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Salt & Wind Travel

Our 8 Best Travel Hacks For Long Flights

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As food and travel lovers, there’s nothing more exhilarating than checking a new culinary destination off our bucket list.

We get so giddy to get out and go that even the standard airport routine seems a little less ho-hum. Boarding the airplane, we sink back into our seats, soak up the foreign languages, and Insta story the start of our trip.

But no matter how rosy our rose-colored glasses get, there’s still the reality of getting through a long-haul flight, which can quickly get taxing.

We’re not big on statistics, but there seems to be a direct correlation between the longer the flight and the quicker our excitement wears off. Even the smoothest of flights can leave us exhausted and dehydrated — not ideal when we’re on a mission to taste our way around a new city.

8 Travel Hacks For Long Haul Flights

Enter these eight travel hacks, which have become our long-haul flight plan of attack to help us stay rested, refreshed, and healthy while traveling:

B.Y.O. Eye Mask

A long-haul flight is not the time to worry about what your seatmate thinks of your in-flight style, so dress comfy and get comfy. Pull out your blanket, fluff your travel pillow, and whip out your cashmere eye mask because a girl needs her beauty rest! What we’ve learned? Even if you’re a sound sleeper an eye mask can be a godsend for, say, when your seatmate decides to flip on the light and use the duration of the flight to read the entire Hunger Games series.

Avoid Carbs

We know, this tip sounds like an early 2000s diet, but most of the in-flight meals are carb and sodium-heavy, which adds up to feeling bloated and just plain crappy. So, skip the in-flight snack mix or pasta dinner, and instead go for fruits, veggies, and lots of proteins. The best bet is to pack your own meal—a veggie wrap or healthy snacks like cheese, nuts, and lean turkey are our go-to’s.

Hydrate With Fruit

Since you’re a seasoned traveler, you know the most important healthy flying tip of all — staying hydrated. We drink a few liters of water the morning of our flight and always bring our own water bottle. And if plain water isn’t your thing, dress it up by dropping some fruit into your water — the combos of orange and lemon or cucumber and mint are two of our faves.

Speaking Of Hydration

Your skin can become extremely dry on a long flight, so help it out! First, begin tapering off any exfoliants or retinol products at least a week prior to taking off. Then, pack our in-flight beauty essentials and, before you board your flight, slather on a deep, unscented cream so you can arrive with hydrated, glowing skin!

Keep It Moving

We like to stay active so we believe no one should stay stagnant for over an hour, even if it’s on a flight. So, make sure to get up, take a few laps around the aisles, stretch by touching your toes, or even drop into a few lunges.

Channel Your Inner Yogi

If getting all boot camp-style at 30,000 feet isn’t really your speed (or you don’t feel like climbing over the couple next to you), you can even do yoga poses in your chair.

Relieve Pressure

Did you know there’s a hidden sweet spot between your Achilles and the largest part of your ankle bone? Well, if you massage this area for about 30 seconds at 10-minute intervals, it’ll boost your mood and decrease jet lag. And we’re all for it because ain’t nobody got time for jet lag when there are pastries to eat and beaches to explore.

Relax

Ideally, your flight is calm before the storm, so embrace the quiet. Take a nap, read a book, listen to a relaxing app, or just meditate and center yourself for the upcoming journey. If you’re able to land in a positive mind frame your travels will be that much more enjoyable.

Have Us Plan Your Trip

Did you know we’re also a boutique travel agency specializing in vacation planning? If you’re looking to plan a trip, our trip planner services are here to help you plan your perfect itinerary.


Photo Credit: Opening photo by Lumina

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