Originally posted on The 9 to 5 Wanderer:
For me, preparation for a long haul flight always starts two days before takeoff. In high school, my coaches always told me that what you put into your body two days before has the biggest impact on your game time performance. On the field, this meant carbo-loading and lots of hydrating. While a pre-match pasta feast may not be super relevant to travel prep (or my rapidly declining metabolism), eating the right meal before your flight absolutely is, and hydrating remains a must for both travel and sport. Two night before a long haul flight I begin pumping fluids, a process that continues straight through the flight. While hydrating during the flight is great, hydrating well before takeoff is crucial. Planes cabin air is so dehydrating, and if you’re relying on a couple glasses of water in-flight, your skin is already playing an impossible game of catch up. I make sure I eat healthily (or as healthily as I can) for the two days leading up to my flight…