In order to manage the process of travel, one must plan accordingly. Here are some tips for preparing for your flight to ensure you’re sane when you’ve landed.
Once the sort of thing your average person only did once or twice in their entire lives, long-distance travel has become a routine occurrence for millions of people around the world. Air travel, in particular, has become the gold standard of long-distance mass transportation, given the range, speed, and safety of modern commercial aircraft.
With that said, the experience of the typical airline passenger is often far from pleasant. While no one will dispute the modern marvel of air travel, the process is anything but marvelous. Packing, getting luggage successfully checked, and getting yourself through security in one piece are all part of the package, and you haven’t even made it to your departure gate yet!
In order to manage the process of travel, one must plan accordingly. Here are some tips for preparing for your flight to ensure you’re sane when you’ve landed:
Bring comfort items
Traveling for long periods of time in a cramped airplane can actually be quite stressful and cause you to feel restless. This is especially true if you're prone to experiencing flight anxiety. Some must have items to bring on your flight include, a fully charged smartphone filled with your favorite music, books, and movies, headphones, coloring or puzzle books, and snacks. With these you’ll have plenty to keep you entertained.
Additionally, you should bring items to help you sleep on long flights. Considering one of the common causes of chronic neck pain is severe muscle strain, it’s important to avoid sleeping in an awkward position. Using a neck pillow while you sleep on your flight is a great way to avoid neck pain once you’ve landed.
Dress in comfortable clothes
You do not want to be on a long flight in uncomfortable clothes and shoes. Tight clothing can make you feel constricted and will cause numbness in your extremities. Uncomfortable shoes can make your feet tired, cause foot cramps, legs cramps, and just make you unable to rest your feet in a comfortable position during the flight.
For women, it’s often more comfortable to wear a workout bra and activewear. For men, you may prefer pants that don't require a belt to prevent a belt buckle from pressing into your stomach while you sit on a long flight.
Ease the stress of airport security
Getting through the long lines and invasive inspection procedures of airport security is one of the most stressful aspects of flying. While we all understand that these intense security measures are for all of our safety, it can still be frustrating to wait in long lines and be examined for weapons and contraband.
You can make this process a lot less stressful on yourself by adhering to a few simple rules. Wear as little metal as possible. This includes jewelry, change, and belt buckles. The less metal you wear, the fewer items you will have to remove. Choose shoes that are easy to slip on and off for your own convenience. The carrying of liquids on flights is carefully regulated, so try to bring as few liquid items as possible. Liquids required for medical reasons should be kept apart from other liquids, like shampoos and beverages.
Safeguard your luggage
Lost luggage can cost you hundreds of dollars. What's worse is that lost luggage can cause you to lose items that are irreplaceable. Photographs, family heirlooms, and work papers can all be eternal casualties if your luggage becomes lost. To safeguard your luggage, choose a nonstop flight if possible. Experiencing layovers and transfers only increase the chances of your luggage becoming lost.
Furthermore, check your luggage in as early as possible to give your luggage time to be loaded onto your plane. Ensure that all old airline tickets have been removed to avoid confusion. Double check the airline ticket placed on your bags to confirm the destination information and flight number are accurate.
Bring snacks
Bring foods that are high in protein and vitamins, such as jerky and nuts. Foods that are high in salt and sugar content will make you incredibly thirsty and incredibly restless. You want to avoid these types of foods.
While we can’t guarantee a stress-free air travel experience, these tips are certain to decrease the anxiety and agony of flying. The only thing left to do is sit back, try and relax, and enjoy as much of your flight as possible. At least it’s over relatively fast, which is probably why we tolerate the experience in the first place!
