8 Things You Should Know About Being On A Plane
Don’t we all just get so excited to pack our bags and go on a vacation? Especially vacations abroad totally gives us the hype. However, there are some things that you should know about boarding a plane. Whether they are about hygiene or your safety, these are the things that the stewards and stewardesses do not tell you about, that you should probably know.
1. The tray table and pocket in front of you are the dirtiest places.
These two places are perhaps the two most convenient places to access while being in a place. You have your meals on the tray table, and you keep all your stuff in the front pocket. But unfortunately, the flight attendants usually do not have the time to clean up these two places before the next flight starts, thus making these two places extremely dirty. Of course, you need the tray table to enjoy your meal, but aside from eating, try not to sleep on it or put your things on it. As for the front pocket, just leave them for the magazines and safety brochure, and keep your things in your bags instead.
2. The things provided to you (blanket, pillow, headphones) are not new.
Usually, when the flight attendants pass the blanket, pillow, or headphones to you, you might think they are brand new as they usually come in a nicely packed plastic bag. But the truth is, they are the same old things used by perhaps many other passengers. They are only packaged in such as they are sanitized before keeping in the bags. Yes, they are cleaner as they are sanitized, but that doesn’t mean you should treat them like your own. Avoid using the blanket and pillow close to your face as much as you can.
3. You should always keep your seatbelt fasten in case of any incidents.
I have had my fair share of traveling abroad, and often times I’ve seen many people remove their seatbelts once the seatbelt sign is off. Sure, it provides more freedom and is more comfortable, however, being around 40,000 feet above the ground, some even higher, you’ll never know when will the plane encounter any incidents, such as turbulence or air pocket. So to be safe, just keep your seatbelt buckled from the moment the plane starts to move till it arrives and stops. Of course, when you need to use the washroom, that is not a choice, but when you’re done with your urgencies, just make sure you get back to your seat quickly and buckle up.
4. The air is extremely dry, so stay hydrated.
Airplanes do not have enough air storage to keep regenerating fresh air, this is why the air in planes is usually very dry. There are even people who are so sensitive to the air that they get allergies! But, whether it’s for your skin or for your internal body, making sure that you stay hydrated on the plane is very important, as you do not want to start your vacation in a terrible body condition. Of course, try not to chuck down too much water as well, because frequent toilet visiting is not that convenient whilst being on a plane. Just have enough to make sure your body is feeling humid.
5. You shouldn’t remove your shoes.
Aside from the floor being very cold when the plane is around 40,000 feet above the ground, another very important reason why you shouldn’t remove your shoes while being on a plane is that the floor is extremely filthy. You never know where other peoples’ shoes had been. Sure, the airport is usually very clean and so are the washrooms over there, but what about before they even step into the airport? There are just so many reasons to prove that the floor on airplanes is extremely dirty, so for hygiene purposes, just keep them on. If you hate being uncomfortable, then wear comfortable shoes or bring along a pair of sandals to change them out.
6. Don’t drink beverages that do not come from a bottle.
Unless the steward or stewardess pour drinks from an actual bottle for you, else, do not drink them! Usually, such drinks including coffee and tea, where they pour from a jug, and the thing is that you just don’t know where the beverage is from. Sure, they might come from a bottle, but there is also a possibility that they come from a tank kept on the plane. And plus, you just don’t know what dirt or dust or bacteria will fly into the jug while the flight attendants are carrying them around. So your best bet is to just stick with those that are from actual water bottles.
7. Even with the “fragile” tag, your luggage might not be handled gently.
Usually, when we are back from a vacation and bought some pretty precious ceramics or glass products and want them to be protected, we would ask for a fragile tag while checking in at the counter. But the truth is that having a fragile tag doesn’t make your bag special to the workers. With or without the tag, a lot of times they are still thrown around. Of course, some workers do handle them carefully when they see the fragile tag, but that is just a small percentage of them. Most of the time, they are still treated like any other luggage.
8. The washroom can be opened from the outside.
This is not to make you scared or anything, that while you’re peeing someone would just open the door from outside. However, most of the time passengers wouldn’t do such things anyway, as they would get stopped by the flight attendances. The reason they made such a “hidden lock” is so that the flight attendant could lock the washroom doors from outside during take-off and landing so that no passengers could get excess to them during these times, as it could get dangerous to be in the washroom while the plane is tilted at an angle.
These are just some of the things you should know about when you board on another plane. These points are not to make you feel afraid to get on the plane for your next vacation, but rather just some little things that you should be aware of. Plus, getting on a plane usually takes lesser than a day, and to just be aware of these things for a day should not be too much of a problem anyway.
To end this article, here is a quote about traveling:
“Fill your life with adventures, not things. Have stories to tell, not stuff to show.”
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