1. Own a pair of noise-cancelling earphones or headphones.
The pair I have are the Bose QuietComfort 20 In-Ear Noise Cancelling Headphones. Find a pair that fit the bill for both quality and comfort for you! For me, I love the soft gel buds because they don’t hurt my ears when I wear them over a long period. I also love being able to tune out on the plane, and these earphones are a big help in allowing me to think and rest, which brings me to my next tip…
2. Sleep.
I try to get some shut-eye while flying because when I land, I like to hit the ground running. For me to have a restful sleep, I have my memory foam neck pillow, sleeping mask, and noise-cancelling in-ear headphones as per my last point. Travelling abroad to a different environment and time zone is not easy, so I make sure to schedule my sleep accordingly, and I try to eat at the proper times when it’s breakfast, lunch, or dinner. I find it helps my body adjust more naturally to the time zone. For example, when I went to Thailand with my friends, I created a flexible itinerary for all of us EXCEPT for the first day, where all our activities had a schedule. We arrived at our hotel around 1:30 am in the early morning and probably didn’t get to sleep until 3 am because we went to 7-eleven to grab some essentials (water and snacks). I had us up and out of the hotel by 9 am the next day with a full day scheduled; the next three days we aimed to wake up at the same time and be out of the hotel by 9 am to adjust our bodies and our minds to the local time.
2. Download entertainment on your mobile or tablet device.
I have a Spotify subscription, as well as Netflix, so I download my playlists or any movies or shows I want to watch while I’m up in the air, so they are easily accessible! This year I’m trying to read more books, so I’m going to download ebooks for my travels this year.
4. Be productive.
Photography is my full-time career, so I either edit or plan for upcoming shoots. However, it can get uncomfortable working on my laptop unless I’m sitting in premium or first-class, so I make sure to have options in case I want to change it up, like cozying up to a good book. You can also do some simple stretching. Or do some writing. I like to plan and write in my notebook, whether it be random thoughts, ideas, and lists — I think there’s nothing quite like putting pen to paper!
5. Buy a bottle of water or fill a bottle with water.
It gets very dehydrating while you’re up in the air. I like having a water bottle so I can drink whenever I want without bothering a flight attendant. Also, I don’t have to open my tray or have any spills because I can just put the cap back on my bottle. I wouldn’t suggest drinking too many alcoholic beverages while flying since it is very dehydrating. I like to bring packets of Ener-C Multivitamin Drink mix or Airborne Vitamins (you can buy at the airport) and put it in a cup of water.
*Bonus tip:
I really love Herban Essentials Towelettes because they are individually-wrapped with essential oils. I use it right after I get settled in my seat on the plane and wipe my hands then my tray and armrest as well as the headrest of my seat. Not only does it smell good, but I know my area is also clean. My favourite is the lemon, but I love them all. I’ve used the peppermint on my tummy when I had a tummy ache, and it helped calm it down.
