Airplane Tips

I bought my plane tickets!! The trip is officially from Sept 14th- Dec 10th. Non-refundable too, so I guess that means I'm going!

It's a 21 hour flight to Santa Cruz, so I googled "airplane ride tips" and these are some of the suggestions that I found: (My comments in italics)

1) Participate in the in-flight exercise video, should your flight provide one.  (P90X -The plane ride version).

2) To relieve pressure in your ears, research the Valsalva maneuver (holding your nose and blowing) beforehand and know how to perform it correctly. (You could just chew gum. But if you want to entertain your neighbors-go Valsalva baby!)

3) If the airline you are traveling with provides blankets, it is a good idea to sleep with the blanket over your head to block out light and also if you like privacy. (Did someone actually get paid to write this?)

4) If you want earplugs but didn't bring any, use tissue. (Or use the extra gum you have since you are going Valsalva...).

5) Take Sudafed to help relieve pressure in your ears during takeoff and landing. Please note, however, that if you fly to Japan or New Zealand, Sudafed and other cold cures that contain pseudoephedrine are considered controlled substances and are illegal to bring into the country. (Konnichiwa. You are under arrest.)

6) Try your best to sleep well (Never would have thought of this one on my own! How do they come up with this stuff?)

I get an especially funny mental picture if you combine numbers 1-4 : A blanket wearing man with tissue paper in his ears, holding his nose and blowing while exercising :)