Are you an anxious flyer? Kate Latham, a junior at Texas Tech University, has a few useful tips just for you!
Who in the world gets excited about getting on an airplane for 8+ hours? Actually, who gets excited about getting on a metal tube somehow flying through the air?? Or spending your layover in the gate pumped because you thought “6F” was an aisle seat, only to realize you are in a middle seat. Nervous flyers unite because I am here to tell you how to somehow survive this flight.
Step One: Acquire a neck pillow.
This is your life line, your best friend, available at every airport store, Brookstone, wherever you can grab one. I suggest getting one with a plastic cover because you know, airport germs. Keep this close to you and slap that thing around your neck the second you get seated. Instant comfort.
Step Two: Bring a blanket.
Lets face it, airport blankets are probably not the cleanest thing, nor are they the most comfortable. Grab a snuggly, soft blanket and prepare to get cozy. The room in your carry on is worth it. Airplane temperatures somehow drop very suddenly and you do not want to be woken up from the chill of a tiny but powerful air vent.
Step Three: Take some sort of sleeping medicine.
Zzquil, melatonin, whatever you need to make you fall asleep and stay asleep. Everyone around you will be asleep and you do not want to be the person who wakes your seat mate up by laughing too loud at a Modern Family episode. You will have your neck pillow and blanket and may actually get a restful sleep. 9/10 times you travel abroad, you hit the ground running and will need to be as rested as possible for landing.
Step Four: Make friends with your seat mates, especially if you are in a middle seat.
International flights are too long to not have to disrupt the person next to you to go to the restroom and you do not want to spend the flight panicking about asking your peacefully sleeping neighbor to step aside. Also this way if your neck pillow fails you and you end up snuggling up to your neighbor, they may hate you less.
