The In-Flight Survival/Beauty Guide

Remember when you were just a naïve, little child? Impatiently pulling your parents toward the plane? Unaware of the horror that is a long-haul flight… Yea me too. Sadly, those days are long gone. No matter how many times I’ve done them, long-haul flights are and will always be an absolute nightmare. But fear not!: I’ve come up with a complete guide to keep you happy and healthy on your next flight, so you can start your next adventure on a high note.

Let’s start with the basics: Hygiene!
In case of and emergency: fasten your seatbelt, put on your oxygen mask and spray your disinfectant & essential oils…..

All too often, people seem to forget basic hygiene on their flights. I’ll make it simple for you: Clean the area around you! You’re spending the next few hours of your life cooped up in, as the Gilmores would say, a glorified tin-can. A tin-can filled with alien germs and strangers all breathing the same air, all lowering your immune system. So, spritz some disinfectant and grab some antibacterial wipes to clean your tray-table, armrests, in-flight entertainment remotes, ect. You may get a few weird looks from strangers, but at least you won’t get sick the first day of your trip. As it turns out, travel-size disinfectants are crazy expensive. So, here’s what I’ve done: Bought an empty spray bottle and filled it up with a bit of disinfectant and water.

Side-note: If you’re going to take your shoes off, have some comfy thick socks ready to go. No bare feet okay? Think about it; they never clean airplane floors.

Mental & Physical well-being
If you’re prone to travel-sickness or anxiety, the two usually come hand in hand, there are a few tips and tricks I can offer you. Firstly, always eat before you travel. Even if you think you’re not hungry at the time, your stomach will thank you for it later. A preemptive travel-sickness pill is pretty much always a safe call. However, if you still end up feeling nauseated, bring some ginger tea bags along with you. At any point in the flight, if you want to get rid of that nauseated feeling or simply want to calm down with a warm brew, just ask a flight attend for some hot water for your tea. And if you’re worried about not getting enough food on the flight, just bring along a pot-noodle! (Let’s not pretend we trust airline food…)

Sleeping on a flight… practically impossible, but something we all have to do (or at least attempt). My new favorite aid in this is essential oils. They help cover the smell of that tuna they’re serving that only takes seconds to engulf the whole plane, as well as sub-consciously getting you to relax. You can get roller balls filled with blends of essential oils with specific properties. Unlike pure essential oils, these don’t need to be diluted and can be rolled directly on your skin with no fuss. I’ve personally brought along blends called “sleep better” and “happy vibes” to combat any travel anxiety.

If you’re jumping onboard the essential-oil band-wagon with me, you can try mixing a few drops of essential oil with some water in a little spray-bottle to spritz around your seat, on yourself or your belongings. I’ve gone for some eucalyptus for it’s refreshing scent that helps clear your sinuses and de-stresses you. Get creative with this! Have a little google and find out what properties different oils have to find the ones that best suit you.

Comfort
Making sure you’re physically comfortable is essential so invest in a travel-pillow, an eye-mask and maybe even a blanket (let’s be honest, we all know the ones you get given are way too small and thin). And if you’re sick of listening to that old man coughing next to you, or the baby crying a few rows down, try listing to a podcast, a white noise app or a meditation app. These might just help you sleep better than a movie or music.

Extra Help
If essential oils aren’t going to cut it for you, you can always opt for something stronger. There’s nothing wrong in being extra prepared and bringing some medicine. However, day and night tend to blur into one when you’re on a plane, so make sure to do some math and work out when you’re supposed to take pills. Whether this is a prescription, vitamins, travel-sickness tablets or sleeping pills, you should always be careful.

Beauty Routine
It might seem like a bit of a hassle, but I highly recommend you keep up with your beauty routine when flying. I’m not saying you need to go full-on with a fresh facemask and cucumber slices over your eyes, but brushing your teeth and washing your face might just be the little refresh you need to get you through the flight. Also, doing your nightly beauty routine will help you wind down and relax, which will probably help you sleep a bit better. We all now no one looks good after a long flight, but a little bit of effort might make you look and feel a little better when you get picked up from the airport by someone you’ve not seen for years.

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Those are my top in-flight tips. Hopefully they’ll make your next flight a little more bearable.

Do you have any other tips & tricks I didn’t mention? We’d love to hear them in the comments below!