There’s no doubt about it, I love to travel, and when I do I actually prefer taking a red eye flight {gasp!}.
You can save time because it doesn’t cut into one of your vacation days…and obviously, you can save money. Over the years, I’ve kind of mastered the red eye hangover.
Here’s 7 ways to survive a red eye, and still feel ready and refreshed for your vacation:
- I always pop a couple of ibuprofen right before take off so that I don’t get a headache from the airplane noise. It is that whole ounce of prevention thing.
- Drink water or juice instead of soda or alcoholic beverages. It’s not as fun, but believe me, your body with thank you for it. Flying dehydrates you anyway, add poor quality sleep to the mix and you will feel like garbage. It’s best to just avoid that altogether.
- Have your toothbrush handy and pop into the bathroom before you land. That way, you don’t feel gross. You can hit the ground running.
- Bring a jacket or a sweater. If you get cold you can wear it, but a jacket/sweater = a pillow in my book. You can wad it up and rest easy knowing you aren’t sharing drool with the last passenger from one of the shared airplane pillows.
- Get a window seat. This is essential. That way, you’ll have a wall to lean up against, and won’t have to rely on the guy that smells faintly of bologna sitting next to you. 🙂
- Dress for nappy time. Yes, this is the time when sweats and comfy clothes are totally acceptable in public. Being comfy will make sleeping sooooo much easier.
- Eat before you get on the plane. Skip the in-flight $7 meal and try, if possible, to go straight to sleep. This is about getting the most out of your sleep so you can enjoy your vacation. It will also communicate silently to everyone around you that you are not there to chit-chat. It’s bedtime.
Do YOU take red eye flights? What are your tips and tricks for surviving them?
~Mavis
See more of my travel tips HERE.
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Travis says
If you fly coach or economy you can try to get a bulkhead (very front of compartment) or exit row seat for a lot of extra room. Try to avoid back row seats as they don’t recline.
Generally seats in front of the wings are quieter…you get a lot of mechanical noise in the back.
Earplugs or better noise canceling headphones are great.
And Nyquil.
Mavis says
My guess is you fly a lot! Thanks for the tips.
CathyB says
Also avoid the seats right in front of the exit row – these also do not recline on many planes. I thought I was being smart picking these seats because I knew that they did not allow small children in these rows, but learned the hard way that they don’t recline!
Olivia says
Dream sleep shots are my best friend. I fly red-eye to Minnesota twice to three times a year on Spirit. They help you ease into sleep and wake up refreshed a few hours later. On crampt Spirit airlines they are fantastic and they’re TSA approved so you can buy them ahead of time.