How To Make Flying Less Miserable
I am a bougie lady who is going to fly business class every chance I get. But even I have had to suffer through coach (sometimes, even long-haul!!!) and when I do, I try everything I can to make it less miserable. Here are some things I’ve tried, and my thoughts:
FOOT SLINGS
These are sorta comfortable. In the end, it wasn’t for me, I thought it only helped marginally, but I could see someone else loving this.
Device HOLDER
Now this is excellent. I highly recommend this handy little gadget to hold your device in pretty much any plane, bus or train situation. It’s flexible enough to adapt to whatever little crevice you can find, it’s much sturdier than you think it will be (no falling devices yet!), it’s super portable so you’re not wasting space, just genius! Saving your neck from “tech-neck” on a long-haul flight is worth the $15 or so.
Melatonin and Timeshifter Jet Lag App
My secret to beating jet lag is that I behave on the plane however I should to be adjusted to the landing time. Meaning, if I am landing in the morning (local time), I will sleep on the plane. If I am landing in the evening (local time), I will stay awake. I much prefer to stay awake on the plane, it’s much easier for me, and I like binging movies and drinking free wine. That said, when I need to sleep, I take melatonin and it helps a lot. I usually use the melatonin for the first night or two when adjusting as well. You can pair this with the Timeshifter jet lag app to help you adjust.
Build an amenity kit
If I am not in business class, I like to pretend I am by bringing my own amenity kit. Mine includes a face mask, warming eye mask, regular eye mask, face spritz, moisturizer and lip balm. I really like these face masks as I find them actually very hydrating for dry flights.
These are my preferred eye masks. I use the steam mask to relax, and then switch to a regular eye mask after the steam mask peters out. I like these contoured masks that don’t put pressure on the eyeball (which can lead to temporary blurred vision!)
A game changer for my has been this nasal saline gel (combined with drinking a lot of water on flight day!). I just HATE how dry my nose/throat gets on flights, and this really does seem to help. You just kind of smear it around your nose (like vick’s vapo rub?) and it’s a pleasant lightweight gel that helps hydrate your nasal passages.
Finally, let’s talk sleeping pillows. I don’t use them because they take up too much precious packing room. But, I have tried the Turtl brand in the past and that was a) the best one I’ve tried because it helps prevent “nodding head” or stiff neck, and b) the most portable one. The one thing I didn’t like is that it made me a little hot (like wearing a scarf). But if you feel you must, give this one a go! It’s certainly better than those doughnut ones.