Smart Way Trave and Tour

Wouldn’t you just hate it if you were flying to another city and just wanted to relax for a couple of hours in your flight but your co-passenger, sitting next to you, has been constantly moving and elbowing you every time you are almost about to doze off? Or may be the screams of the kids playing in the aisle woke you up? Annoying… isn’t it? Some people absolutely have no idea of what airplane etiquette are. Flying with the best customer service for a memorable experience deserves some respect from you too. Don’t you think, it is wise to make the mid-air journey comfortable for the flight attendants and your fellow passengers? You may have been indulging in behavior that just cannot be classified as sophisticated. Testing everyone’s patience in the flight can absolutely be a deal-breaker and might get you into trouble if things get out of hand. Avoid the humiliation by following these airplane etiquette tips.

Etiquette On Airplanes

Reclining Seats: We all want to get comfy when the flight takes off. Avoid inconvenience to the passenger seated in front of you or behind you by reclining your seat a little too much. You will consume the leg space of the passenger behind you and you will intrude the space of the passenger seated in the front by spreading your legs under their seat, so much that your feet just bumped into theirs! It is advisable that you recline only half the capability of the seat to recline.

Elbow Room: I am sure all of us have at least once been seated next to someone who has rudely elbowed you for some arm space. Make sure you are not occupying theirs. There is one arm rest to be shared between two seats. You can do without it. But if you are using it, make sure your elbow does not touch the next passenger’s body. Ideally, your arm should occupy half the vertical length of the arm rest without crossing it.

Need a Shoulder?: Once I was traveling alone and this old gentleman seated next to me fell off to sleep. Halfway through the journey, his head slipped off onto my shoulder while he was sleeping. I was tortured for 15 minutes wondering if I should wake him up from his sleep or just push him away. When you are sleeping, have control over your body. You are not on your bed and you are traveling with a complete stranger.

Screaming Kids: Ugghhh…. Why don’t parents just put a duct tape to shut up their children? Okay, I am not serious about that but it would be nice if they taught their children to behave well while at public places, especially when traveling in an already congested aircraft. Kids will play understandably. However, children keeping everyone awake throughout the journey is absolutely rude. You won’t be seen as a good parent. Let us all pledge to our children!

Angry Parents: Many parents try to cover up the embarrassment by shouting at their kids to keep quiet and sit down. This is even worse. First, you don’t teach your children how to behave on an airplane and then you pretend to be a good parent by publicly humiliating them. Such parents are often heard screaming and lecturing their kids about good manners. Please, do it at home. Airplanes are just not the place for you.

Newspapers: Yes, newspapers can be a hassle too. No, not to you but your co-passengers. Imagine, you come and sit with a newspaper stretched on both sides. I get it, you have to increase the gray matter. But, for God’s sake, save them to read while you wait to board your flights, not in the aircraft itself! While reading a newspaper, you tend to spread your arms to accommodate the newspaper’s width, thereby, occupying your next passengers’ seats.

Talk Too Much: Then there are those passengers who just do not stop talking. They may be traveling with someone or alone. If they are alone and seated next to you, they will make your ears their new friends. Such people talk about anything and everything under the sun and unflinchingly share their family life details with you even if you are not interested. Are you one of those people? Refrain from talking to another passenger unless they show interest and you don’t mind.

Frequent Trips to the Bathroom: If you drink a lot of fluids, especially on board to keep yourself hydrated on a long journey or generally make frequent trips to the bathroom, ask for an aisle seat instead of a window seat while taking your boarding pass. Else, you would be troubling those seated around you every time you get up to use the restrooms.

You Blast Music: This is a huge faux pas! If you like to listen to music, keep it on low else it will be audible to everyone on board in the quiet flight. Nothing is more frustrating than rock music, that does not even belong to your iPod, reaching your ears like a little mosquito humming it.

Looking Out: The sky is absolutely wonderful when you are thousands of feet above the ground. But, if you are one of those who absolutely cannot do without staring out of the window, please request for a window seat before boarding the plane. It is absolutely annoying to have someone leaning over you to watch the sun in the flight.

