Financial experts recommend that people live on their expected retirement budget for a year or so before actually retiring to find out if their budget estimates are realistic. Applying that theory to international airline travel, perhaps prior to booking a ticket in economy class you would be well advised to find a chair that is about 17″ wide and have a nice 8-12 hour sit in it.

If you are considering booking a window seat, go ahead and skooch it up against a window in your house for a night and try to go to sleep. And for full effect, put another chair right next to yours and jab yourself in the ribs with a sharp stick every time you accidentally encroach.

mapenn on Milepoint wants to know if economy seats on international flights are wider, offer more legroom, or are just generally better than economy seats on domestic flights. The consensus answer according to Milepoint members? It depends … and to be safe, you probably ought to just spend a little more for premium economy. Though there are several more interesting suggestions that you will want to visit the thread to read.

But I think if the theme of the discussion could be summed up in one quote, it would best be summarized in this one from moongoddess:

“Flying for 8+ hours in a 17″ seat is an unforgettable experience, in all the wrong ways.“

In the comments below I would love to hear from anyone who actually has tried sitting in a chair at home for 8+ hours. If I had to guess, I would bet it has never been done by a fully able-bodied person.