For the past five years or so, my husband and I haven't been able to get home during the holidays. This year will be a little different because while we are stateside, he is in Michigan and I am back east, we decided to celebrate Christmas together in.... Los Angeles! He is a fantastic photographer and we will be doing a little photoshoot out there for our book, visiting friends, and just spending time together. I'm really excited about it, but not really looking forward to the flight from east coast to west coast. On our yoga forum, there have been some questions recently about how to deal with long haul flights so I thought I'd put together the things I do to get to my destination feeling stress-free. I'd love to hear your tips in the comments below!
1. Listen to an audiobook
One of my favorite memories from driving across the country two summers ago was listening to audiobooks. They have a way of completely wrapping you up, making the story come to life, and they make time fly. The other nice thing is that whether you're standing in line to check your bag or listening on the plane, you can switch from your phone to your tablet interchangeably. I recently downloaded Aziz Ansari's Modern Romance from Audible, which is an Amazon-owned company that offers over 180,000 audio titles, and I've had a fantastic experience. Your first book is free and there's also a free 30-day trial so you really can't go wrong here!
2. Use your sense of smell
If you deal with travel anxiety or stress, consider bringing along an essential oil. There are a number of ways to use essential oils, but for travel, I prefer using a rollerball oil, and then roll the scent (this is my current favorite) on my wrists or put it on the inside of a scarf I've wrapped around my neck. Peppermint is great to stay alert, lavender is calming, and anything citrusy is uplifting.
3. Get some sleep
I pretty much don't travel anywhere without my sleep mask. The one I have is really well designed with pads below the eye area and by the nose so no light can get in while wearing it. It's basically like walking around with your own little black out curtain, and it's perfect for long haul flights or if you're the passenger on a road trip. Sleep is so essential to feeling my best, so I take full advantage of catching some zzzz's when I can.
I'd love to know your tips for tackling travel over the holidays. And, if you're into audiobooks, I'd love to hear which one you'd like to read from Audible!
