5 great tips for the first time traveller

Getting on a plane for the first time can seem like the most daunting of tasks for most people. from claustrophobia to mistakes borne out of ignorance, so many things can make that first time flight a nightmare.

Pulse.com.gh presents FIVE easy tips that make your first time trip whole lot better.

1.Fly off-peak

Avoid flying during school and bank holidays; mid-week flights are generally less crowded than those at weekends and Mondays (the busiest flying day of the week).

2. Escape.

You will want to have a rock-solid plan for frittering away several hours of your flight, and I don't mean working; staring at spreadsheets and writing proposals may burn up hours, but it does not make them vanish. You want these hours to disappear almost without a trace. Think headphones and Hollywood blockbusters. Getting a lot of work done is fine -- rarely do you have 15 consecutive hours without a phone or email, so I encourage bringing some work -- but work will fail you when you get to the brutal middle hours of this ordeal. Headphones and Hollywood; don't stray from this.

Spring for the airline's headphones, pay for and watch every movie, swipe your card for the DIRECTV, bring your iPad crammed with your favorite flicks -- whatever it takes.

3. Board relatively rested.

Don't count on a long-haul flight as a good place to catch up on sleep -- it's not. As attractive and intuitive as it seems to get on a long-haul flight extremely tired, hoping to sleep the whole way, you are in for a world of hurt if you can't sleep for any reason. You will be on the plane long enough to catch a few winks even if you are somewhat rested, and my advice is to take it when it comes; if your eyes start to droop, get out the eye covers and earplugs, and go with it. If you throw away a solid two-hour nap on a few extra rounds of Angry Birds, you might well be angry at yourself later.

4.Be sure of your Deep Vein Thrombosis status

DVT, the formation of blood clots in deep veins, is a known (if occasionally overstated) risk on longer flights. According to the National Institutes of Health, the risk of developing DVT increases when flights go longer than four hours. The NIH's tips include walking up and down the aisles of the plane; moving, flexing and stretching your legs to encourage blood flow, especially in your calves; wearing loose and comfortable clothing; drinking plenty of fluids; and avoiding alcohol. Also, if you're at increased risk for DVT, your doctor may recommend wearing compression stockings while traveling or taking a blood-thinning medicine before you fly.

- Hydrate well the night before the flight, preferably with electrolyte drinks.

- Don't drink alcohol the night before the flight.

- Avoid diuretics such as coffee, soft drinks and even chocolate (all of which contain caffeine).

- If you have no issue with ulcers, take a baby aspirin the night before and day of your flight.

- Get an aisle seat or exit row so you can get up and walk around whenever possible.

5.Check out the latest airline regulations

Airline regulations change all the time in this post-Sept. 11 world. One day, your bottle of travel shampoo is fine; the next, it's confiscated for being over the size limit for carry-on liquids. Laptops used to be fine in the seat back pocket, too, but no more. The rules have changed, and now they need to be stowed under the seat or in the overhead bin when not in use, just like everything else you carry-on with you.