This blog is supposed to be about traveling which is something I do fairly frequently, yet I mostly post random crap or scams I’ve seen. So it’s time to start blogging about travel, which by the way, I am doing as I type this. I am currently on a plane to Moscow with four and a half hours left of my nine hour flight. It seems long but when you’ve been on a thirteen hour one-way flight to Japan you realize that you handle just about anything… especially when you’re sitting in economy. That’s where I am right now so I figured I would start off with a few tips I’ve picked up over the years.
So I’m sitting in economy class next to a Russian man in an aisle seat of course. That’s my first tip: Always sit in an aisle seat on a flight that is more than two hours. That used to be a tough one for me before I became a frequent flyer – who wouldn’t want that nice window seat? I don’t like the idea of being trapped in by at least one person but most likely two. That’s two people who have to get up from their seats when I have to stretch or use the lav (that’s travel speak for lavatory or bathroom) which limits the amount of times I can get up from my seat. I don’t want to be limited and I’m not going to ask two people to get up 5 or 6 times.
My second tip: Take control of the arm rest before the plane even starts to taxi, especially if you’re stuck in a middle seat. Right now the Russian man next to me has complete control of the arm rest and unless I want to get a little intimate with him, I have to remain distant and slightly uncomfortable for nine hours. It weirds me out to touch arms with strangers even though we both are wearing long sleeves. I’ve been in a middle seat before on an eight hour flight and both of the pax (travel speak for passengers) next to me kept trying to flight me for the arm rest. It was a battle I had to fight, there is no way I could sit in a middle seat for eight hours with my arms crossed or in my lap just so. No freaking way.
Some other tips: Bring lip balm, hand lotion, a bottle of water (you need to drink a lot of water even if it means you have to use the lav a lot), some snacks like nuts or an energy bar, and at least one book or magazine with you every time you travel on a flight that is more than three hours. For three hours you could sit there with nothing to do and be fine. For three hours the bag of pretzels (or other snack) that the airline provides will be just fine. For three hours you’re skin won’t dry out so much that you feel like a mummy when you land. Anything over three hours and you need to be prepared.
I’ve been on a lot of flights. A lot. Most of my destinations usually require two-three connections each way and so the miles add up fast. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve forgotten a book or figured I didn’t need one and my seat on a completely full flight was the only one where the TV system didn’t work. If you’re on a seven hour flight and you find out that you can’t watch a movie there’s really only so many times you can read Continental Connection, American Way, or Sky Mall. Be prepared.
Sleep if you can on any flight. Everyone loves a nap and if you’re on a long flight and can only sleep even a few hours that not only passes the time faster but also refreshes you, especially if you’ve got more connections or ground travel to do when you reach your destinations. Personally, I cannot sleep on planes. Too much noise and too many people walking around, not to mention the fact that there is no space and it’s downright uncomfortable in economy class. Now if I were in First or Business that might be a different story but I just can’t sleep in economy.
Stretch it out before and after your flight. If you do any yoga, fantastic! If not, a few simple stretches will do the trick. Trust me, stretching out before and after a flight is crucial. I’ve seen a woman doing actual yoga stances in a bathroom in Dulles before so I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one who believes in a doing a few stretches to get your grove back.
So there’s some travel tips to make your journey a bit easier. Traveling a long distance can be hard on anyone so hopefully some of these tips will help.
Edited: April 17th, 2010
I’m not sure if Iceland was going for the “Most Difficult to Pronounce Volcano” award when they came up with the name Eyjafjallajoekull, but they are sure in the lead for the win. I still have no idea how to pronounce it, but this volcano is seriously screwing up a lot of travel. Airports all over Europe have been completely shutdown and most flights from the US have been cancelled costing airlines billions of dollars and leaving thousands of travellers stranded.