What to Bring on an Airplane to Make the Flight Easier

For some of us, flying sucks. It's not a time to catch up on sleep, kick your feet back, play video games, listen to audio books, meet new people, or watch the in-flight romantic comedy. It can be a miserable experience, yet there's no way to avoid it if you have to travel long distances. 

The good news is that you can make the experience a little less hellish. These ways might help:

1. Get a good seat. First come, first serve isn't how airplanes work, so make sure you book a seat that you want. The middle seat in rows is often the worst seat. Pick the window seat if you want a view, and the aisle seat if you are fidgety and need to get up a lot to stretch or go to the bathroom. The aisle seat also allows for a little bit of leg spillage out in the aisles.
2. Hydrate yourself before you plane ride. The plane ride is going to be very dry flying up at 35,000 feet, so you'll lose a lot of fluids. Going into the flight hydrated will help prevent sickness, fatigue, and drying out on the plane ride.
3. Visit the airport bathroom before your flight. If you get their early enough, use the airport bathroom. It's still a public bathroom, but it's a hundred times better than the cramped, tiny airplane bathrooms. It's one less time you'll have to use the airplane bathroom.
4. Take some real food on the flight. Have you ever noticed they serve nothing but junk on airplanes? Bring leftovers, stop at a favorite restaurant, go to the deli, pack lunch, or even get drive-thru food, which will be far better than the garbage they'll serve on the plane, and it will be higher in protein. For some, this type of "real food" will help reduce jet lag symptoms.
5. Do everything you can to stay active on the plane. While you can't do jumping jacks, you can still, believe it or not, get the blood flowing a little bit while on the plane. This article has some ideas on how to exercise during a long flight.
6. Bring travel sized toiletries on the flight. Before you land, try visiting the airplane bathroom to freshen up, or do so once you land. If you've been on a 6+ hour flight, it can help power you through your next phase of travel. Brushing your teeth, mouthwash, wiping/washing your face, or just splashing cold water on your face can help.
7. Bring a fully charged tablet, portable game system, or laptop. These can really make time pass so much quicker, whether it's work or video games or reading.
8. Be prepared to get the hell off the plane. (Can you tell I don't like plane rides?) Yes, they say to stay seated until the pilot says it's okay to get about the cabin, but put all of your reading materials, food, and junk away before you land. Grab your overhead compartment carry-on luggage ahead of time and be ready to go, so you can get out of the airport as soon as possible. 
9. Fly when the airport isn't busy. There's nothing better than flying when there's no one on either side of you. Nothing is a guarantee, but the middle of the week during the middle of the day is usually a lesser traveled time of week.
10. Pick a flight that has more room. JetBlue is known to be a much more comfortable flying experience, and has just one class (no first class). If you're really lucky, one of these ways to upgrade to first class might work for you.