This article was published on August 5th, 2018

Traveling can take its toll on your body. Most people enjoy a good vacation, but don’t relish in the actual experience of the voyage: the time it takes to drive to the airport, the waiting, the sitting in a tin can floating in the sky for hours, breathing in the same stagnant, recycled air, and feeling like death when you land. Don’t arrive at your destination looking like a disheveled mess. Use these 11 helpful tips to walk off the plane looking so fresh, clean, and feeling great.

1. Plan your time accordingly. Raging all night long before your flight might make you tired and could help you get sleep on your flight. But, you’re more likely to get even less sleep than you imagined. Then, you land into your vacation having missed two nights of essential rest.
2. Arrive to the airport/ train station/ boat docks with ample amount of time so you aren’t stressed, then needing to come down off of your anxiety high.
3. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! “Stay hydrated,” as they say at Disneyland on hot summer days. Drink water before, during, and after your flight, as the air on board is very dry and can dehydrate you.
4. Avoid alcohol. This is a tough one as many people like to drink to sooth their travel stress nerves or help them relax or sleep. Alcohol will dehydrate you, making you appear tired and haggard upon landing.
5. Use a sleep mask, take a sleeping pill, and try to get some beauty sleep. Sleep is essential for setting your internal clock right for your trip and it will make your body feel refreshed.
6. Dress comfortably in close you can rest and relax in. But please: spare your fellow passengers from your Care Bears pajamas or Superman onesie. Sweat pants and a hoodie are Britney Spears enough for travel gear.
7. Use hand cream, body lotion, face cream, and hydration spray. These will rehydrate your skin topically. A little bit of concealer can help hide any sleep lines or baggy under eye lids.
8. Listen to calming music (sleep sounds, white noise, ocean tides, adult contemporary, soft rock, etc.) to help you slip into a restful slumber on board.
9. Consider an upgrade to premium or business class to be more comfortable. These seats off amenities like more leg room, pillows, blankets, wider seats, better food, more entertainment options, and a flight attendant ready to serve you.
10. Get up and stretch, especially on long haul flights. Keeping that blood circulating will make you feel better and look better when you get to your vacay locale.
11. Breathe! You’re going on vacation. Be happy that you get to spend some time away.

Holidays are a great time to relax, clear your mind, and be whisked away from reality for a while. Don’t start your vacation when you land. Begin your gaycation the second you get on board. Take a deep breath, close your eyes, and embrace the joyous reality that you get to explore and be in a new place, very soon!