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With proper planning, make flying economy less uncomfortable and relax on a journey to a new adventure.
Did you know that carriers have different seat sizes in economy depending on which equipment they use? A major carrier in the US boasts to having the largest seats. Their Airbus A300 has 32 inches in pitch with a width of 18 inches. Great for comfort in economy, but if your equipment is a Boeing 757-200 on the same airline, that seat now configures only 30 inches as a pitch with a seat width 17.2 inches. You have lost 2 inches and not in the waistline but your comfort. Besides seat size variants between equipment and airline carriers, they also differ on whether you are traveling domestic economy or international economy.

There are options in finding out beforehand as to the size of your seat. Websites that specialize in this contain a wealth of information. They can recommend which equipment, carriers and what seats to avoid.

Seat Guru (http://www.seatguru.com/) or Seat Maestro (http://www.seatmaestro.com/) are user friendly and can even link you directly to the airlines website after you compare equipment and seats to purchase your tickets.

Another site, SkyTrax (www.airlinequality.com), has seat comfort reviews by frequent flyers. Now you will know if seat 10A is one to request. Within the same class and fare, some seats are far better than others. Consider an aisle or exit row seat for legroom, or a window if you want to sleep.

On short duration flights that do not provide in seat entertainment such as video on demand, movies or music; bring along something to entertain you. A book, portable DVD player (which you can now rent at the embarking airport and drop off at the destination), or a hand held game can make the flight less boring and keep you mid occupied if you have a fear of flying.

On long distant flights, bring your own headphone set. The ones offered on the plane are poor quality making it difficult to hear the audio portion of the entertainment. Standard headphones are superior to the ones offered on the flight or invest in noise canceling headphones, for total block out the outside noise.

Minimize your carry-on luggage to a small bag. Bring a disposable toothbrush with toothpaste inside, a moisturizer and sample size baby wipes.

With your mini freshen up kit, prior to your plane taking off, use the baby wipes to clean your face and add moisturizer and repeat this several times. Drink plenty of water. The air on a plane is drier than the Sahara Desert and your skin and body will dehydrate. Especially after a long flight, you can freshen up before departing the plane too.

On shorter flights, re-think airline food. Besides the quality of food served on flight, many airlines actually are charging for food service. Contact the airline, to find out if they serve free meals. If they don't, many concession stands near the gate have healthier alternatives for you or pack your own to bring on board.

Bring a travel pillow, as it helps supports your head and neck for a more satisfying rest. To combat your body from aching, swelling, sore joints and poor circulation on cramped flights you must move around or do some in-seat exercises. Place your heels firmly on the floor and raise your toes as high as possible. Hold for five seconds, and relax and do this several times. When the seatbelt sign is off, take a stroll up and down the aisle once every 2 hours or so.

Remember, airlines try to pack as many people in a plane and your comfort may be compromised in economy. But by following these steps you will be prepared and assured that your flight experience will be more gratifying.

Learn more about this author, Veronica Shine.
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