How a $2 Beach Ball Can Improve Your Flight

In my last blog, I talked about using the "1st Class Sleeper" to improve your comfort on long flights, spare your aching back, and improve your chances of sleeping. The downside is the $30 price tag for something that will last you about 10 trips.

As a cheap alternative, I have tried using a cheap beach ball partially inflated. You can find those in spring and early summer at Wal-Mart and drug stores for $2. If your travel plans are in Fall and Winter, you may have trouble finding one.

I simply place the beach ball between the small of my back and the seat and it works pretty well. The major down side is the lack of a "fuzzy" surface on the beach ball (similar to the surface on the 1st Class Sleeper) which "wicks"perspiration. If you've ever sat on a plastic surface for a lengthy period of time, you know what I am talking about. I wear a light cotton jacket on international flights which helps prevent the build-up of perspiration.

Another thing you can do with the cheap beach ball is to inflate it almost full and put it on the floor to give you something to put your feet on. I find that the lower half of my body starts screaming out in pain after about 6 hours in a coach seat. Having something to put my feet on helps a lot. You can also use the ball to exert slight pressure with your feet to get the blood going in your veins and reduce the risk of deep vein thrombosis.

And finally, I find that sleeping on my back is fine for most of the flight, but sometimes I just have to lean forward. Having done everything I can think of (stretching, walking around the cabin, doing deep knee bends by the exits), my lower body still is hurting. Leaning forward helps by moving the pressure off my lower body and partially distributing it to my upper body. Problem is, how? If you have just enough space between your seat and the seat in front of you to get your head down on the pull-down tray, you are not very comfortable. If you can put something between yourself and the tray (to get your head up to a higher, more comfortable position), you can get some relief. Inflating a second beach ball (you do not want to use the one you had your feet on) and covering it with a t-shirt works pretty well.

James Snider is a global marketing professional with 15 years experience in the high tech industry. He is currently looking for his next great job. www.linkedin.com/in/jamessnider

First Class Sleeper for under $30

Some of you may have seen the "1st Class Sleeper" sold for around $30 and wondered if they were worth it. I tried one and it was excellent. The basic premise is simple. The device is similar to a small, narrow air mattress which is small on the top and fat on the bottom. You inflated it partially (so it does not take a lot of effort to inflate). This gives you a little more cushion on your coach seat, but the real magic comes from the tendency of the air to redistribute from an area of high pressure (your upper back) to fill in areas of low pressure (such as the gap between your lower back and the seat). This permits you to slump in your seat in a more reclined position with lower back support. This supports your whole back making it much more comfortable to sleep.

Is it worth $30? I guess that depends on how valuable $30 is to you and how often you will be flying long distances in coach. I used one for a year about once a month and it held up just fine for about 9 months. After that, it developed a slow leak which meant I had to re-inflate it about halfway through the flight. I thought that was worth the money.

Next time, the things you can do with a cheap beach ball.

James Snider is a global marketing professional with 15 years experience in the high tech industry. He is currently looking for his next great job. www.linkedin.com/in/jamessnider

Ouch! My aching back!

I am sure that some of you suffer from back pain when you take long flights. I have two recommendations. Get a blanket and roll it up for lumbar support. I am leery of the airline blankets and would rather have it behind my back than under my chin. Bring a sweater for warmth...I stay away from the blankets.

The second thing is a bit more novel. Bring a small cardboard box like the one books come in from Amazon. Have it collapsed and in your carry-on. Also bring a small cheap roll of tape. When your flight is in the air, pull out the collapsed box, folding it into a box again and run the tape around it a few times to keep it "box shaped". Now you have something to put your feet on; either flat or on one end depending on which feels better. That is the one thing I hate about coach. I can take the narrow seats, lack of leg room, and meager food. But I must get my feet up off the floor during the flight or everything starts to hurt or go to sleep. The box idea helps a lot.

When you are ready to leave the plane, you can break the box down and take it with you for the return flight or leave it on the plane. I would suggest you break it down before you leave it. You do not want security called to investigate a suspicious package left on the plane. Airlines have plenty of security issues to deal with without our carelessness increasing the work load.

James Snider is a global marketing professional with 15 years experience in the high tech industry. He is currently looking for his next great job. www.linkedin.com/in/jamessnider