Whether you’re taking a three hour flight or a trans continental one, flying can either be a horrible bore and uncomfortable, or you can make the most of it, enjoy it and even be productive too! But in order for it to be the latter you’ll probably need to do at least some of the following things to make that flight fly by.
How to Pack Wisely to Enjoy the Friendly Skies
Your flight actually begins before you even leave home, because if you don’t pack wisely it can ruin your entire trip, not just your flight by the way. But for the purpose of this segment let’s stick with the (carry-on bag) packing to enjoy your trip.
Pack a travel blanket, comfortable sweater, or hoodie to keep you warm and some snugly travel socks. Many trans continental airlines still offer pillows, but they are germ laden and an easy source of contracting a cold or the flu, bring your own inflatable or small travel pillow; it can be very useful when trying to sleep in small quarters.
This may sound strange, but is actually recommended by flight attendants, bring your own unopened water; flight attendants aren’t always available with their many tasks and responsibilities. Staying hydrated throughout your flight will help your body to flush out the germs on aircrafts and help keep you from getting sick. So be sure to pick up a few bottles once you’ve gone through security or if necessary bring an empty one. Once in flight don’t be shy about asking the flight attendants to refill them for you; they will appreciate your passenger savvy.
Pack some healthy non salty snacks, even if you’re flying first class, airline food is notoriously filled with sodium and preservatives, so even if it’s free choose wisely. It’s good to take advantage of the freebies in flight and by all means do, but do try to keep it healthy and don’t experiment with foods that might upset your stomach or dehydrate you.
Pack some interesting reading material and a good book you’ve been wanting to read. This will help you pass the time on your flight to stave off boredom.
How to Make the Time Fly
Plan your in-flight time in segments. Schedule a certain amount of time (according to the length of your flight) for activities. For example; you may want to watch a few movies to knock out 3 or 4 hours, chances are you’ll be able to find at least a few that will keep your interest and may even enjoy them.
After the movies (or in-between) get up and take a stroll, walk the aisles for a bit to help your feet and leg circulation. You don’t want to stay stationary for too long, it’s rare but you can develop a blood clot and stretching out and walking can help prevent that. Do some simple stretching motions or yoga stretches to help keep you from getting neck or back aches from sitting in confined seating for too long a period continuously.
If you want to be productive with some of your time wait till people have sort of settled in, especially the kiddies lol, so you won’t be easily distracted and can concentrate. Wi-Fi is always unpredictable in flight and quite pricey, you may want to do your work off-line. Of course, that is unless the boss is expecting you to and picking up the tab for it.
And finally … you might want to get that book out and read for a bit, it might help you doze off for a few hours and when you awake you can just start all over again if necessary till your flight is through. One last word of advice don’t sleep with contacts in, wash your hands thoroughly and remove them before going to sleep. It is actually best to remove them once you’ve boarded the plane because the cabin air will usually give people dry eye, which may cause you to rub your eyes and due to those nasty germs floating in the air it may cause you to catch a cold or the flu. But you should definitely take them out before going to sleep to avoid rubbing them while sleeping. Bon Voyage!
