We’ve all tried to do it. And we all know it will never be as good as eight straight at home. But sleeping on airplanes is a necessary thing for anyone who travels frequently, especially internationally. But how do you get the best quality sleep while sitting upright with no personal space? Here are some tips.

Find a good seat. Obviously first or business class is great, but that’s not always available. The next best seat is a window in a bulkhead, where you’ll be able to lean on a wall, control the window shade, and have extra legroom. After that, choose a regular window seat. At least there you will have access to the wall and window shade. An aisle is okay, but not optimal, and of course the middle seat is never ideal. An empty seat next to you helps a lot, and having a row to yourself is even better (although almost impossible to find these days).

Bonus: If you’re in a bulkhead, use your personal item as a footrest. It gives you more options for body positions, which helps keep any one part of your body from hurting a lot (ie, tailbone).

Do the same stuff you do at home. Avoid caffeine several hours before trying to sleep. Don’t eat crazy spicy or heavy food right before. Don’t drink tons of alcohol, since that can dehydrate you and ruin the quality of your sleep. Wash your face (or use a cleansing cloth), read for a few minutes, have some herbal tea. Doing your normal routine will help ease you to sleep.

Get cozy and comfy. The most important items are a travel blanket and pillow. Inflatable pillows don’t take up much room, but make sure they have a nice cover so you’re not laying your head on rubber. I love wrapping myself in my Cabin Cuddler for sleeping on long flights.

Isolate yourself. An eye mask will block out your neighbor’s offending reading light and make you feel like you’re all alone. Adding ear plugs or noise canceling headphones helps even more. I love noise canceling headphones and my White Noise app.

Sleep aids. Not everyone needs a sleep aid, but I’ve found that Tylenol PM really helps me sleep more comfortably on flights. Some people like something stronger, such as Ambien, and some people use natural options, such as Melatonin.

Short flights. If you’re only trying to catch an hour or so, some of the above suggestions still help. Avoid caffeine, look for a window seat, and use your pashmina to cover up. I will often use my headphones, although usually skip the eye mask for a short flight.

Readers, how do you get a good night’s sleep while flying?

This is an answer to a recent post from Australian Business Traveller. They had a very helpful post about what men should wear for a long flight during a business trip, but it wasn’t really any help at all for women. Balance can be tricky while flying 14 hours. If you want to look professional yet be incredibly comfortable, here is what I have found to be the best combination.

Jersey dress. The right jersey dress will feel like a long t-shirt. They are stretchy and soft, yet can be worn to work. My favorite is the Everyday Jersey Dress from Boden (currently on super discount, but available only in limited sizes. You won’t go wrong with any jersey dress from Boden though!).

Leggings. Leggings are my answer to pajama pants during travel. Same as the jersey dress—they are soft and stretchy. Also easy to take off once you land and are headed to the office. The ones I wear the most are from Old Navy and cost around $10.

Compression socks. A must-wear!! Keep your feet and ankles from swelling too much, and reduce your chances of DVT. Available all over, including online (Amazon and TravelSmith come to mind) or at a drug store. (Another option: Instead of leggings and compression socks, try compression tights.)

Comfy flats. Flats are great because they are easy to put on and take off. Pick ones that are a little too big, because your feet will inevitably swell a little bit.

A couple of other comfort tips:

• Wear minimal makeup. Wear as little makeup as you are comfortable with. For me, this is basically tinted moisturizer, mascara, and a little powder. The less you have on, the less you can get in your eyes while you sleep. When you’re about to land, wash your face (or use a face cleansing wipe) and apply your normal makeup.
• Pull your hair back. I wear a braid or low ponytail when flying for a long time. This way it won’t irritate my head when leaning back, but keeps it out of the way. A braid is better for me, just because I don’t get that annoying crease from the rubber band, but sometimes my hair is too short.
• Wear your glasses. If you normally wear contacts, I recommend wearing your glasses for long flights. This way your eyes won’t dry out from the arid airplane air, and your contacts won’t bother you while you sleep.

So there you are! Professional yet comfortable options for long flights exist for women too!