Eyeing Another’s Journal: This happens to me all the time. When I am reading an article about how to make your guy happy or save big this month, I generally catch another passenger eyeing my copy of the magazine and reading the article secretly over my shoulder. It is very embarrassing, for both the people. I don’t want you to know what’s going on in my life and I am sure you don’t want to be the person who cannot afford a magazine to read.

Being an ex-frequent flyer, I could literally go on and on about some really disturbing etiquette of people ranging from taking off your shoes for the entire flight to smell the bad odor emitting off your feet, knocking down everyone while carrying your luggage into the flight, throwing garbage around and of course the fussy people who travel in economy but act like they belong to the business class. I hate the tantrums. Well, okay sometimes I throw them too for bad service. You caught me. But let’s practice flying comfortable to survive a long haul flight without causing any problems of inconvenience to others around.

Red eye flight popularly refers to airplane journeys of short duration usually towards eastern direction. The term ‘red eye’ became popular on account of fatigue felt by travelers on such journeys. Red eye flights are scheduled at nighttime or midnight, which can leave the passengers stressed due to lack of sleep. The flight usually reaches the destination early in the morning when the passengers feel drowsy and many of them end up having red eyes due to stress. However, red eye flights need not always be that bad, provided you follow some easy precautions and catch up on some good sleep even when you are in transit. Read below to get some useful tips.

Tips to Prevent Red Eye Flight Effects

Eating Healthy
One of the most important things to do before you board the flight is to eat your fill of food. Ideally eat light dry food that suffices your daily dinner requirements. Eating beforehand helps you sleep without any interruptions throughout the journey. Usually people who look forward to food served on the airplane, tend to stay awake till the food is served and finished. You can save some precious sleeping time by eating in advance. Similarly, eating light and dry food exempts the possibility of air sickness. Keep a water bottle with you throughout the journey instead of waiting for the airline crew to provide you with a glass of water each time you are thirsty.

Seat Selection
It is essential to choose a seat with ample leg space and a good leg rest. At the same time, the seat should be recliner so as to get into a proper sleeping position during the flight. Ideally, select a seat which is not too close to the two end exits. This is because, washrooms are located at these exits, which makes this area full of activity throughout the flight. Seats at the rear or near the emergency exits are usually non-recliner. So even these seats are not recommended. Choose a window seat towards the frontal part of the plane as it has ample leg space. A window seat offers you a chance of peaceful sleep as your neighbors will not disturb you for accessing the plane aisle. Similarly, window seats offer you a chance to recline your head on the plane’s window for additional comfort.

Sleeping Well
Most of the passengers find it difficult to sleep peacefully on planes. At such times, the best option is to induce sleep by creating a good sleeping environment. Dress yourself in warm, comfortable and loose-fitting clothing that will help you sleep soundly. One of the most important things to do is to recline your seat at its full limit. This is because one can get best sleep in horizontal position only. Ask for a blanket to keep you warm throughout the airplane journey. Similarly, a cushion to support your head would help you sleep better. One ideal way to induce good sleep is to use an eye mask and a pair of cotton ear muffs. You can even carry some lavender-scented gel to sniff on as lavender is known to induce sleep as part of aroma therapy. Avoid listening to music or watching movies while on red eye flights as they eat away your precious relaxation time.

Tips to Recover from Red Eye Flight Effect

These were suggestions to help you avoid the red eye flight effects. But what to do in case you happen to be a victim of this problem and want to recover from it at the earliest? Here is what you can do:

Drink a lot of water or fresh fruit juices. The basic idea here is to stay hydrated so that you will feel less exhausted.
Your body will go on signaling throughout the day that it is tired but keep your mind alert. Steer clear of any temptation to hit the bed and go off to sleep. Instead, start the work that you had planned to do before you embarked on the flight.
If there is no work schedule, then use the time to work out or go and explore the new city. Maybe, you can engage in activities like shopping or sight-seeing that are bound to keep you alert and awake.

I personally advise all my readers to fight the desire to sleep at whatever cost and go to sleep at their daily schedule only. This will help your body adjust faster to the time difference and avoid jet lag at all costs