A couple of weeks ago I was flying back to Boston after a weekend at home on an early Monday morning flight. As I was sitting at my gate, half asleep, I was startled awake by a passing middle age woman wearing pink-camouflage pajama pants and slippers. “What is she thinking?!” I thought to myself as I shamelessly stared at her. Doesn’t she know that over the age of five you can’t wear pajamas in public (and don’t even get me started on the pink camo)? But as I looked around the two other airports that I traveled through that day, I saw many people committing the same atrocities. Since when do normal rules of society not apply in airports? It got me thinking about the basic do’s and don’ts of flying.
Here’s what I came up with:
1. Do make sure that your headphones are plugged in. The person sitting next to you probably doesn’t want to hear your movies or music, especially if they are trying to sleep!
2. Don’t wear something that you wouldn’t wear to the mall. Hello, you are still in public. You can’t throw the basic rules of fashion out the window. I’m not suggesting that you wear a cocktail dress on a plane because of course comfort is something to consider, but invest in a comfortable pair of jeans (not Pajama Jeans) or at least some leggings.
3. Do drink lots and lots of water. I am without a doubt completely addicted to diet coke, and I use to relish in the free little cup of diet coke that I got each time that I flew. But, flying dehydrates your body because humidity in a plane cabin is significantly lower than typical indoor humidity. This can cause dry skin, itchy eyes, and leave you looking awful after a long flight. That’s why I stick to ordering club soda or water when I’m flying. I usually buy a big bottle of water (after security, of course) and drink it throughout my flight.
4. Don’t bring any food that is too fragrant. While McDonald’s may seem like a good idea at the beginning of a flight, the smell mid-flight will make everyone around you resent you, and inevitably make you regret your greasy decision.
5. Do bring a book, but make sure it isn’t a sad one! I recently attempted to read Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close on a flight, and I think the poor person next to me thought I was genuinely insane as I sobbed for the first half of the flight before finally putting the book away.
6. Don’t forget to offer gum to the person sitting next to you! Everyone knows how awful it is to forget gum when flying and have to suffer through all of that ear popping while the person next to you happily chomps away on spearmint Orbit. Be a collegiette for others, and offer them a piece from your pack!