How to Have a Pleasant Flight This Travel Season

With Christmas exactly a week away many people are packing and getting ready to take flights this coming weekend. And as anyone who has flown before can tell you, being stuck in a metal tube with strangers  for a few hours can be miserable. Thanks to a few great tips from Budget Travel however you can make your trip this holiday season a lot more pleasant.

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TENT YOUR TODDLER For quiet time on a plane, clip one end of an airline blanket under the top of the folded-up tray and the other end under the headrest (behind the child). Voilà: You have a "tent" that lets your toddler take a better nap on the plane. We put this together one night when we were stuck on a runway for almost six hours, and it saved a very bad travel day. My child rarely naps anymore, but he still asks for an airplane tent, if only to play inside. Roy Youngblood, Chicago, Ill.

VISIT THE SPA FROM YOUR SEAT Flights tend to dry out my skin and sinuses, so I always pack a rolled-up washcloth in my carry-on. During the flight, I ask the flight attendant for a cup of hot water, then dip the washcloth and place it over my face. Breathing in the steam helps my sinuses, and the warm, damp cloth hydrates my skin. Meekyung Chung, West Bloomfield, Mich.

HAVE A BALL, TAKE TWO A beach ball can replace many expensive in-flight gadgets. Depending on how much you inflate it, the ball can function as a very comfortable footrest, as back support, or as a lap pillow to support your book. Dorothy Vincent, New York, N.Y.

WIPE GERMS AWAY Are you tired of catching colds while traveling? Take along a travel-size package of Clorox wipes. Disinfect the tray table and armrests on the airplane, and the telephone and TV remote in your hotel room. Sherill Hacker, Williamston, Mich.

 

Get the rest of the tips from Budget Travel