How to Look Gorgeous and Feel Energetic After a Long Flight

Yay! I’m finally here in Dubai.

I'm wide awake and the sun is shining-whoop!

It’s my partner’s birthday too, so we’ve got a fab day ahead of us. We’re in a super-exciting part of the world, we’ve got a boat trip planned and I’m sure we’ll get up to so much fun stuff. I can’t wait to enjoy more of this holiday!

On this holiday, the travel itself was more enjoyable than usual because I avoided that last minute stress by packing my bags and getting organised well in advance and I got myself prepared for the flight itself.

This meant I arrived in Dubai in a great mood, looking and feeling wonderful and with plenty of energy left for adventures.

Now, before I head outside to soak up some sun, I thought I’d share with you my tips for healthy plane travel so you too can make the most of your plane ride and keep looking and feeling great. These tips are exactly what I do each time I travel and I highly recommend them.

#1. Wear something comfy

The most important travel tip I have to share with you is this: always wear comfy clothes. There’s nothing worse than feeling uncomfortable for your flight. This for me is my favourite black jumpsuit as it looks good, feels so soft and adds that bit of luxury to my life.

Wearing this was an absolute lifesaver on this trip as the flight hours nearly doubled! We had a diversion to Bahrain, then a drunk passenger was escorted off the plane by officials, and then, when we thought it was all over, another passenger vomited all over himself. But that story is another blog in itself!

#2. Make sure you stay hydrated

Talking of drinking on a flight...don’t indulge in the free booze on a flight if you’re lucky enough to have it included.

With all that dry recycled air, what you really need is hydration. So stick to drinking plenty of water, or fruit juices if you have to. You’ll step off the plane looking as fresh as a daisy (or pretty close) and your skin and energy levels will certainly thank you for it afterwards.

I like to take a reusable stainless steel bottle with me to the airport and refill it from a free water fountain when I’ve passed through security. Then I can just sip away throughout the flight and feel great. Flight attendants are usually very happy to refill if needed.

#3. Nourish your body with healthy food

In the airport, my first stop has to be Pret a Manger for their absolutely incredible natural food. For this trip to Dubai I bought myself, a gluten-free muesli pot, some dried mango, a falafel green salad, an avo smoothie and a hot turmeric shot.

Then I carry this delicious food onto the flight so I don’t have to eat the aeroplane food that’s usually provided. That stuff has usually been dehydrated then rehydrated and is often not very healthy so it’s best to steer clear.

Having said that, I did eat the airline food on this flight. It was a very glamorous dish of beef, mash and veggies but it tasted fine. I’m happy I did eat it, even if it wasn’t the best choice because when we got delayed for over four hours, I still had my salad to nibble and didn’t get hungry at all. Even the flight attendant said that I really came prepared!

#4. Give your skin some TLC

When it comes to taking care of my skin during a flight, I often wear minimal make up or stick with the bare-faced, natural beauty look. This lets me hydrate and take care of my skin whenever I want to, without having to worry about smudging my mascara or anything like that. This time I took rose water on board to help keep me hydrated, and applied Elemis Flash Balm Moisturiser whenever I felt I needed to.

But it wasn’t just the skincare I paid attention to on this flight, I also tried to spoil myself a little by taking a wonderful essential oil blend rub onto the plane. My great friend Mairi gave me an immune-boosting mix called the FLOOM which is a mix of two drops frankincense, lemon, oregano, onguard, and melaleuca (tea tree) topped up with a carrier oil. I combined this with some coconut oil, rubbed it into my feet and put on some fluffy socks. (I always wear these on a flight instead of trainers).

#5. Catch up on some sleep

Let’s face it- it’s usually not too exciting to spend several hours on a plane. That’s why I love to make that time feel intentional so I feel spoiled instead of bored.

My favourite way to do this is by relaxing, unwinding and getting some catnaps in between the inflight entertainment. This trip I watched two films, slept and read some magazines, I felt really chilled out when I arrived, even though the flight was delayed all that time!

#6. Stay active on the flight

Lastly, it’s really important to stay active during a flight so you don’t get too stiff when you finally arrive at your holiday destination. It also helps keep your circulation going and helps avoid DVT or other health problems.

Great ways to do this include getting up often just to stretch my legs, not choosing the closest toilet every time I need a wee, and sometimes doing a few stretches too. If I manage to make conversation with someone whilst I’m moving about, all the better- it keeps me active and gets me smiling on the flight.

#7. And stretch afterwards...

After sitting on that plane for hours, you probably want to just collapse into bed when you arrive. But before you do so, make sure you take a moment or two to stretch your body.

I don’t know about you, but my body always feels so tight on travel days, so a good stretch really is very badly needed. That way, I know I’ll wake up on the first day of my holiday without that tight feeling in my muscles, and I’ll be relaxed and ready to enjoy more holiday fun.

These tips for a healthy flight worked so well that I’ll be definitely doing the same for the return trip at the end of the week. I wonder if they have Pret over here in Dubai….

P.S. Did you know you can still get your hands on my free fab food diary and ‘Eliminate the Sugar eBook.’ Click here to get your copy.