For Blog World, I planned my outfits for weeks. I even went on a special shopping trip to get brown tights to go with my dress. Once I had those tights I felt confident that I was ready to go, with my wardrobe figured out. On the first day of Blog World, I got ready, including my tights. As I was walking to the shuttle, something started to feel “off” on my back, but I couldn’t figure out what. As the day went on, it got worse and worse, until I was scratching furiously at my back every chance I got. Finally at lunch I ran off to the ladies’ room, and discovered my new adorable brown cabled tights had a tag, and that tag was irritating the crap out of me. I thought about ripping it off, but was worried I would rip a hole in my tights. Of course I didn’t have any scissors on me. So I just took of my tights and was cold when I went outside to wait for the shuttle. (Pictured: Not the tights I wore, but adorable argyle tights from Target)

This just proved to me, once again, that while it is tempting to get new clothes for a trip, business or fun, it is just not a good idea to wear things for the first time while traveling. What if my dress had been short and I hadn’t been comfortable taking off my tights? What if it were a sweater that made me break out in a rash? Can’t remove that, can you!! Shoes are the worst. I never recommend anyone wear shoes for the very first time on a trip, because if they kill your feet you can’t do anything about it but limp. If you don’t have a lot of time, wear your new item around your house for a while, but even that isn’t ideal. Best thing to do is wear your new item out of the house for an hour or two, to see how it does. Anything awful can be returned, and anything that is fixable can be fixed. Trust me, you don’t want to get caught out with a wardrobe malfunction!!

Mighty Leaf Tea is my most favorite tea, mostly because the flavors are incredible and interesting. I’ve had them on my top ten list for years, but I never knew they did anything besides tea. Turns out they also have a very clever travel mug specifically for tea users, which they were kind enough to send me to review. Putting tea in a normal travel mug isn’t that great—there’s no easy way to get the bag out, so the tea brews too long and ends up tasting bitter. If you do pull the bag out, there’s no easy place to put it and you end up making a mess. The TeaTop Brew Travel Mug is the first travel mug specifically made for tea I’ve ever tried, and it is very cool.

What it is: a travel mug designed for use with tea bags.

The good: It’s so clever! Allows you to pull the bag out of the tea once it’s done brewing, but keeps the bag inside the cup so there’s no mess. It also keeps your beverages warm for a long time.

The less good: It’s not spill proof, so don’t turn it upside down or knock it over. It also doesn’t really work with non-Mighty Leaf bags.

How it works: Fold the tea tag in half and slide it through the slot so the bag is underneath the lid. Drop the bag into the cup full of hot water and close the lid (picture 1). Brew your tea for the specified time, then pull on the tag to get the bag out of the water (picture 2). The tea bag stays in the indention in the lid, keeping you from over brewing your tea (picture 3). Genius!

Don’t forget about our current contest!! Enter and you could win your own TeaTop Brewing Mug, along with a great selection of Mighty Leaf Tea.

This is one of my favorite posts to do all year. I get to spend time searching the internet for the most fun, interesting, and useful gifts. And boy did I find some! Bring on the shopping.

Flight Comfort

The Cabin Cuddler is a great gift for anyone who travels long distances! It’s super warm and cozy, is easy to pack, and includes a pillow. Travel slippers would also be great on a long haul trip, plus they would be nice to wear around the hotel room during the winter. Eye masks are great for helping travelers sleep on planes or in a hotel room, and this one is super cute! Finally, compression socks are a must have for long flights. Keep your loved one’s ankles and feet from swelling and reduce their risk of DVT.

Passport cover

Give your favorite road warriorette a passport overhaul. A fun passport cover can liven up boring travel docs. Love this one from Ruche.

Fun travel toiletries

A little pampering makes frequent business travel more bearable, and this Oatmeal Whoopie Pie scented body wash sounds verrry luxurious. And tasty.  Another option is this Travel Spa in a Box. It includes anti-bacterial aroma mist, anti-bacterial hand oil, a lavender flax eye pillow, lip balm, and others. Fabulous. Not only is this little bag from Etsy shop Aunt Meep’s Attic very cute, it’s made of oilcloth so it’s easy to clean, and can be used for makeup or non-liquid toiletries.

Luggage tag

Help your favorite traveler keep track of their bag with these brightly colored, fun luggage tags.

Kindle/iPad case

Seriously I am putting this on my list. I didn’t even know they made Kindle cases this pretty!!! And don’t forget a Kindle or iPad to go inside of it

Travel mug

Travel mugs keep your beverage warm and reduce trash. This clever mug from Mighty Leaf is made specifically for tea drinkers, and would be a great gift for the traveler in your life! (Enter our contest, and you could win one!)

Readers, what are you shopping for this holiday season?

After sitting on a freezing plane for hours on end, nothing warms you up like a steaming cup of tea. Tea’s comforting properties increase exponentially when it’s cold and blustery outside. My favorite brand of tea is Mighty Leaf, and as I’ve mentioned, I keep bags of Vanilla Bean and Chamomile Citrus with me at all times with I travel. Mighty Leaf was so happy to be included as part of my Top Five Travel Necessities (Hotel Edition) that they contacted me to do a contest for my readers! What a great company.

