Tips For Staying Healthy When Flying

Air travel has become second nature for most of us these days, and getting on a plane to quickly arrive in a new location can be very convenient. However, because altitudes can be quite tasking on the body, there are some health conscious steps you might want to take to help you feel your best when flying. We’ve put together some general tips to follow to help you stay comfortable and healthy when you fly. With second half of 2015 upon us, and holidays around the corner, kicking off with Labor Day weekend — consider these tips as you plan your travel.

Exercise

While you can’t exactly break out a fitness routine in-flight, making sure you stay fit before flying allows you to stay healthy and will reduce the likelihood of problems in-flight. Flying can worsen any illnesses, especially if you have any leg-related conditions, not to mention that stress or even a little cold can get worse due to dry air in the airplane’s cabin.

Drink water

If you take a trip this Labor Day weekend or any other day of the year, remember that hydration is one of our highest priorities and a definite necessity for staying healthy while airborne. Your body can lose water due to the pressure so it’s important to always make hydration a priority when flying. When you keep your body at optimal hydration levels, it will help you feel your best at at high altitudes.

Vitamins

Take vitamins when you fly to help you boost immunity. Load up on extra vitamin C or take Airborne, which can be found at most airport convenince stores. You can also take along some green tea bags to make tea on the plane. Green tea helps boost antioxidants in your body which boost immunity and help keep germs at bay.

Avoid alcohol

Although it might be enticing to indulge in the tiny bottles of alcohol and in-flight beverage service, it is best to not drink when you fly. Drinking will dehydrate you and make you feel drained. Something you want to avoid, especially knowing that flying can be stressful on your body as it is. On top of that, different altitudes have varying effects on people, and paired with alcohol, these effects could get exacerbated the higher the plane goes.

Get a first aid kit

It’s always a good idea to have a small first aid kit with you, because there are situations when it will certainly come in handy. A typical first aid kit will contain bandages, pain relievers, an antibiotic cream, and gauze. Having a kit can be helpful in anything from a cut to a sudden headache. It can also help you with your child’s minor emergencies , so keep one handy!

Bring munchies

One thing is certain, you should never fly hungry. Try to bring something with you when you fly, as you might wait a while for food depending on in-flight meal schedule. Additionally, special diet restrictions might keep you from eating the food provided on the plane. It might be tough to bring food from home on-board an aircraft, but you can pick up small snacks at the airport after security. Having snacks with you will help a lot when it comes to keeping your stomach happy and comfortable. If traveling with young kids, snacks will help them stave off hunger related crankiness also.

Stretch Often

Alongside keeping hydration a priority, you should stretch as much as possible during long flights. Many flights now have in-flight exercise instructions on the entertainment console at your seat. Older airplanes sometime have booklets that have step by step stretching guides. if you’re curious, you can find some on Virgin Airlines website. However you do it, get some stretching in, and get up an walk around a bit every hour or so on long haul flights.

If flying with children…

A child will get bored on the plane and thus it’s a good idea to bring a small favorite toy of theirs. It’s very helpful if you want to keep your child busy but also safe as he will stay relatively silent and in one place, which you do want during a flight. If you’re up for it, bring a tablet device where your child can watch videos to help keep him occupied.

As you can see, there are plenty of things that you need to take into account if you want to stay healthy when flying. Remember that following the tips above can help you stay healthy while you travel, so keep them in mind and have a pleasant, safe flight!