane instinct.

We landed at JFK around 5:30 AM, and I braced myself for the long immigration line—it took about 1.5 hours. But the excitement kept me going because I had a few hours to explore New York before the final flight leg.

🌇 Quick Tour of NYC

My first stop? The iconic Brooklyn Bridge. I had to jog towards the bridge since we had only limited time before the next flight—it was freezing, and my throat dried out from the run, but wow, seeing the Manhattan skyline in the morning was breathtaking. It felt surreal.

Then came Times Square. It’s just like in the movies—giant buildings, yellow cabs and even NYPD cars (which honestly made me squeal inside). I had a little “Only in New York” moment when I was outside Hard Rock Café, and three people in costume (Spiderman, Mickey Mouse, and Elmo) suddenly appeared in my photos… then demanded $25 for two shots with them. I didn’t even ask them to be in the pic!

I capped off the quick NYC tour at the giant Louis Vuitton luggage installation on 5th Avenue before heading back to JFK airport. Picked up a few NYC goodies and some fridge magnets, then it was time to board for Cancun.

🌴 Final Stop: Cancun, Mexico

We landed around 4PM, and I wish I could say it was a smooth arrival. Nope. Cancun’s airport immigration was absolute chaos. The line outside the immigration lobby took over an hour, and once inside, it was a full-on free-for-all. No clear lines, no organized flow—just people everywhere trying to get through. They said the system was down so it took another 3 hours before we finally made it out.

By the time I stepped outside, I was exhausted but insanely relieved. I had officially traveled across the globe, and I was in Mexico. Beach time and tacos baby!