For those of us traveling by air during the holidays, Reader's Digest offers some great advice to help eliminate passenger pain. Follow these tips to ensure a Merrier Christmas:
» Knees-to-chin is more or less the norm in today's crowded skies. Those flying JetBlue, for example, experience the most legroom. Try to find out if your prospective airline or the one already ticketed has more or fewer inches between you and the person in front of you.
Ellen Phillips » Pepto-Bismol relieves intestinal issues before they pop up. The CDC tells us to take a dose of Pepto or Kaopectate four times a day for several days in advance of the flight. (Check with Doc first if you suffer from other health conditions.)
» Check in at least the night before to ensure you take off with your flight. So many problems can occur the morning of to prevent on-time airport arrival, and holiday airline travel means lots of your nearest and dearest are just waiting to pounce on your seat, leaving you stranded.
» Don't shop for gifts if you haven't already purchased them. Instead, save yourself some hassle by ordering presents online and shipped to their recipients. Almost all websites even wrap for you for an extra fee. (If staying with family or friends, save the latter charge and wrap when you get to your destination.)
» Use dryer sheets to seal in freshness. Just top the inside of your suitcases with a dryer sheet for fresh-smelling clothes upon arrival. Along this same line, place shoes in a shower cap before packing to keep everything else clean.
» Use a tote or backpack as your personal item. Ladies, slip your purse into the larger bag.
» Sit near the airport lounge if in an airport with no phone chargers or Wi-Fi hookups. Visit foxnomad.com for a map with Wi-Fi passwords for airports around the world.
» Don't wait for the gate agent if your flight is canceled. Immediately call the airline as you wait in line. You'll reach an agent quicker and get rebooked faster than waiting to talk to the gate agent.
» Don't skip the safety video. So what if you've seen it three quabillion times? Airplane safety measures aren't necessarily identical throughout all airlines plus, to maintain flyers' attention, many airlines are now actually fun to watch.
» Count the rows to the nearest exit. The moment I'm seated, I perform this ritual. Please God the plane doesn't have an emergency, but I'd rather be safe (literally) than sorry. For instance, the cabin could fill with smoke, making your pathway difficult or even impossible to see; being able to count the rows to the nearest exit could save your life.
» Don't sleep through takeoff and landing; otherwise, your ear popping is limited and could even lead to hearing loss. For kids' prevention, stash gum for older kids and a lollipop for younger to relieve the pressure.
» Don't close the air vent so as to create an air current that blows germs away for you and yours. This increases the odds of you remaining healthy. (Be certain to touch the vent with a tissue as it's one of the nastiest spots on the plane.
Tray tables are also pretty vile. My carry-on/purse always contains a travel pack of disinfectant wipes for which the tray tables, arm rests, and vents become prey!
Happy travels!
Contact Ellen Phillips at consumerwatch@timesfreepress.com.