Life hacks you need for flying in a Nigerian plane

If you have ever boarded a Nigerian plane, then you might understand the need for life hacks to survive another trip in comfort. Rather than get angry at flight delays leading to low batteries or turbulence and screaming Nigerians making you sick right there in your seat, here are some simple hacks you can employ to make sure your next flight in Nigeria is fun and really comfortable.

Book a morning flight

Yeah, delays occur, but trust me you really want to take morning flight, especially if you get sick from turbulence. The reason is simple, as the day goes along, the ground heats up and the temperature difference results in increased turbulence in the air. Increased turbulence equals your very queasy tummy. Avoid uncomfortable runs to the bathroom and pitying stares from everyone else by booking an early flight.

Book a sit by the wings

Another way to avoid airsickness if you are prone is to sit by the wings. The reason for this is, as the plane banks and rolls with turbulence or any kind of motion, sitting by the wing means you are less prone to feeling the effects – that roiling up and down motion –  than sitting anywhere else. Plus sitting near the wing can be really cool, think of the selfies.

Sit at the back

The back of the plane has been shown to be the safest part of the plane according to reports from National Transportation Safety Board of the USA. I guess this means swallow pride and the few extra Naira and actually pay economy and be happy about it.

Get to the airport early

Starting the flight in a bad mood  can only end up making the entire trip really awful for you. Get ahead by starting on a good note. Get to the airport early so you easily clear through all the checks and security and board early. This way, you already start on a good mood.

Bring along a power bank

Nigerian flights get delayed a lot! If you don’t want to start jumping about, throwing people’s laptops and screaming in their faces to save yourself from boredom, best option is to come along with a power bank. This way, you can spend that time in the lounge taking all the selfies you need as well as chatting with all your friends waiting for you at your destination.

Get a unique bag

Ever been at a baggage carousel and watched as a hundred different, yet completely similar bags wound their way down and everyone seemed at a loss regarding which was theirs? Oh, good. Now, ever been at a Nigerian airport baggage carousel? No? That’s not surprising because, there is hardly ever any. In many of the Nigerian airports, asides from the international airports, the baggage carousel is a myth. After landing most of the bags are haphazardly dumped on the floor and passengers have to look for theirs in an ugly mess. Terrible. Save yourself that stress and buy a bag with a distinct colour so you do not have look too hard to find and identify yours. If you cannot do this, buy a bright ribbon or something equally distinctive and tie it around your bag. You would save a lot of time this way.

Wear loafers, slippers or sandals to travel

Slip on your footwear immediately after the security check and walk off like a boss. You do not want to be struggling with all the fifty-three different laces on your knee-length boots while holding on the line and having a load of Nigerians curse you for making them miss their flights believe me. By wearing loafers or slippers, you can easily put on your footwear and leave the security point and have a lot of people bless you in their hearts for your time economy. Also, you should just put all the knickknacks like phones, watches, keys etc in your carryon bag or pockets as soon as they come through the checkpoint. You do not want to hold up the line putting on watches and so on. You can do that at your seat in the lounge later.

Buy chewing gum for airplane ear

This is the most important hack, especially for people like me. I get this excruciating airplane ear or ear pain – also known as ear barotrauma – when flying, especially during the ascent and descent. A simple way to get around this is to buy a pack of chewing gum and chew during takeoff and landing or a pack of sweets. Either would do the trick, even if you do get a number of stares for your chewing and sucking motions.

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