The gift set is valued at $50, and includes:

• Herbal Variety Box
• Green Variety Box
• Variety of Black Tea Gift Tin
• TeaTop  Brew Mug

They sent me a set as well, so I can vouch for its awesomeness. I have been using the TeaTop Brew Mug, and it is super cool. Watch for a full review later this week!

To enter the contest, write a comment answering the following: What is your favorite travel beverage and why? We will draw a winner at random on Monday December 12. Open to US residents only (sorry international readers!!). As always, only one entry per person.

Check out MightyLeaf on Twitter @MightyLeaf  or on Facebook!

Thanks for playing everyone. Good luck!

You may have seen it around, and I’m the first to admit it looks goofy. I remember seeing the Cabin Cuddler at Bed, Bath, and Beyond several months ago and thinking, What the heck is that thing? Then I was sent one to review. Although I was reluctant at first, I’m a convert. In a nutshell, it is the coziest, easiest to carry travel blanket and pillow combo I have ever used.

What it is:

A travel blanket cut to the contours of your body, with a pocket for your feet. It also comes with a blow up pillow.

The good:

1. It is so, so cozy. Wrapping yourself in it feels like wrapping yourself in pure blissful comfort. This is due to the cut that allows you to cover your entire body, not to mention the pocket for your feet. The material is a very thin fleece that is soft, smooth, and warm against your skin.
2. It’s very easy to carry. It folds up into a very flat package, which is quite convenient to just slip into your bag. If you don’t want to do that, the handle includes a clip to attach it to the outside of your bag.
3.  It includes a pillow. There is a blow up pillow included. That may not sound that awesome, but when you slip it inside the fleece-lined case (which is the carrying case, flipped inside out), it feels great.
4. It’s long enough. I’m fairly tall (5’7”), and traditional travel blankets won’t cover me from toe to neck—especially not those tiny airplane blankets! The longer ones I’ve found have been too bulky to travel practically. But this one actually covered my entire frame.

The less good:

1. It still looks goofy. But you know what? It was so great on the flight home from Manila that I didn’t care.
2. Getting it back into the carrying case is a little tricky. With practice it gets easier to do it nicely, but I’m not sure I would bust it out for a flight less than three hours.

Overall, I recommend this to anyone who flies on long flights in coach. It would make a great holiday gift for the frequent international traveler in your life!

Last week, it was confirmed for me once again that it is really a very good idea to eat before flying. On Tuesday I flew to Columbus, and everything went surprisingly well. On the return trip, I flew through Chicago. I ate a couple of hours before my two hour flight to Chicago, and figured I would grab a snack during my hour layover. After landing, I headed over to my gate, where I planned to make sure everything was on time and then get a snack. But when I neared the gate, I realized that they were boarding my flight fifteen minutes early!

The gate agent said they were boarding early because we would be facing headwinds on the flight, and he wanted to get off the ground ahead of time. The plane was already half full, and I was very concerned they wouldn’t have room for my rollaboard. Luckily there was, but as I sat down, my growling stomach reminded me I never got that snack. I thought, I can handle it! It’s just a two hour flight. Except that we ended up waiting on the tarmac for about 25 minutes for documentation for some baggage, and then those headwinds made the flight almost three hours. In the middle of the flight, after pawing through my purse hoping that a snack had magically appeared, I paid for a giant cookie. It tasted good, but certainly wasn’t the best choice. By the time we landed, 30 minutes late, I was ravenous and ate a sandwich when I got home at 1am.

The moral of this story? Eat before you fly, for sure. And keep snacks on hand all the time. I had forgotten to replace my usual stash of almonds, which I ate during the trip before. It sure did lead to an uncomfortable flight! For my trip to LA tomorrow I will definitely be packing almonds, along with Dove Darks and Emergen-C, just to make sure this doesn’t happen again.

Ever since I can remember, I have been in love with shoes. Throughout junior high and high school, my mom would constantly get on to me about my extensive shoe collection. In college, my roommates were aghast at the precarious mountain of shoes in my closet. And one of the ways in which I knew the Home Warrior was The One (besides how much he loves his dog) is that when he saw my extensive shoe organizing system, he didn’t bat an eye. True love. However, as much as I love shoes, as a general rule I don’t wear heels. Why would a self-avowed shoe fanatic separate herself from the vast majority of fabulous footwear? you ask. About six years ago I fell and sprained my right knee and ankle, and ever since have had some real balance issues. As in, falling on a regular basis with no apparent reason. So, despite my bottomless well of passion, no heels for me. Combine balance issues with constant travel and a lot of work presentations, and you’ve got a girl who has learned to appreciate flats. In fact, I would say that I love flats-cute ones, that is. And contrary to popular opinion, there are a zillion pairs of cute flats out there. Pointy, ballet, peep-toe, simple, bejeweled…. Virtually everywhere you go there is a cute pair of flats waiting for you.

