5 Sleep Tips To Take With You When Travelling

shutterstock_119470189There are few situations less suited to sleeping than when we are on the move. Unfortunately, for many us, the need to sleep on the move is a necessity. So, whether you’re travelling for business or pleasure, we’ve put together our top 5 travel sleep tips so that you arrive refreshed and ready to go. Read on for more…

 

 

 

Take some sleep aids with you.

It’s fairly normal to minimise the amount of luggage we need to carry with us when we travel, but there are some items that are worth their weight in gold for those who need to sleep when they travel. Our essential sleep travel kit includes.

  • Eye mask
  • Inflatable neck pillow
  • Ear plugs (in-ear headphones aren’t nearly as effective)

As an optional extra we’d also recommend a lightweight blanket if you can manage to fit one in your carry-on luggage. If you’re using your blanket on a flight, buckle your seatbelt over it to stop it from falling off and also so that the air stewards don’t have to disturb you when it is time to put it on.

We urge you not to leave your sleep aids behind in the interests of travelling light. You could spend a very long journey regretting it.

 

Choose your seat in advance.

If it is possible to reserve your seat in advance of your travel, make sure you do so.

For air travel, the seats at the front of each section and at the wings usually have slightly more leg room. There might be a premium to pay for these seats, but in our opinion it is well worth it, especially when flying long-haul.

For train travel, a table seat will have more leg room even if there is a passenger sat on the opposite side of it. If you are lucky, there won’t be anyone opposite you on your journey, so you can really stretch your legs.

 

Secure your stuff for peace of mind

Securing your personal items whilst you sleep on the move can be difficult. This problem is worse if travelling by train where people may join and leave the train whilst you are sleeping. Although this problem isn’t there for air travellers, you should always make sure your personal possessions and money are out of sight whilst sleeping.

To secure your items whilst sleeping

  • Close all zips on bags and if they are double zipped, use a small padlock to secure them together.
  • Keep your purse or wallet in a pocket close to your body.
  • Keep your mobile phone in a pocket.
  • Don’t leave your tickets out on the table in front of you.
  • If you have a handbag or backpack, keep it on the floor and put your foot through one or both of the straps.

 

Avoid caffeine

As we said at the beginning of this article, there are few situations that are less suited to sleeping then when you are travelling. Even the heaviest of sleepers struggle to get any sort of quality sleep when travelling.

To give yourself the best chances of getting to sleep on your journey it’s a good idea to lay off any form of caffeinated drinks before and whilst travelling. A double shot espresso might be very welcome in the departure lounge, but won’t seem like a great idea whilst you’re struggling to sleep and all around you are in the land of slumber. Save your caffeine fix for when you arrive.

 

Don’t take a sleeping tablets

Herbal sleeping remedies are often found in rail station and airport shops, but we really recommend that you give them a wide berth. Unless you use a sleeping remedy on a regular basis, you have no reference of just how much they will affect you. You will need to be fit and alert for your onward travel when you arrive at your destination station or airport, so don’t risk arriving drugged or drowsy.

As always, thanks for reading our blog here at Sleepy People. If you’re travelling soon, we hope our tips help to make your journey a safe and pleasant one. Bon voyage.