By James Wysong

Travel columnist

updated 4:20 p.m. ET Sept. 16, 2005

Earlier this year, I wrote a column giving 12 tips for a better flight. At the end, I asked for your tips. I received thousands of responses and many great tips. The tips varied from interesting and common-sense to creative and funny. Here are some of the best.

General travel advice

• Make a note of where you parked your car at the airport. After a long trip, your memory will almost always fail you.

• Dump that hard-sided carry-on. A soft-sided bag has some give, so it can be crammed into tight spaces, but a too-big hard case will have to be checked.

• Put a unique marker on your suitcase so you can recognize it easily when it comes around on the baggage carousel. (Tip #2 in popularity)

• If your neighbor won’t stop talking, pretend to sleep.

• Stock up on zip-lock bags. You can use them for snacks, as doggy bags and as leak-tight carriers, and to protect important documents.

• Join the airline’s frequent traveler club even if you don’t plan to fly on that airline ever again. (Tip #3)

• Cross-pack. On a cruise once, I watched one poor woman run the ship in a bathrobe for days because the airline had lost her luggage. Had she cross-packed with her travel companion, she would have had half the clothes she needed for the week.

• Eye masks! (Tip #4)

• Never place any important document in the front seat pocket — especially not your passport!

• When confronted with a particularly nasty passenger, say “God bless you!” loudly. It almost immediately simmers people down. (Author’s note: I tried this on a flight and it worked very well.)

Health

• Visit the restroom before boarding the plane.

• Drink plenty of water, and bring your own bottled water if you prefer it. (Tip #1)

• Dab a little antibacterial ointment in your nose to help protect you from the myriad airborne contaminants circulating in the cabin.

• Wear shoes to the restroom. Bare feet and bad aim are an unpleasant combination.

• Don’t eat chili peppers for breakfast. (I don’t know why, but I imagine it has to do with “Plop plop, fizz fizz.”)

• Take sanitary wipes or wet towels with you. You will always need to clean or disinfect something onboard.

• Match each alcoholic beverage with at least two glasses of water.

• Exercise and stretch. (I agree. If you exercise and stretch, you will have more energy, and you won’t feel as beaten up after a long flight.)

• If you are allergic to cats, bring allergy medication. Passengers often bring cats onboard or carry dander on their clothes.

• Use saline spray. I used to routinely get colds and respiratory illnesses soon after a flight, but since I started using a saline spray a few years ago, I have not once become ill after flying.

• Always, always check that there is a “barf bag” in the pocket in front of you. You might not get sick, but you never know about your seatmate.

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