If you are a frequent Economy class air traveler who dreads his next long haul flight, read these tips to make you feel more comfortable.

1. Find/ Reserve a good seat: You might want to choose a seat next to the aisle/ Exit row so that you can stretch out your legs to the aisle or if you want to sleep undisturbed, you might want a window seat.
2. Carry a few entertaining tools: Carry an iPod/ portable game or a book that you’ve always wanted to read to keep yourself busy and entertained.  If possible, fly with an airline that offers AVOD (Audio Video on Demand), which is a TV screen in front of your seat and lets you choose what you want to watch, play or listen to.
3. Carry your own food/health food: If you want to avoid the poor quality food that some airlines provide, and are particular about health and taste, carry your own food. Options could be home made sandwiches/Chocolates/ toffees/ health bars etc. If your airline offers special meals like Vegetarian, Kosher, Halal you can opt for that because the airlines have to specially prepare your meal, it is usually better than the standard food fare. Plus, passengers with special meal requests are almost always served first.
4. Move around in the flight as much as you can: On longer flights people develop body aches and fatigue because of poor blood circulation. Participate in the in-flight exercise video which provides guidance on in-seat exercises such as circling ankles and stretching arms. There is usually room to do some back stretches at the back of some of the cabins.
5. Protect yourself: The air in the plane tends to be very dry and there could be chances of dehydration. Drink plenty of water, use eye drops whenever your eyes feel dry, carry some hand lotion and lip balm as dry lips could be very irritating. Long flights can get quite cold at times. Bring an extra layer of clothing for warmth.
6. Dress comfortably: Long haul flights/ lack of activity and cabin food might leave you feeling bloated. Wear comfortable and loose fitting clothes so that your skin too gets to breathe. Fashion and comfort might not necessarily go hand in hand. Wear slightly oversized shoes or bring slippers/ shoes that you can easily slip on and off.  Our feet tend to expand during long flights from prolonged sitting.

Use these tips and chances are that you will be looking forward to your next long flight.

This entry was posted on Friday, July 31st, 2009 at 1:57 am and is filed under Tips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.