The Perfect Travel Kit!
If you’re going abroad soon and you know you find flying very uncomfortable, then read below for our top 7 essentials to make your flight a more comfortable one!
1. Keep your skin hydrated
Our skin is comfortable when the humidity is around 40%-70%, but aeroplane cabins are at about 20%. This lack of humidity can cause the skin to become dehydrated. After a long-haul flight you might notice dull complexion caused by lack of fresh air. Before boarding, make sure your skin is well cleansed and apply two layers of a hydrating cream to lock in all of your skin’s moisture.
Dr Roger Henderson recommends The Skin Balm by What Skin Needs (£9.99, whatskinneeds.co.uk). Roger explains, “The Skin Balm is designed to be easily absorbed by the skin and aid hydration and moisturising of the skin.”
2. Keep your toes toasty
There’s nothing worse than getting cold feet on the plane! To make sure you get the best possible sleep, wear socks to help regulate the temperature of your feet whilst you sleep.
Try Carnation Footcare’s Silver Socks (£12, firstaidfast.co.uk). Silver thread can help keep your feet at a constant comfortable temperature, as well as destroying any nasty food odour, allowing you to sleep more peacefully and take your shoes off without feeling guilty!
3. Support your immune system
When you travel to different countries, you can be exposed to foods that you’re not used to, which can easily imbalance the bacteria in your intestines and upset your digestion. Shona Wilkinson, nutritionist at Superfooduk.com explains, “You can also be at a higher risk of exposure to bacteria that can cause illness, especially if you travel to places where food hygiene standards may be lower than you’re used to. Choose a live cultures supplement that is designed for travelling and that doesn’t have to be kept refrigerated.”
Try Proven Probiotics For Travellers (£7.95, provenprobiotics.co.uk). One capsule a day contains nutrients to support a healthy tummy and digestive support.
4. Escape the noise
Falling asleep on a plane can be particularly difficult. Get yourself a pair of noise-cancelling headphones. No pilot altitude updates, no screaming babies and no engine noises, these are guaranteed to make sure your journey is disturbance-free.
5. Bring your own pillow
A neck pillow cushioned with a firm memory foam is the perfect addition to your travel kit as it is both supportive yet comfortable. This will stop your head falling at strangle angles and prevent you waking up with a sore neck. Most neck pillows can be squished into a small carry-on bag.
6. Craving Something Sweet
The last thing you want, especially on a long haul flight is feeling the need to gauge on sweets and chocolate the whole way!
Nutritionist Cassandra Barns explains, “As you eat, your blood sugar goes up and insulin is released. If you are eating refined sugar and carbs they will hit your bloodstream fast and cause an imbalance in blood sugar. Your body will release more insulin to deal with this rapid rise in blood sugar. Once dealt with, the blood sugar levels will drop, but because you’ve generated the release of so much insulin, the levels will drop too low and you will soon feel like snacking on a bar of chocolate. The more sweets you eat, the more you will crave them – it is a catch 22!”
If you want a healthy snack try a Boost Ball packet. Each ball is made with just 7 natural ingredients and is high in protein (£17.99 for 12 packets, boostball.com).
5. Low Immunity
Airports and airplanes are always crowded places with a dry atmosphere and recycled air, so are full of germs, viruses and bacteria, which reproduce rapidly in the warmth. A healthy immune system is the best way to combat against germs and sickness, particularly on a long-haul flight.
Try Quest Vitamins’ ImmuneBiotix, (£18.39, qnutrapharma.com) which contains seven immune-supporting nutrients that have been scientifically proven to help boost your immunity and top up your sense of well being.
