Tuesday's Travel Tip: Man! Your Arms Must Be Tired!

I love flying. Always have, always will (even despite British Airways).

But as with anything, there are always tips to make life easier. Some flights are straight up then down…some will have you squirming to find that “comfy” position (Don’t be afraid of it. It might look ridiculous, but sometimes you have double digit hrs to kill).


Either way, here’s my little routine:

1. I request a window seat, because *my* comfy position requires one.


2. Take all the necessary in-flight *tools* out of my carry-on. (When you’re in a window seat, you don’t make friends by having to climb over people every 2 seconds for that “thing” you forgot in the overhead locker.) My carry-on then goes up and out of the way, and I’m left with the fun stuff. See tool-kit details below.


3. Take off my shoes (Trust me on this one)


4. Pop in a piece of gum to chew (Helps your ears pop with the change in pressure at take-off. Repeat at landing)


5. Check out the Airline In-Flight Magazine in the seat pouch in front of me to find out what the movie is going to be, and then decide whether I feel like the meatarian or vegetarian meal.


6. Sit back and enjoy.

My *tool-kit* always has the following:

• book (novel and / or guidebook)
• headphones (even if it doesn’t *fit* the plug, usually halfway in will get you both ears. Shhhh!)
• MP3 player or Discman for the old-school like me (don’t forget your cd wallet)
• eye drops
• moisturizer (good for hands and face, and sometimes staticky hair)
• bottle of water (flight attendants are busy people)
• sweater
• Chapstick
• for longer trips : ear plugs and deodorant

For longer flights I also make sure I have the cute airline blanket and pillow, but if I’m feeling extra splurgy, I’ll have brought my inflatable neck pillow and a light sleeping pill (anti-nausea’s are a good choice for most people as they offer the double whammy of keeping your flight food down and knocking you out) (I’m kidding, I actually enjoy flight food. Sometimes it’s an adventure, and sometimes it’s actually really good).

Although I’m a hypocrite and actually NEVER do the stretching exercises that they show you in the video, I think they’re a really good idea. I myself rely on the fact that I have a 3 yr old girl’s bladder, and hence get lots of leg stretching via repeated trips to the bathroom, haha. (Hmmmm, maybe window seats Aren’t the best thing for me)

For a more clinical approach, Air Canada has quite a lengthy read on the subject.

Wikihow.com "Be-Comfortable-on-a-Long-Airplane-Trip", has some good tips, and some downright anal tips. I highly agree with the wax earplugs (God’s gift to light sleepers), and WetOnes for longer trips.

So go forth, fly high, and create your own checklist. And don’t forget to comment and tell us…what’s YOUR can’t-live-without-when-flying?