Advice from other nervous flyers About This Page:

[Flipped]

I think I've come to a decision to fly instead of driving. I haven't been on a plane since 1974 so I'm a little nervous.

Do those Earplane plugs really work? I remember as a kid having hell of a time getting my ears to pop after we landed.

What about sinus medicine, what works best in your opinion?

I'm hoping I get get over my anxiety about flying. It would be nice to get there in 3 hours instead of 20+ hours of driving.

[MichaelF]

My daughter had a lot of problems with her ears when flying. She could never get them to pop and always ended up with an ear ache. On these boards I first heard about earplanes and we tried them. They worked good for her. She still has mild discomfort once in a while but the ear aches are gone and she looks forward to flying.

[crewof1]

I use the earplanes everytime I fly. They are a little uncomfortable to wear, but if they work I am willing to wear them. I also found if you take a nasal decongestant an hour before the flight helps as well. Make sure to put them in before the cabin door is closed and leave them in until you're on the ground. Good luck and happy flying!

[HiddenMickey]

Bring something to keep you busy. My DH likes to do Sudoku and Word Find puzzles on the plane to keep his mind off the fact he's flying. Other people bring movies on their electronic devices to watch or books to read.

Chew gum during take offs and landings.

[JoanneS]

I tried something new for my last flight and it worked great. I used 1 sudafed and 2 ibuprofen and used PSI bands on the flight. It was the first time ever I could visit a park the same day I flew in and not feel sick. I was still a little dry-mouthed on the airplane, but I brought my own water bottle onto the plane and used that.

The ibuprofen helped prevent the sinus swelling and the half dose of sudafed stopped the post nasal drip and fluid in my ears. PSI bands are similar to SeaBands, but are reuseable and I found them at Target. No air sickness at all!

[Her Dotness]

Earplanes are fantastic although fairly expensive. One pair will last you roundtrip. Get the brand name ones; the store brand ones I've tried didn't work as well.

I never found that chewing gum helped me much. Earplanes, however, work!

[CinderAbby]

Originally Posted by Flipped

I think I've come to a decision to fly instead of driving. I haven't been on a plane since 1974 so I'm a little nervous.

Do those Earplane plugs really work? I remember as a kid having hell of a time getting my ears to pop after we landed.

What about sinus medicine, what works best in your opinion?

I'm hoping I get get over my anxiety about flying. It would be nice to get there in 3 hours instead of 20+ hours of driving.

Hi and Welcome to the boards.

I have inner ear problems and in the past, my head has felt like it was going to explode my pain was so bad but in 2011 when I flew, I heard about those earplanes here on the boards, so I got some. It so happens I also had an appointment with and ear doctor and she told me to take a Sudafed (from behind the pharmacy counter, not the ones on the store shelves) and use some Afrin an hour before departure time and to use the earplanes on the plane. Other than just a little discomfort in one ear - from the earplane itself (one ear has a smaller opening than the other) and it went away shortly after it was removed - I had no problems whatsoever. I plan on doing all that again this year when we fly back to Disney.

[Nova]

I use bonine and that helps me fly I chew gum, and keep busy with doing something, the Grandkids keep me occupied keeping them busy that always helps me not think about discomfort, mind over matter.

[Belle320]

I take Advil Cold & Sinus about 1 hour before departure and chew gum during take off. Since starting this routine, I have had no problems. I too am a nervous flyer. I take Pocket Posh puzzle books and a mechanical pencil with me. I can do the puzzles during take off when electronic devices have to be turned off. The Pocket Posh books come in different types of puzzles - sudoku, word search, logic, etc. I personally like the word roundup books because it gives you a category - for example six colors - then you have to find six colors. A little more work than word search but I work my brain enough that I don't think about flying. Good luck and enjoy your flight.

[Starbright]

I read the book: Flying without Fear. It is really good. It explains every noise you will hear and makes things more realistic. I take it on every flight. I just find it is a good book and it calms my anxieties abit. I am not a seasoned travler so anxiety will always be an issue for me.

[Roxie2006]

I bought 2 boxes of Earplanes for my DGS and DGD. It just happened that neither one of them needed it. That was great. We all chew gum and that helps for us.

[mmsportsmom]

I was getting over a cold and worried about my head when flying. I had a retired military pilot tell me to take Afrin nasal spray, they would use it upon landing for pressure in the nose/sinuses. I bought the Afrin sinus and as I felt the pressure on the plane used it. It worked great!

[ChukkerB]

All great tips. The ear planes work,way better than I thought they would. I have to have good music,especially the Animal Kingdom CD. One of my co-workers gave me the best tip,2 actually. When you take off count to 10,if you're still in the air,you're doing OK,you can relax. The other was watch the flight attendants. If they are calm relax. If they look nervous,then...

[Flipped]

Thanks everyone for great advice.


Also just found out that Jetblue now does nonstop flights from an airport that's closer to home and easier to get to so that's a plus.

[nurse_mom]

We buy earplanes for our oldest DD who has multiple issues. She hardly complains on the flights anymore. And won't go to the airport, until I show her they are packed!