Surviving the Long Flight to Your Cruise

Cruising around Europe is my favorite type of cruising!  I try to plan a cruise to the Mediterranean or to Northern Europe every year.  In two weeks hubby and I head out for a cruise on the Azamara Pursuit (reports to follow when I return) and I am beyond excited! What I’m not looking forward to is that nine hour flight to Athens. Here’s some helpful hints I’ve gathered to minimize the discomfort of a long flight.

Wear something comfortable: 

For me that will be a dark rinse, looser fitting pair of jeans or joggers, a t-shirt and a cashmere cardigan. I will have a light-weight, soft scarf in my tote for extra warmth or to roll up as a pillow. Once I’m seated I will swap out my shoes for a pair of compression socks.  I wear them to keep my feet warm and to decrease the risk of blood clots.   I’m aiming for comfy chic here and I don’t want to look like a wrinkled mess after hours of squirming in my seat trying to catch a bit of sleep.

Move to keep the blood flowing:

Be sure to exercise a bit. Walk up and down the aisle to boost blood flow.  If you don’t like doing that at least stand up next to your seat and shake out your legs and so some squats and calf raises. There are plenty of exercises that can be done in your seat, like rolling your shoulders and rotating your ankles and flexing and pointing your feet.

Hydrate Throughout the Flight:

This is a tip that I struggle with.  I know dehydration leads to worsened jet lag and I know I should drink plenty of water but I have to be honest….I hate using the bathrooms on the plane.  So I usually don’t drink much of anything when I fly. Still, the experts say it’s vital to drink water—approximately 8 ounces per hour.

Pack Healthy Snacks:

I used to eat …or at least try to eat anything that was put in front of me. But I can’t say I really enjoyed any of it. And some of those meals are quite heavy. So now I pack protein bars, trail mix, bananas and apples.  Oh, also gummy bears for landing! My ears always give me trouble during landing and gummy bears work better than chewing gum!

Bring your own headphones:

I watch a lot of movies on long flights because I find sleep impossible. I prefer to use my Bose noise cancelling headphones instead of the freebie pair that the flight attendants hand out.  They are more comfortable then ear buds and wipe out cabin noise.

Miscellaneous Items to Have Close By:

Neck pillow, chap stick, moisturizer, tooth brush and toothpaste, portable charger.