Unfortunately, cute doesn’t necessarily mean comfortable. It baffles me that so many of these shoes, specifically designed to be comfortable, hurt to wear. People buy flats in order to be on their feet for long periods of time, yet shoe manufacturers insist on making adorable ballet flats with absolutely no support. Or they make fabulous jeweled pointy-toed flats with a paper-thin sole. I wore one of these so-called comfortable shoes last week, and could literally feel every rock on the sidewalk on my feet. After complaining to Home Warrior that I don’t care how cute they were, I am throwing these <expletive deleted> shoes away as soon as we get home, he said something so smart. “Why don’t you put some of those gel soles in it? They made my dress shoes way better.” The man is brilliant.

Gel soles are awesome. They are a girl’s best friend, a traveler’s best friend, a presenter’s best friend. Whether you are male or female, wear heels or flats, a home warrior or a road warrior. If you have a pair of shoes that you like, but doesn’t have enough support or cushioning on the bottom, add some gel inserts. There are a ton of varieties that range from padding under the toe to a little extra cushion throughout the foot to full-on arch support. They come in a range of prices, and are available everywhere from shoe stores to Walgreens to Target. My favorites are the classics from Dr. Scholl’s, the “For Her Comfort Insoles”. They are around $12, fit in most shoes, and have saved many a pair of shoes from getting thrown out.

So the next time you wish your shoes were just a little more comfortable, try gel insoles! Trust me, your feet will thank you.

First off, a Manila update. After repeated phone calls to my hotel and travel agent, I feel mostly confident that my trip will be fine. So I am currently in DFW awaiting my flight to Tokyo. Also, after much drama and last minute angst, I thankfully got cleared for an upgrade to business class for the longest leg of my trip. Yes!!!

Yesterday afternoon, as I was consulting my extensive packing list and trying to get all of my stuff together, I realized I had misplaced my compression socks. Well, not all of them. Three of them. It seems the Sock Monster has struck in a big way at my house, and I have completely lost one pair and one single.  After a frantic search through various sock drawers and the laundry room (with visions of my feet swelling to Violet Beuregarde-like proportions), I accepted the loss. But that started a new freak out: where do I find compression socks at 4pm on a Sunday afternoon, the day before I travel? A quick web search of Target, Macy’s, Bed Bath and Beyond, Academy, and REI were no help—Target didn’t have any in stores, REI’s were all of the “recovery” variety and therefore like $50, and the other stores didn’t have any at all. In desperation, I googled “compression socks”. Inspiration struck from an unlikely source: Walgreens.

Apparently, compression socks are considered a medical item, so they are available at drugstores. At least, some drug stores. I clicked on “find in store,” put in my zip code, and waited for my local Walgreens to come up. Uh, no. No Walgreens within ten miles of me had my size and color preference in stock. After scrolling through three pages of stores, I found a store twenty miles away that had them. Whatever, I’ll take it.

Now that I’ve tried them on, I think they’re actually a little more comfortable than my other ones that I lost. But mostly I’m just super grateful that I found some when I needed them. So next time you need compression socks at the last minute, check your local Walgreens. You might just be surprised.

Yesterday, you guys gave me some really great advice. I will be calling my hotel in Manila to check on their status tonight. For now, though, I’m moving forward on the assumption that I will be going.

My question today is pillows. On this trip, instead of having a day to recover before my meetings start, I will land after 25 hours of travel, go to the hotel and change, and head straight to the office. Oy. I have requested a business class upgrade, but I haven’t gotten confirmation that I’ve received it yet. Just in case, I want to be super prepared for 14 hours of comfort in coach. I’ve got a travel blanket that I’m happy with (I think–may have to double check that one), earplugs, an eye-mask, and my trusty Tylenol PM, but I’m not totally sure about the pillow. In the past I’ve used a buckwheat pillow and a memory foam pillow, and honestly, neither one has been ideal. So I am interested in hearing from you guys about what types of pillows you have used and how they’ve worked.

Here are the types I’ve seen:

Buckwheat. The U-shape works well for people want to support their head and neck, and plan to sleep upright. I prefer to lean against the side of the plane, which is not what these pillows are made for.

Memory foam. The one I have is made to go around the head rest of the seat. Again, I like to lean against the side of the plane. Has anyone seen one of these that isn’t contoured? Does it even work if it’s not contoured?

Inflatable. I’ve never used one, but they sure do seem cool. Taking up minimal space in your bag but offering super comfort once you blow it up? That sounds awesome. Who has one, and what do you think about it?

Any pillows that I missed? Any suggestions? Hooray, long flights!