Greetings from the friendly skies! I’m typing this during my second and last flight of the day, Paris to Newark!

Last night I stayed up working until around midnight which was of course far later than I wanted. But, luckily I was able to work in my compression socks while sitting indian style at my desk. When I’m working from home in the evening I find that lighting a few candles and changing into my favorite sweats, now that the weather is cooler, is the perfect way to make it more bearable. I knew that “turning off” my brain would be tough and potentially keep me up, so I sipped on some Celestial Seasons Sleepy Time tea during the last hour of number crunching.

The tea worked wonders as I didn’t move a single time during my 7 hours of sleep! I didn’t even hear the phone ring when Delta called 3 times! Ooops! I woke up to news that my Paris – JFK flight was delayed 3.5 hours due to mechanical issues. Luckily Delta was able to move me over to their Paris – Newark flight which was on time and still had an exit row aisle seat available! If you travel a lot, please make sure you take advantage of airline loyalty programs. It amazes me when I talk to bloggers or co-workers who simply don’t opt in. The level of service I receive from Delta due to my status in amazing in comparison to my experience on Swiss Air where I am still building status.

In order to get my body on Eastern Time as quickly as possible, I reset my watch and computer clock as soon as I arrived at the Geneva airport. Instead of thinking of my flight as a 10:30 departure, I thought of it as a 4:30am early flight. I waited to eat breakfast until my connection in Paris and delayed lunch on my flight as much as possible. Gia and I discussed the benefits of me bringing my own food, as airplane food can be unreliable, filled with sodium and unhealthy. Due to a shorter than expected connection in Paris I wasn’t able to buy a lot of food.

But, I did hit jackpot in the little cafe near my gate which I dashed before boarding. I grabbed yogurt, two salads (one green salad with chicken and one caprese salad), coconut water and 2 bananas for the 8 hour flight. This, along with the chicken and rice they served in flight, should be enough to keep me fueled during the flight. I also asked the stewardess, while explaining my upcoming marathon, for a liter of water versus small cups!

After years of travel, I think I finally have the routine down to an art! Here are a few travel tips!

• Always wear or bring socks so you can take off your shoes during the flight. Due to swelling which occurs during flight, this tends to be a LOT more comfortable!
• Invest in a good neck pillow! I’ve had mine for 3 years and use it for not only my neck but sometimes my lower back, depending on the flight. I snap it on my carry-on bag strap instead of trying to stuff it in the bag.
• Carry a “travel essential” pouch filled with toothbrush, mouthwash, face wash, moisturizer, eye pillow, ear plugs, extra phone charger or USB adapter, $10 or equivalent in foreign money, hair rubber band, and lip balm. These little things can help keep you refreshed on flight and save you from finding yourself with a dead phone or no cash for water or a snack.
• While it’s often important to look presentable, especially if traveling with colleagues, make sure that you choose comfortable clothing. I love wearing a wrap sweater which can be removed on a hot plane or wrapped tight on a cold plane along with black leggings when I’m traveling for work.
• Even in the most stressful of situations, kindness goes a long way. Today I watched two travelers treat the Delta associates in totally different manners and in return get very different service.
• Last but not least, especially if you have status, pick up the phone and call the airline WHILE you are waiting in the customer service or help line. Sometimes you’ll get someone on the phone before you move two feet in the line. The time between when a flight is delayed or cancelled is valuable as every passenger is vying for a different seat. But, do not get out of line until you have a new confirmation and ticket issued. Sometimes the phone support can’t make all the changes necessary and you never want to lose your place in line!

What is your favorite airline? Are you loyal to one or do you follow the cheapest ticket deal? Until moving to Europe Bo and i were both devout Delta customers. Unfortunately Delta and their partner airlines don’t cover Europe the way they cover the US. Therefore we are slowly building miles on Star Alliance since SWISS and UNITED are both part of this alliance and have direct flights between Geneva, London and NYC.