Travel Tips for International Flights

International flights can affect your immune system. (Photo: airplane image by Clarence Alford from Fotolia.com )

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International flights are often long affairs and generally involve one or two layovers. During these long flights, which can reach over 16 hours when traveling from North America to China or Australia, it is important to take care of your health and safety. With preparation, you can arrive at your international destination healthy, well-rested and ready to take on a new country.

Protect Your Health

In the days before an international trip, it can be tempting to stay up late taking care of last-minute packing and other travel details. Losing sleep can weaken your immune system, which means that you will be more susceptible to the germs of other passengers on your flight. If possible, stick to your normal sleep schedule to stay healthy. To protect your immune system further, Reader s Digest recommends, that you use doses of echinacea or vitamin C.

Prepare for Jet Lag on Night Flights

Many international flights involve flying overnight and changing one or more time zones, which can confuse your body and cause trouble with sleep schedules. To prepare your body for a change in time, arrive to your international flight ready to sleep. Bring a sleeping mask, socks and earplugs. Consider taking a mild sedative or an over-the-counter sleep aid, which will help you get to sleep in an unfamiliar environment. Even a few hours of sleep will help you stay awake upon reaching your destination and will enable you to adjust your schedule to the new time zone.

Bring Comfortable Clothing