How to Keep Yourself Healthy on Long Haul Flights

on March 13, 2014 at 1:22 am

Flying long distance is extremely taxing on your body. When I flew from Australia to Spain, I actually broke my trip up with a day long stop over in Hong Kong to give myself adequate time to rest and restore. Not only do I suffer from pretty bad jetlag, I find I get off the flight with a range of other discomforts such as chapped lips, patchy skin, achy legs and a general grogginess. It’s not the prettiest sight, so I’ve come up with a bunch of tips to help you when you’re enjoying a holiday to a faraway destination.

1) Bring Baby Wipes and Your Tooth Brush on Board

Traveling can be a bit of a nightmare because you’re not allowed to bring certain sizes of liquid on board. I tend to bring my toothbrush and a small, travel size toothbrush with me. Giving your teeth a good brush a few times during the flight is a great way to feel really clean, despite the discomfort of flying. Baby wipes are so essential to keep on you even if you’re not traveling with a baby – you can nip into the bathroom and give yourself a cloth shower. You’ll feel a lot better.

2) Bring a Moisturiser

Your face is going to dry out. Mine always does and I tend to see pimples cropping up on a flight that didn’t exist before hand, but I have fairly tricky skin. I’ll often bring a little face mask with me on the flight, pop it on during the first twenty minutes then rinse and moisturise my skin. That way I know when I get off the plane my skin isn’t going to look a disaster area.

3) Pack a Chap Stick

I’m not one of those people who wear chap stick on a daily basis, but I try to always remember it when I’m flying. I tend to reapply chap stick a few times during the flight, whenever I can feel my lips getting a bit tight of dry. And once you’re off your flight you can use your chap stick to keep your lips moisturised on the sunny beaches in Mexico, the Maldives and Florida.

4) Keep Hydrated

You’ll get dehydrated on the flight, especially if you don’t consume enough liquids or get a bit carried away with the coffee or alcohol on offer. I try to drink at least half a cup per hour I’m on a flight, so for an eight hour flight I’ll aim to drink at least four cups of water. Take an empty bottle with you on the plane and ask the air host staff to fill it up for you so you can have access to a decent amount of water at all times and you don’t need to leave your tray table down.

5) Move around

Blood clots are a real risk with flying. Make sure you take some time to get up and move around, even if it means just making your bathroom break an opportunity to check out the rest of the plane. The more you move, the more you’ll minimise the chances of complications occurring from flying. Making the effort effort while on the plane will ensure that you can enjoy your destination when you arrive, whether it’s the Bahamas, Dominican Republic or Malaysia.

Flying does usually take a toll on our bodies, but with these helpful tips you can minimise that effect and ensure you are as healthy as possible when flying long distance.