The title of this blog post, “Surviving a long flight.” Do you feel badly for me yet? An all expenses paid trip to Europe for 11 days? To get there I have to be trapped in a big piece of metal with little room and cross the Atlantic ocean. Yeah I wouldn’t feel badly for me either. It is pretty amazing to think about how many trips I have earned with Scentsy and now this is one more to cross of my bucket list. Well I wouldn’t exactly say cross off. I love Europe. I have been before an I plan to return many many times in the future but since my last trip across the pond, I have learned a few things about taking a long flight and what I can do to make it a bit more…..enjoyable.
The long flight doesn’t have to be uncomfortable, so I wanted to share some of my helpful tips and tricks that will at least make your trip just a little more comfy.
- Stay Hydrated. I can’t tell you how much water to drink, but I would definitely suggest more than you normally do. Flying is one of the top ways to become dehydrated and more so on a long flight. Drink water through out your first flight. Take sips and do not wait unit you are parched to ask for water.
- Avoid coffee. Yup it has caffeine people. It will keep you awake and dehydrate you further. The goal is to sleep for most of this flight. Find your coffee when the flights are over.
- Wear Layers, be comfortable but classy. I have been on flights that feel like 100 degrees and I have been on flights that feel like Antarctica. While Sweatpants are a little too casual for Europe, definitely consider loose fitting clothing. My go to is a pair of leggings, short sleeve, t-shirt or a tank and a sweater. Don’t forget the cute accessories. You can make a simple outfit look like a million bucks. Slip on shoes with a pair of socks in your bag are always something I love having.
- Bring noise cancelling headphones or ear plugs. We are trying to avoid jet lag at all costs so rest is our goal. Back ground noise has a tendency of causing stress in the air. Canceling the noise will help block out crying babies or food being served.
- Charge your devices and bring that power pack. Traveling drains those batteries. We know while we are waiting, we are playing games, texting, scrolling social media. Make sure your phone and IPAD are fully charged and you can never have too many extra batteries.
- Lotion, Chap stick & Evian Spray. Dehydration is the worst part of every flight. You are dry, tired, bloated and its just plain awful. Counter act that dryness any way you can.
- Entertain yourself. We all know this but download those books, courses, music, movies before you go. Keep yourself busy and avoid the airlines in flight charges. Catch up on that reading material that you know you are behind on.
- Bring an eye mask. You won’t look very cute but a mask gets you ready for sleeping. Remember…our goal: Avoid Jet lag.
- Pack a pillow & a blanket. Not all airlines have them but for long flights you want to make sure you trick your body into thinking its time for bed.
- Sleeping Pills. I always pack some zquil. Non narcotic and does the trick. Consultant your doctor if you need something stronger but this is a must if you want to get some shut eye and not lose a day in Europe.
- Anti Bacterial wipes. Planes are dirty and germy so wipe thing down. Arm rests, seat belt, tray. If you are sitting near it, wipe it down.
- Snacks & Water. You want to be able to eat and drink on your own schedule. Fill up your water bottle and have some small snacks in your bag in case you need something to munch on.
- Check in 24 hours before departure. A lot of airlines open up premium seats for selection right when you can check in.
- Don’t eat airline food. Its loaded with sodium. Combine that with a dry cabin, alcohol and congrats you get a great case of dehydration. Save the party time for your destination.
- Always have an extra pair of socks, underwear and extra toiletries in your carry on. You never know what could happen with delays or god forbid you get sick etc. Extra is always better.
- You can switch seats. Once the plane door closes, if you find yourself wedged in the middle, be kind and ask the flight attendant if there are open seats you can move to. Just be sure to do this before the plane pushes away from the date. Don’t be a jerk but don’t be afraid to ask for personal comfort.
- Request a special meal before you get to the airport. The food is usually better and you get served first. The chosen meals have been proven to have more fiber and just better for your overall digestive system.
- When you board, set your watch for you destination time. The flight crew will feed you and wake you based on their schedule. Set your times so you know when you should be sleeping and when you should be awake.
- Do In seat exercises. Google them while you are in the air. I do something as simple as bicycle pedals to keep the blood flowing.
I think I covered everything and reminded myself of a few things too. It’s always exciting to travel and especially traveling all expenses paid, so you want to do everything you can to make the travel time as enjoyable as you can. These tips can be used for travel in general, for your incentives or for your summer conventions. These trips we look forward to all year long, so any way I can make them a bit more fun I will.
Let me know where you are headed this summer by chatting over on my Instagram account and let me know if any of these helped you.
