Happy Wednesday, friends! We’re here in Nashville, and since we’ve been spending what seems like a lot of our life on planes, we thought we’d share a few things we’ve picked up along the way!
We’re going straight to Shark Tank!
1. Book Strategically
We hate departing early and arriving late, because it messes with our sleep either the night before we leave or the night we get to our destination. Because of that, we’ve learned to book flights that depart in the late morning and arrive in the early afternoon or early evening — so we can get a full night’s rest at home and then dinner, a shower and a full night’s sleep in our new city. Every once in a while, we’re forced to break this rule, but whenever we have control over it, it’s the first thing we look for.
2. Think About Traffic in Your Arrival City
We’ve also learned you can add a lot of travel time to your trip if you unintentionally arrive to your destination in traffic. That’s why (like we mentioned above) we prefer to arrive in the early afternoon (around 2:00 p.m.) or in the early evening (around 6:00 p.m.). With the earlier arrival time, we can get our bags and get away from the airport before traffic kicks in around 3:00 p.m. Or, with the later arrival time, by the time we deplane and get our bags, it’s closer to 7:00 p.m. and traffic has died down. There’s nothing worse than sitting in traffic in a city that’s not even ours because we didn’t plan wisely.
3. Always Fly Nonstop. Always.
The only thing worse than sitting in traffic in your arrival city is sitting for a few hours in another city halfway to your destination while a nonstop flight from your city to your destination city passes you by. We heard Christy Wright say the other day, “You can’t make more time, but you can exchange time for money.” In some cases, you can exchange time for sleep, too, and that’s a good deal. So, whenever possible, even if it costs more (which sometimes, like on Southwest, it costs less), fly nonstop. But make sure to do the math on the whole trip, too. If flying nonstop gets you to Los Angeles in rush hour traffic and the one-stop costs less, only costs you an hour of flight time, but gets you in when the freeways are clear, that might be the better bet. The key: start looking at your plans in terms of total travel time.
4. Start Drinking. Two Days in Advance.
We find that we get really dehydrated when we travel, so, going back to our sports days, we start drinking tons of water a few days before we travel and we avoid foods with a lot of sodium (since too much salt dries you out). Ever felt super thirsty after eating at Pei Wei or PF Changs? Yeah, we avoid that before and while traveling now.
5. Don’t Just Drink Water
Since the air in planes is recycled, it’s basically an incubator for germs. Ugh. We hate even writing that because it’s gross to even think about, but we have to be practical. Anywhere a lot of people are in a confined space, sickness lurks. So, in the two days leading up to flying, we drink an insane amount of Suya, an organic, cold-pressed juice that we get in bulk from Costco. Some people swear by Vitamin C and products like Airborne, but we swear by this stuff. A normal serving size is eight ounces. We each drink at least sixteen ounces per day leading up to a flight to give our system what it needs to fight back.
6. Bring a Big Water Bottle
This year, we invested in two 40-ounce stainless steel water bottles for a few reasons. One, the stainless steel part keeps water cold for hours and hours — which we love! Two, when we’re traveling, we don’t have to drink less water because we a) don’t want to pay for it or b) don’t want to bother the flight attendant. We read recently that adults should be drinking at least 100 ounces of water every day, and this helps keep us on track even when we’re traveling. Bonus: Get ice from a machine and then fill up at a refillable station. Just don’t forget to dump it out before you go through security!
7. Speaking of Security…
Guys, if you’re not TSA pre-checked yet, get on it! Especially with how slow security checkpoints have been in the past month. We’ve heard so many stories of friends arriving to security an hour early and still missing their flights. We cruise through security at the Phoenix airport in a matter of minutes because we paid around $85 for a five-year TSA pre-check card. Think about it this way: if you miss one flight, just one flight, because you’re standing in the regular security line, you’ll wish you would’ve gotten it — especially if it causes you to lose sleep! Trust us on that one! Plus, standing for an hour while carrying bags just doesn’t feel good on the body. Not even a little bit. Not even at all.
8. Eye Masks, Neck Pillows & Sweatshirts
Yep! We’re those people on flights. The ones who look like bumble bees with broken necks. But, hey, we’re well-rested! And it’s so nice having the eye masks when we’re staying in hotels and guest rooms. Lastly, don’t forget to bring a sweatshirt! It makes sleeping just a little more cozy, and we’ve found planes get coldest in the middle of the flight.
9. Snacks, Snacks and MORE Snacks
We’re not health nuts by any means, although we have been trying to improve our diet this year. Through that journey, we’ve realized two things about ourselves, especially when traveling. First, we’re not disciplined. Second, we’ll pay anything when we’re hungry. For the longest time, we didn’t plan ahead, so we’d get to the airport, be in a rush (and starving), so we’d go for the $10 burger and fries because it was quick and convenient. But since we were sitting most of the day and dehydrated from the Pei Wei the night before, we felt gross while we were eating it, and the whole day after scarfing it down. Now, we pack healthy snacks in advance, usually things that don’t melt and have protein and fat to keep up full, like cashews and pistachios. Then, when we get hungry at the airport or on the plane, instead of going for the Lorna Doone cookies, we can eat something with actual nutritional value. You wouldn’t believe how much better we feel when we land as a result. Give it a try. It doesn’t taste as good as the burger, but nothing tastes as good as… well, you know.
10. Soft Waistbands
Really, this is a “How to Feel Better IN LIFE,” suggestion, but especially on planes, we’re always shooting for softer waistbands on travel days. Those seats are small and you’re in them for a long time, which make tight pants an unnecessary discomfort. Amy swears by leggings, maxi skirts or anything else that make curling up more comfortable. Jordan chooses jeans with a little more give or even athletic pants. We just lay them out when we’re packing, and are always so thankful on those cross-country flights.