Caution: Water on board

5. Don’t fool yourself
If it’s in a pitcher, it’s from the tap. I have never seen a flight attendant pour bottled water into a pitcher. Lemonade and fruit punch mixes also get the tap-water treatment.

6. Mix it up
A nutritionist once told me that if I mixed water with one-quarter cranberry juice or apple juice, I would retain the water longer and receive more of the benefits. I don’t know if that’s true, but ever since I started doing it, I have had considerably less jet lag and have woken up feeling more energetic the next morning.

7. International caveats
Airlines fill their water tanks with local water, so be extra careful when you are in areas with known water problems. Stick with the bottled stuff and be vigilant. Even brush your teeth with it. In this particular case, a quick water fix is not worth a case of “Delhi belly” or “Montezuma’s Revenge,” believe me.

8. Skip the coffee break
Don’t drink the coffee or tea on those international flights, either, as the water on board doesn’t reach the required temperature to kill off all the bacteria. Skip the ice cubes, too, as they may also have been made from contaminated water.

9. Watch for cons
Always examine the bottled water you buy in foreign countries. A while back, I watched some young boys in the Bombay airport fill up used bottles from the airport faucets, then melt the plastic seals back in place so the bottles would appear to be unopened.

10. Plan ahead
It is 2 a.m. as I write this, and I am in a European hotel staring at a bottle of water priced at $13 U.S. A fierce battle is being waged between my thirst and my cheap side.

As for me, I always drink tap water at home, but when I fly, it’s bottled water or nothing. “Everything in moderation” is generally good advice, but if you fly all the time, as I do, you shouldn’t subject yourself to the elements all the time.

All this water talk has made me incredibly thirsty, and my thirst has conquered my cheap side. I crack open the bottle of $13 water, but I pour it into a fancy red-wine glass. After all, the water is more expensive than most of the wines I drink.

Refreshing, no bouquet, and no taste whatsoever. Which is good, I guess.

Cheers!

James Wysong has worked as a flight attendant with two major international carriers during the past fifteen years. He is the author of the "The Plane Truth: Shift Happens at 35,000 Feet" and "The Air Traveler's Survival Guide." For more information about James or his books, please visit his Web site or e-mail him.

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