Who Took the Fun Out of Flying? 5 Tips for Keeping Your Cool

Even if you’re the coolest, calmest person when you’re on the ground, air travel has a way of making people enraged. Perhaps it’s the lack of legroom, the screaming children or the fellow passenger with really bad breath that won’t stop talking about his Velcro allergy. 

You can’t very well hop off the plane in mid-flight, but you can try one or more calming strategies recommended by Fodor’s Travel editor-in-chief Arabella Bowen. 

Construct a buffer. Live in your own little bubble by simply popping on a pair of noise-cancelling headphones or a pair of old-school earplugs. Add amusement to the buffer by queuing up your favorite music, movie or TV shows on your mobile device. 

Embrace the stillness. Flights pretty much hold all passengers captive in their seats, but you can make the most of it by using the stillness to your advantage. Stillness presents the perfect opportunity to meditate, pray or practice that mindfulness you’ve always been eager to try. Seek out a guided meditation app or meditation music options on your smartphone. 

Indulge in a little pampering. You probably already got the short end of the stick by flying coach to save some cash. Invest a bit of your savings in a few tabloids, an intriguing biography or your long-forgotten favorite magazine. Bring a few goodies to enjoy during the flight, like those overpriced granola bars you usually skip or a small box of high-end chocolates. 

Stay connected. Use the uninterrupted flight time to catch up with work, family or friends. Take advantage of your flight’s Wi-Fi connection to catch up on email or to enter and approve expenses from 30,000 feet through an automated expense management software like Chrome River EXPENSE. 

Pave the way for smooth flying. Sometimes passengers are ready to explode before they even board the plane. It can happen when you had to rush to pack, arrived late at the airport, got stuck in security and then had to hightail it to board without your pre-flight rituals. Add missing the snack you didn’t have time to buy and your lack of sleep - you’re a volcano waiting to erupt. 

Give yourself plenty of time to prep for your trip and get to the airport so any unexpected delays won’t blow your whole plan. After all, it’s much easier to board the plane with a calm mind and maintain it than it is to try to calm down on a cramped and noisy flight. 

Add a bit of serenity to your corporate travel with Chrome River’s expense reporting software.