Traveling can no doubt bring about waves of unwanted stress
and anxiety. No one is immune to that feeling of being unprepared for a trip. All you can do is take care of what
you can actually control. Have you given thought to how you will survive if you
are on the longest non-stop flight in
the world? How about which app you will use to secure transport from the
airport? The good news is there are many ways to curb these nagging
uncertainties.
Have
a bulky suitcase
Pack like a pro. Most people, especially if in a rush,
just grab a pile of fresh clothes and throw it into your duffel bag or a bulky
suitcase. Organize
your luggage to save space. The lighter the suitcase, the
better. Having a bulky suitcase just adds unnecessary strain and limits you
from being able to bring your bag on the plane. It won’t hurt to reduce the
amount of items you are taking. Whether you are flying, driving or taking the
train, an easy way to achieve more space and have perfect wrinkle-free clothing
is to use a vacuum compressor.
Change
money at the airport
Unless you have money to spare, don’t exchange
currency at airports or train stations. They are known to obscene exchange
rates and hidden
fees. The safest place to exchange money is a bank even though
the rates there are not the best. For those you should ask the locals; taxi
drivers can be a great source of such useful information.
Turn
off the air vent over your seat
This is a precautionary measure to prevent any germs from
landing on you. Set the vent to a medium at least and wear a
sweater if you are too cold. There are conflicting studies about whether the
air in a cabin is germ-laden or as dirty as a regular office area, but better
be safe than sorry, right? It is very important to ventilate for airborne
viruses.
WEAR TIGHT CLOTHES
It’s a good idea to wear clothing that covers as
much of your body as possible because everything it touches – seats on a plane
and at an airport especially – has most likely not being cleaned in days. Just
imagine how many germs are hiding there waiting for a new host – your body.
Wear loose and stretchy clothing which will help with sleeping better on planes.
Try wearing a soft shirt and definitely wear comfortable undergarments. Loose
outfits can also help against deep vein thrombosis (DVT), which occurs
when your circulation is restricted.
Not preparing for jet lag in advance
Don’t ignore your internal clock and spare yourself from a
tough adjustment later. You’ll be grateful you did this if you
have the time. Start 3-4 days before your flight. Slowly alter your sleeping schedule
to reflect the regular bedtime in the country’s you’ll be staying. Fall asleep
earlier than usual if you’re going east, and a bit later if your destination is
west.
Carry
original ID
It’s understandable to think you may need an official
form of ID just in case you have a run-in with the cops. But would it not be
worse to lose your passport? Unless you are at a destination that doesn’t
require them, you’re in trouble. Play it safe and make copies
of your IDs, travel itineraries and other important documents. Have the copies
on you all the time and keep the originals in a safe place.
Disregard
Plan B
The least pleasant part about planning a trip is planning for the worst,
but it’s necessary because a catastrophe can and does happen occasionally. What
if you get a flat tire in the middle of nowhere in the winter? What if your
credit card gets stolen and you haven’t called the bank to let them know you’re
traveling? Avoid being stranded without access to your money, and have a checklist of items you
must have in your car.
Sit
too much
Soaring at 30,000 feet is not a natural process. It
can wreak
havoc on your body, even though the nasty side effects don’t
usually result in long-lasting damage. In addition to staying hydrated, which will help you feel
better, doing a few simple stretches will get your blood flowing, massage your muscles and
internal organs, and relieve anxiety. You are putting your health at risk if
you are sitting for prolonged periods of time – this is anything more than two
hours at a time.
Use
airline blankets
Think twice before laying your head on the pillow or
blanket that is located at your seat. They are recycled flight after flight and
never
changed until they are discarded on the last flight, according to flight
attendants. The only time it is ever safe to use these blanket
is if they are wrapped in newly marked plastic that has not yet been opened,
which is generally on the very first flight of the day.
Ignore
the locals’ language
Learning a few words in the local language can open many doors for
you. People appreciate when tourists try to learn as much as
possible about the daily life and it pleases them to see that others respect
them so much they try to speak to them in their own language. Speaking the
local language, at least some basic greeting, is a perfect ice breaker, too
Keep
cameras hanging from your neck
Nothing says “I’m a tourist” more than a camera
hanging from your neck. Depending on what city you are exploring, and especially if you’re
touring it alone, you may want to avoid the typical “I’m not
from here” look because this is how you attract petty thieves. Attacks are often directed at foreign
travelers because they are presumed to carry a lot of cash and
not know the ins and outs of a city.
Fly
with your contact lenses on
It’s always better to fly with glasses on instead of
contact lenses. You may have noticed that the air in the plane is warm and dry.
This is almost certainly irritating to your eyes. Rubbing them often is not a good
idea. Also, you shouldn’t be sleeping with lenses on. Taking them on and
putting them on a few times in a crowded place where germs have no way of
escaping is probably not a good idea
Fly
in the middle of the day
There are a handful of benefits to flying at
night—typically lower rates, fewer delays, less crowded airports
and the potential to sleep through the flight—but what many people don’t
realize is that there are also fewer delays during the morning. After analyzing 6 million
flights, experts recommend avoiding flights between 11 a.m. and
11 p.m. to dodge delays that get worse as the day goes on.
Drink
too much
A guaranteed way to prevent you from sleeping on a plane
is by drinking alcohol. Studies have shown that in healthy people, acute high
alcohol doses disturb sleep. Alcohol disrupts your sleep patterns by
compromising the body’s ability to return to homeostasis, its normal operating
functions. Also, alcohol dehydrated the body, which causes a vicious cycle of
problems on its own.
Forget
to download your own entertainment
Charge all of you electronic devices and download all
of the movies, shows, videos, music and games you know you’ll be watching,
listening to or playing. You can’t count on the airport or
airline’s Wi-Fi, which is often not free and slow. Don’t waste a minute being
annoyed; it’s not good for your health.
Put
ice in your drinks on an airplane
EPA tests show that one out of every 10 planes
still has bacteria in water served on board. Even though standards have risen and
airlines have begun to serve water from bottles instead of from the tap, this
is hardly the case for ice cubes. Don’t trust that the water tanks on a plane
are new or that they have recently been tested for bacteria. Keep drinking
bottled water and skip the ice
Fall
asleep before takeoff
There is a scientific reason why you should be awake
when the plane takes off and when it lands. When it ascends and descends the
air pressure in the cabin changes quickly with the altitude. You have to be prepared to
adjust, otherwise your eardrums will pay the price. The changed
air pressure in the ear leads to a vacuum in the Eustachian tubes which makes
the ears feel blocked. You have to be awake so you can swallow as often as
possible to equalize the pressure and “unblock” the ears.
Try
to kiss the flight attendant
This is just one of many outrageous requests people
have made of flight attendants. Flight attendants are sometimes
asked for assistance in solving love problems, but kissing you shouldn’t be one
of them. Crew members are not the passengers’ servants. Flight attendants have
a tremendous amount of information pertaining to how you can avoid baggage fees
and likely have some tips on how you can be treated like a celebrity and have a
stress-free trip. But you won’t benefit from any of that information if you engage in certain
behaviors.
No comments:
Post a Comment