6- Flying High

The flight attendants have begun calling passengers up for boarding. You have two handcarry bags and have your 8 month old baby with you. That baby, as it turns out, does not like airports, large crowds, and the sound of wheezing engines and so, begins to cry incessantly. You're about to lose your mind. You're close to flipping out, but then you realize that...

You've got a First Class Ticket.

All becomes right in the universe again.

I've never flown First Class in my entire life. The closest to sniffing that that I've gotten is flying Business Class. It really is a life saver (specifically on Delta; insert shameless plug here), especially for long haul flights. I had my first taste of Business Class on a trip from Manila to Japan then to Detroit and finally Iowa. The entire journey lasted nearly one whole day (layovers included). My feet were screaming like Axl Rose in 1990, and my concept of what time it was and who I was with was slightly hazy. Thank goodness for the cheese sticks and biscuits in the Delta lounge. I coupled that with some good ale and boom, I was good to go.

When on a long haul flight, take in a lot of fluids. Try to avoid alcohol as wine or beer can tend to dehydrate you. If you're with fun people, though, dehydrate yourself with alcohol. If you can take it, make it. Seriously though, at least have a glass of water with your beer. No use being the "life of the party" of "the man" if it means that you'll be a shriveled up prune by the end of the session.

You'll never be able to avoid fatigue, thirst, or hunger when in the air, but at least, you can mitigate the ill effects of such with a some buy-ins.

A comfortable flight is one of the joys one can enjoy when traveling. Come to think of it, having a comfortable flight is a right, not a privilege. Being on Business Class, or First Class, provides added perks, so if you have the extra cash to burn, invest in in-flight premiums. You won't regret doing so- that is unless, you can contort yourself into a pretzel in Economy and have the annoying guy beside you literally snore into your soul.

MC