Tips for Nervous Fliers on Their Way to Luxury Vacation Rentals
Jan. 18, 2007. It has been estimated that about 80% of vacationers, including those who go to a vacation rental, travel by automobile. However, it is necessary to fly if you are to visit such favorite family destinations as Hawaii and the Caribbean, both of whom have some of the best luxury vacation rentals anywhere.
For those lucky enough to go to one of these island paradises, air travel shouldn't be a worrisome beginning to a nice stay at a luxury vacation rental. For many travelers, however, flying in an airplane can be likened to playing with snakes or visiting the dentist. Perhaps that's why Michelle Delio's "Tips for Nervous Fliers" received so many responses on Fodor.com's reader forum .
Delio offers some great tips. We thought these two were especially practical:
1) Find a seat in the front of the plane. Turbulence is felt the least in the front of the plane, and fear-inspiring noises can be heard the most in the middle and rear of the plane.
2) Take you mind off your fears by stimulating your imagination. Delio suggests "crossword puzzles, magazines with lots of photos, a book with good plot twists and plenty of characters." She also suggests ditching bland financial reports for PowerPoint presentations or other creative, right-brain work.
Readers on the Fodor.com forum had plenty of their own tips, from prayer to drugs and alcohol. We thought one post really put things in perspective.
"When I get scared I tend to give myself a small guilt trip by considering that pilots and stewards and stewardesses take their chances for a living. Of those that I've spoken with about it, they don't seem to infuse extra drama into their descriptions of their jobs. When I think about what they do ever other day I feel silly for dreading the 3-4 times a year I fly."
