Buckle up! The official holiday air travel season starts this week with the Thanksgiving crush, and it doesn’t let up until the first week of January. Here are John Discala’s 12 tips for a better holiday flight, in no particular order.
1. Use sleeping pills. Consult your doctor but Ambien seems to be the drug of choice.
2. Bring a blanket and pillow. Many airlines have cut back which means you might not even get one and if you do, it probably won’t be very comfortable or clean (unless you are in business or first class). Many companies sell travel pillows/blankets from DreamSack to Satori.
3. Wear comfortable clothing. Smart travelers look sharp when boarding and deplaning but in between, they change out of their restrictive clothing and into pajamas, sweat pants and cozy socks.
4. Bring your iPod, Bose noise-canceling headset and earplugs. Need I say more?
5. Travel armed with magazines, newspapers and books. Everyone needs something good to read to pass the time.
6. Bring an eye mask. I don’t like the cheap scratchy ones that the airlines pass out – instead, spend $9 and buy a fluffy one that will make you look silly but feel fresh. I have one from Lewis N. Clark.
7. Use the First Class Sleeper or the Travel Rest Pillow. Here are a a few more interesting gadgets.
8. Filter your air. I haven’t used this yet but I like the concept of filtering the re-circulating air (PlaneCleanAir.com).
9. Bring snacks.
10. Get your game on. If you are traveling with someone, bring a deck of cards or games. My favorite is Travel Scrabble.
11. Reserve a good seat! Consult SeatGuru.com or SeatExpert.com for the choice ones.
12. Put on a smile and bring a box of chocolates. Be nice to the gate agents and flight attendants. They can make or break your flight.
DiScala is the editor of JohnnyJet.
