The Scaredy Cat Guide to Flying
I have just returned form a non-Disney trip to the wonderful United Kingdom! You would be surprised at how many times Disney came up, though. In fact, the efficiency of London, from the helpful signs, to the fast and efficient tube, to the bag checks made me think of my beloved Disney every step of the way.
But more importantly, this was my first long haul flight and since it's fresh in my mind, I want to share some things that made the flight and travel more tolerable for me, because I know people from all over the world come to visit Walt Disney World. In fact, in our flight back from Edinburgh, Scotland, there was a Scottish family making the trip.
I also need to be honest here: I'm a nervous flyer. I used to be downright afraid of flying. I would grip the armrests the entire flight. I would refuse food and water. There would be NO WAY I would take my seat-belt off for any reason, let alone get up on a moving jet to use the bathroom. I was a nervous wreck.
I still do not enjoy flying. I am always slightly nervous, even if I now find it tolerable. But on both of my long hauls recently, there were times I got quite comfortable.
If You Are Afraid of Flying...
I recommend this free online course. I am not affiliated with it in any way, but it greatly helped me turn my unreasonable white-knuckled fear into something more tolerable. I no longer lose sleep before a flight because of this.
That settled, even if you are not afraid of flying, a long haul flight can be rough.
Here are some things I did to make it more reasonable:
SANITIZE
I know. We're talking comfort, but this is so important it just can't wait for another one of my "how to not get sick" posts. Bring hand sanitizer in your 3-1-1 bag and use it frequently. Use it especially after you've handled the plastic trays when going through airport security. Those are disgusting. Also, consider bringing sanitzing wipes and when you sit down in your seat on the plane, sanitize the armrest, the touchscreen in front of you, the headrest, and especially, the tray. Finally, the jet's bathroom is another gross spot. Use it, but sanitize your hands after.
Bring a good inflatable pillow
I was much ridiculed by my traveling companion for this one, but it was pretty comfortable and versatile. What's important is you do you. Test it out before you travel and see if you think it's comfortable at home.
Bring some entertainment
Jets these days often have some sort of entertainment, especially on a long haul flight. But what if you get that one seat where the seatback entertainment isn't working? Oh no! You need a back up plan or two. I like to bring a book, my e-reader, a puzzle book (I like logic puzzles), and maybe an adult coloring book and colors. 8-9 hours is a very long time. You will get bored. Bring stuff.
Consider bringing your own post-security purchased food
You can't buy something before security to bring on the jet. But after security, you definitely need to buy some liquids for yourself to drink. You will get dehydrated. Purchase a big bottle of water or two depending on how long your flight is. But also consider skipping the airline meal served and get yourself something you'll like, as long as you plan to eat it before it goes bad. Economy class food is just not that great.
Drink water whenever the flight attendant offers it
If the flight attendant is coming by with the drink cart, get something. Water is best. Other decaffeinated non-alcoholic things are good as well. Alcohol, while fun, will probably make you feel worse in a little bit, so be careful. Having said that, I've enjoyed a glass of wine on a flight too if it helps take the edge off. But hydrate often. Drink more than you think you need to.
There will also likely come a time when the flight attendant stops coming by for hours on end. This is usually to let people sleep. The typical pattern is drink cart, meal, drink cart, long break, pre-landing meal or snack, drink cart.
If you need a drink during this time, either you have a purchased beverage from the airport (good for you!) or you need to go to the galley and see if you can find someone who can scrounge up a drink for you. They will, no problem. But it's just easier if you have your own already.
Get up once in a while
Some sources suggest hourly. I did this on my first flight and it worked out pretty well, but I had the aisle seat so I wasn't bugging anyone. On my second flight, I had the middle seat, so I got up whenever the person in the aisle seat got up. If you have an opportunity to get up, do it.
On a long flight like this, flight attendants are not going to get weird 4 hours into the flight about people standing around in the aisle. They know you need to move. So just do it in order to prevent health problems.
Don't eat too much
Don't overstuff yourself with food either before or on your flight. Something about altitude makes our digestive systems work a bit less efficiently. Especially avoid foods that might make you gassy.
Product you can't live without: facial mist
This is one of the better pieces of advice I read, so I'm passing it along. Bring a small spray bottle (not aerosol) of facial hydrating mist like this one. This feels SO GOOD to spritz on your face during or after a long, dry flight. Yes, it's a luxury. Yes, it takes some space in your 3-1-1 bag. But I thought it was well worth it at times.
Product you can't live without: peppermint oil
This is another better piece of advice I received. Peppermint oil has so many functions that it's good to have on your flight and good to have on your travels in general. It can serve to speed the healing of a zit. It can be rubbed on sore muscles and sore feet. It can be put on your wrist to help wake you up. It can be put on a warm cloth over your face to clear congestion. If you buy food grade peppermint oil (and be careful here. Not all essential oils should be ingested. It MUST be food grade), a few drops can be put in water to help ease stomach issues. In other words, it's a wonder drug that hardly takes any space in your 3-1-1 bag.
If you are flying with a cold...
On this vacation, I had the dubious pleasure of flying with a full blown cold for the first time. I need to be honest with you that this is not super fun, but there are things you can do to help ease the situation.
1. Medicate ahead of time
Don't be coughing or spreading germs into the air of the jet. Just don't. A few coughs here and there are ok, but if you are coughing quite a bit, you need to get that under control, Take whatever works best for you. Whatever it is should include a decongestant as well. This is for your ears, not your nose, so even if you don't feel congested, just take the decongestant and thank me later. I find 12 hour Mucinex DM does the trick for me.
2. Drink even more water
The dry air in the plane can dry your mucus membranes making you feel even worse. Stave this off by staying well hydrated.
3. Protect your ears
There are two things I do here:
The easiest is I chew gum during take-off and landing. The act of swallowing helps your ears pop.
If you have a cold, though, you might consider wearing earplanes. These ear plugs are designed to slow down the painful pressure changes in your ears during take-off and landing and protect your ear drums. The second iteration of this product (ep2) seems to be a lot better than the first, causing less noise reduction in what you want to hear (like your seatmate talking), and being more comfortable in general.
These tips are combinations of personal experience and several other blogs and advice columns I've read while trying to overcome my own fear of flying and survive my own first long haul flight. I'm happy to say, I survived both, so I hope the tips help you as well, especially if you're flying long haul to get to Disney!
Do you have other tips for flying? Share them in the comments below!
