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I have amazing travel options open to me. I have four adult children, and they live in four different countries, which means we travel to see them. Yet when I consider traveling, the first thing that pops in my mind is excitement–see my family, my grandbabies, their home, a new place, this will be fun! The second thing is an inward sigh, because this means airplanes. And travel is not really that great for me (how’s that for an understatement?).
Because I am a heavy person, one whose age amplifies the effects of the extra pounds, travel is not always easy. But I have hugely compelling reasons to visit my family, and therefore I find ways to make it much more pleasant. Here’s what I suggest:
I always bring a seat belt extender when I travel by plane. When I’m at home it’s stashed in a special box just for travel (with foreign money, passport, compression socks, etc). That way I can always find it. (I don’t know about you, but my ability to misplace things can be staggering.)
When I’m getting ready for a trip, I always put it in my carry-on, in an easily accessible place. Getting on the plane is always a little stressful, so I make sure that it’s fast and easy to grab. My experience with plane seats is that the size of the seatbelt varies greatly, and it has happened once or twice that I did not need the extender, but that’s very rare. Always having it readily available makes me feel safe.
I know that you can ask an attendant for a seat belt extender, and they will give it to you. Depending on the attendant, your mood, their mood, how busy they are, whether they like the look of you, if they’re hangry–whatever!--you will get it with more or less grace. And frankly, I’ll take all the grace and goodwill I can get, so I just have my own and can with me. Much easier.
My seat belt extender got 100% in my ratings. I’ve had mine forever and I use it several times per year. It’s not sexy, but it is so handy!
As mentioned earlier, when I fly I wear compression socks. I haven’t had a lot of trouble with the issues that can come from flying such as circulation problems, irritated veins, or lymphatic drainage, but with the long flights I undertake, it seems like the smart thing to do. I started thinking about doing this 20 years ago, and at that time I couldn’t find anything that fit me, so I just went without. It’s great that these socks are now available–they make a huge difference. Not only are these cute, but they come in 6 sizes with multiple patterns–a nice improvement! And while compression socks are not the easiest things in the world to put on, these come with very clear and simple instructions on how to put them on. And it works!
I’m not going to tell you that now that I wear these on my flights, I skip off the plane in joy, because that would be a total lie. But my legs aren’t numb or bloated, which is an improvement, for sure.
Interestingly, I accidentally evaluated this product twice. The scores were different! When I first evaluated it, I was a little harsher on things like style, comfort, and on/off. When I evaluated them again this morning, I must have been in the “well, for their job, it’s not that bad!” kind of mood. On a harsher day they rated 85%, today is 95%. I’ll include them both at the bottom, so you can take a look and see which things are more important to you.
When I’m traveling to see one of my two children who live in Europe, it is always an overnight flight. And sleeping on a plane, cramped into those little seats with my legs squished up against me, is not easy. After years of not sleeping, I finally started asking my doctor for something to knock me out. I think she gives me something strong, because she only gives me enough for one round-trip visit. That’s okay, that’s all I need!
Well, I need the sleeping pill and this amazing Travel and Airplane Pillow! I have used all sorts of travel pillows in the past, and my flopping head always woke me up. On my last flight to Europe, I initiated the Travel Pillow and truly, my life was dramatically improved! While it does look a bit weird, beauty is not a concern when I’m trying to stay on some kind of a sleep schedule.
This pillow actually supports your neck, holding your head in kind of an upright position, with just it leaning to whatever side it falls on. And because there is support all around your head, it just gently settles into the pillow, without waking you up or bothering you in any way.
Like just about anything you’re considering bringing on a plane, I realize you need to be very choosy. This pillow doesn’t blow or compress to one square inch, but it does come in a handy travel bag that you can hang off your carry-on. And it is really effective in helping you get sleep.
This little gem scored 90% on my evaluation, mainly because it’s a tad ungainly. If I was scoring just on the result–sleep!--that I got, it would get 100%
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