5 Tips to Help You Sleep When Flying with a Budget Airline
Last updated on May 7th, 2020
Traveling is an excellent pastime, especially for older adults, and international house sitters may find themselves in the air often as they travel from one house sit to the next. Now, with the cost of flying ever increasing, more and more passengers are choosing to fly with budget airlines. While flying with budget airlines may be cost effective they are often less comfortable than premier airlines, making getting some sleep much harder.
The following tips can help you sleep when you travel on a budget airline.
1. Choose your seat wisely
This tip from the Smarter Travel article ‘Sleeping on Planes: Top Tips for Travelers’ may be beyond your control, but if you can choose your seat, make sure to select one where you will be most comfortable. Window seats are best for sleeping, especially for long flights. The biggest advantage of a window seat is that you will have something to lean on while you sleep. It also means you are out of other people’s way and won’t be disturbed when someone needs to move.
Seats near the rear of the plane, meanwhile, can be hit-or-miss. The area may be noisier due to the plane’s engines, but there is also a good chance that more seats will be vacant, thus affording you extra space. In this case, you must decide on the space vs. noise trade-off.
2. Skip the caffeine
Flying is tiring, and after checking in and going through security a cup of coffee often feels like a necessary respite. While it may pick you up in the short-term, in the long-term it will reduce the chances of falling asleep on the flight. Ideally, you should stop drinking anything with caffeine (coffee, soda, etc.) 4-6 hours before your flight.
3. Bring some sleeping essentials
A fall asleep guide by Leesa suggests that you bring some these essentials: a great travel pillow, eye mask, and earplugs. A travel pillow can give you that sense of familiarity, which can help you feel much more at ease, even in a likely cramped, unfamiliar environment. An eye mask, meanwhile, can help you block out light in any form, which can distract you while trying to sleep. As for the earplugs, see tip number 4.
4. Block out noise
Travel expert George Hobica writing for USA Today notes that noise is “anathema to sleep and relaxation.” Therefore, you should be blocking out as much noise as you can by wearing earplugs. Hobica recommends either silicone or foam earplugs with a decibel reduction rating of 30 or more. They won’t block out all noise, but they can make a lot of difference. If you happen to have noise-cancelling headphones, bring them along, too, and wear them on top of your earplugs. If music helps you fall asleep, you can listen to your favorite hits without being disturbed.
5. Dress comfortably
You should also look to wear loose, comfortable clothing on your flight. Always remember to take a warm pair of socks for your flight as planes can often be cold places and cold feet will make it harder to fall asleep.
Sleeping while flying on a budget airline can be difficult.
However, if you pay heed to the aforementioned tips, there is a very good chance that you will get some quality shut-eye on your reasonably priced flight.
