Tips for travellers

Everyone loves a holiday, but who doesn’t start a holiday feeling a little exhausted? However, when that cabin door closes, slumping into your seat, ordering a few drinks and eating your way through the trip may not be the best solution for getting off a flight feeling raring to go. Slumping for hours can make your back and neck ache; not moving and drinking too much alcohol can really slow down your circulation.

The secret to a great flight is really just thinking a little more about what you are doing with your body when you’re travelling. So here are some simple common sense tips to have you arriving for your holiday feeling great.

Sit well

Think about how you are sitting. You don’t have to sit beautifully all the time, you just have to straighten up regularly and take the load off your spine. If you sit like a banana for 24 hours, don’t be surprised if your back doesn’t want to straighten up when it time to get off.

Try these simple sitting tips:

• Take your bottom back into the seat a little.
• Slide your pillow behind your mid to low back to give it a little extra support.
• Lift your book or magazine up to your eyes, so your back and neck stay straight.
• Don’t cross your legs, it cuts your circulation.

Work out

Use your travelling time to keep your muscles moving. Try and do a little workout for a few minutes every half hour you are awake.

• Circle your feet under the seat
• Gently extend and relax your legs under the seat in front of you.
• Squeeze and relax your bottom.
• Roll your shoulders regularly.
• When you get up to use the bathroom, stand up and down on your toes to really activate your circulation.

Stand and move

Take advantage of every opportunity to move.

• While waiting to board your flight, stand up. It’s amazing how often people slump in the airport lounges with their legs crossed and their neck forward, when they are about to get on a long flight.
• Don’t use the moving walkways unless you have to — enjoy the exercise.
• Always put luggage (even hand luggage) on wheels so you are really mobile.
• Walk around while waiting for flights.

Lift, don’t lug

There is nothing worse than finally getting on holiday and then ending up with a bad back from lugging heavy suitcases off carousels. The main things to remember are:

• Make sure your bags are on wheels.
• If possible — travel light.
• Get as close as possible to the luggage carousel and try and lift bags when they are directly in front of you. Do not reach and twist to lift.
• Be careful when lifting luggage out of overhead lockers. Things are often heavier and more awkward than they seem when they are above shoulder height.

So that’s it, put a little more thought into your travelling and you may find yourself at the front of those baggage queues feeling fresher and with more energy than when you started your trip.