Summer is finally here, and that means it’s time for a lot of you to get off the couch
and start making some serious headway on your travel plans.
Unless you’re about to embark on a cross country road trip, there’s a pretty good
chance that reaching your destination of choice probably involves you hopping on a plane at
some point.
After all, that’s probably why you clicked on this video to begin with, right?
If you’re a generally restless person or just hate long flights in general, we’re
here to help you out: while we can’t do anything about the parent with the crying
baby in the seat next to yours, we can share some tips and tricks to make those long airplane
sessions just a little bit more bearable.
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Dress For The Occasion If you’re about to embark on an especially
long flight, then the first step you’ll want to consider is what you’ll be wearing
during your time in the air.
While you probably won’t be able to roll up to the airport dressed in your favourite
pyjamas, you should definitely take the time to select an outfit that you’ll be able
to be comfortable in for several hours at a time.
As a general rule of thumb, you’ll probably want to avoid tight or revealing clothing,
as planes are generally fairly cold and you’ll want to have the benefits of both warmth and
freedom of movement at your disposal.
If you can, try to limit yourself to a smaller carry-on item as well; that way, if your flight
doesn’t offer much head space for luggage, you’ll still be able to give yourself as
much legroom as possible.
Rest assured, nobody wants to spend 10 hours or more wearing a suit unless absolutely necessary.
2.
Sleep If You Can Not only will sleeping through a portion of
the flight help it to feel as though it’s going by slightly faster, but it may also
help lessen the effects of jet lag depending on where you decide to take your snooze.
Crossing over into different time zones via flights can potentially wreak havoc on your
body’s natural circadian rhythm, which normally dictates when you’re supposed to be awake
and when you’re meant to be asleep.
As one possible way to fix this problem, Scott McCartney of the Wall Street Journal suggests
adjusting your watch to match your current time zone, in order to remind you of the ideal
times to get some shuteye.
Longer flights will also typically dim the lights during ideal sleeping times as a way
to further encourage people to adjust their circadian rhythms.
To allow for a more relaxing snooze on a long and crowded flight, we also recommend investing
in ear plugs, a neck pillow, and maybe even a face mask in order to maximize your comfort
and shut out any outside distractions.
3.
Watch What You Drink Staying hydrated on a long flight is an underrated
way to keep yourself comfortable.
The interior of a commercial airplane typically has a lower level of humidity than we’re
normally accustomed to, which can leave you feeling dried out and dehydrated.
Naturally, this means the best course of action is to make sure you’re drinking plenty of
water throughout the flight.
As an added bonus, all those extra trips to the bathroom you’ll be making as a result
will also give you plenty of excuses to get up and stretch your legs.
We should stress that water should remain your drink of choice, however: as tempting
as it might be to knock yourself out for a spell with a few tiny bottles of airline booze,
alcohol will only serve to dehydrate you further as well as potentially mess with your circadian
rhythm.
While it might not feel like it at first, a sober flight will keep you much more comfortable
for the duration of your time in the air.
4.
Get Out Of Your Seat Humans are not designed to be purely sedentary
creatures, so a lot of people have a tendency to start to feel restless when they have to
stay seated for long periods of time.
If you’re one of those people, then we’re here to tell you this: why fight the urge?
Once it’s safe to do so and the seatbelt light shuts off, give yourself the opportunity
to get out and stretch your legs.
This will not only help with your circulation but also help will prevent your legs from
cramping up.
Taking a stretch break while on a long flight will also help reduce the risk of things such
as blood clots.
Fortunately, some airlines have begun including exercise videos in the entertainment section;
these videos will instruct you on a number of non-disruptive exercises you can perform
from the comfort of your own seat in order to keep your blood flow nice and steady.
5.
Make the Most of Your Layovers If you’re on an international flight, then
chances are you’ll probably have a layover at one point or another.
Even if you’re mostly restricted to the airport or the surrounding area in order to
avoid missing your connecting flight, there are a few simple things you can do to take
full advantage of your time out of the plane.
In addition to the obvious fact that you’ll have slightly more space to walk around and
stretch your legs, you can also capitalize on your time at the airport by keeping a small
dental kit in your carry on luggage so you can brush your teeth while you wait for your
next flight.
This seems like a fairly insignificant thing, but if you did manage to get some sleep on
the first leg of your travels then chances are you don't want to spend the rest of your
travel time with the unpleasantness of morning breath.
Just make sure to keep track of time as well in order to avoid missing your next flight.
If you’ve been bitten by the travel bug this summer, then hopefully this video was
able to provide you with some additional tips, tricks and techniques to make your journey
from point A to point B as pleasant as possible.
For all of you seasoned travellers out there, do you happen to have any other advice to
make your time spent flying go by more smoothly?
We’re always interested in hearing your feedback, so be sure to let us know in the
comments section below and helping us keep the conversation going.