If getting a full night’s sleep is tricky under the best circumstances, traveling will only make the situation worse. Whether it’s anxiety over getting where you need to go or a less than perfect hotel room that makes sleep difficult, some simple preparation can make your travels smoother and less damaging to your sleep.

Prepare for Great Sleep Whether You’re Traveling for Business or Leisure

You can sleep worry-free, and well, upon arrival at your destination with a little bit of preparation. The following are some of the tips we’ve accumulated on our travels, usually after travel plans have gone awry.

1. Locate All of Your Travel Apps in One Place on Your Phone

You know you’ll use certain phone apps during your trip. Just as you’ll pack your clothes in a suitcase and your toiletries in a Dopp kit, we suggest pulling together all the apps you’ll use during your trip into one folder on your phone’s home screen for easy access. You can do that by dragging and dropping one app onto the other to create a folder, which you can name for easy identification (e.g., Travel). You can then add as many other apps to the folder as you’d like. Here are some suggestions for apps you might want to gather in this folder:

• airline apps to receive notifications of flight delays, gate changes, and baggage location
• hotel loyalty program apps
• car rental apps
• ride-hailing or car service apps
• parking apps
• conversion apps (if you’re traveling to a country with different units of measurement)
• translation apps (if you’re traveling to a country with a different language)
• reading apps (with enough reading material previously downloaded in case you end up in a location without a connection to the internet)
• streaming apps
• music or white noise apps (with enough music or white noise downloaded beforehand)

If you haven’t downloaded these apps, you should consider doing so, and becoming familiar with them, before you leave home. They can make your life much easier on the road.

2. Be Prepared to Create a Sleep-Informed Hotel Room

A sleep-informed hotel room is one designed to be made cool, dark, and quiet to create a supportive sleep environment. Hotels vary in their dedication to providing great sleep, ranging from a simple place to lie down to a spa designed entirely to improve the sleep experience. You can read about this type of sleep destination hotel in our article on sleep tourism linked below.

Don’t worry if you find your hotel wanting in one area or the other. We have a few simple suggestions for you to make it more conducive to good sleep.

• Get the room good and dark. If your drapes don’t close completely, be prepared with a chip clip or alligator clip to hold them together. If you haven’t packed one, check the closet for a skirt hanger with clips that can provide the same service. We never travel without one of our blackout eye masks, just in case. They’re also perfect to block out light on long flights. Finally, consider placing a rolled towel along the bottom of the door to block the light from the hotel hallway.
• Eliminate unwanted sound. You can read how to ensure a quiet hotel room in our article linked below. In case there is background sound you’d like to drown out, we pack a pair of ear plugs. We also bring along a portable Bluetooth speaker. Whether it’s music, white noise, or an audio book, you can listen to whatever relaxes you. They’re also perfect when you don’t want to wear earphones as you fall asleep.
• Cue the lighting. There is a reason that part of a turndown service includes turning off all but the lowest of lighting. It’s to help guests begin their bedtime routines by providing warmer light and eliminating any blue or bright light. Turn down the lights as you perform your bedtime routine.
• Bring your own hygiene. Even when they appear spotless, you should recognize that a hotel room has welcomed many people before you who may have left their invisible marks. We bring a packet of sanitizing wipes to run over high touchpoints like light switches, thermostats, remote controls, and knobs.

3. Pack Right, Not Just Light

Unless you have a credit card, elite status, or a premium ticket, there is a cost to checking a bag (and, sometimes, to carrying on). Even if there’s no financial cost, you don’t want to overpack. That only weighs you down and creates more work unpacking when you return home. However, you don’t want to downsize to your detriment. Some things are worth carrying. Even if your destination is filled with buying opportunities, replacing a particular amenity or item of clothing is never as simple as you think it will be. If you’ve ever had to find a charger to fit your electronic device or a belt to go with an outfit you love, you’ll understand this.

• Don’t leave prescription medicines behind. You may not be able to replace prescription medications (or even over-the-counter medications) medicines at your destination, so you should make sure to take enough medicine with you for the trip, including unexpected delays. It should go in your carry-on luggage, and you should carry it in the prescription container. Note: TSA does not require medication to be in prescription bottles, but TSA notes on its website that “states have individual laws regarding the labeling of prescription medication with which passengers need to comply.” If you’re traveling to another country, be sure the medicine is allowed. What is considered a “controlled substance” will vary from country to country. You may want to carry a prescription or letter from your healthcare provider regarding your need for the medicine. The CDC website provides suggestions with regard to checking with your destination’s embassy before traveling with medications.
• Check your insurance coverage before traveling. Not only should you be aware of the terms of your health insurance and whether it covers the provision of healthcare abroad, you should take a photo of your insurance card (both sides) to keep on your phone. You don’t want to be surprised by a big insurance bill, and, no, healthcare is not free to American travelers visiting countries with national healthcare.
• Take photos of credit cards and passports to be kept by a third party not traveling with you. In the event you lose your wallet, passport, and phone, you can obtain copies of your credit cards and passport from the third party. This will make it much easier to notify credit card companies or to get your passport replaced.
• Don’t forget the accessories. This gets us back to the belt that perfectly completes your outfit. You might be able to find a belt and everything will be fine, but it will take some time, and you’ll end up with two on your return home. Before you zip up your suitcase, run through your outfits to be sure you have the accessories that complete them, including the belts, shoes, socks, and hats.
• Make room in your bag by rolling your clothing. If anything becomes wrinkled, you can hang in the bathroom and turn on the shower to steam them out. You can also pack outfits in Ziploc bags from which you’ve pressed out all the air. You’d be surprised at the room you can save and the convenience this offers in separating clean from dirty clothing throughout your trip.
• Bring all the items that are part of your bedtime routine. One of the recommendations for sleeping well is the creation of a bedtime routine completed during the 60-90 minutes before you go to sleep. Your individual routine might include anything from washing your face to journaling. There’s no reason not to hew to this routine as much as possible while you’re away from home. That means bringing the items required for your routine. So, bring your nighttime lotions, a notebook, aromatherapy or essential oils, quiet music, or whatever works for you at home.

4. Carry On What You Will Need to Sleep on the Plane

In addition to your medicine, there are a couple of items to pack in your purse/personal item or carry on that can make your flight more comfortable and help if you want to sleep on the plane.

• To avoid stiffness when you stand after a long flight, we try to move throughout the flight. The National Blood Clot Alliance offers suggestions for seated exercises to reduce the risk of developing deep vein thrombosis (DVT). They also suggest drinking plenty of fluids and walking for 30 minutes before boarding. Consider throwing a stretch band in your bag to place around the top of your foot to work on some foot motion during the flight that won’t bother your seatmate.
• To avoid dry skin, apply plenty of lotion and moisturizer to your skin and lips.
• Bring a travel pillow for grabbing a few winks or to provide a cushion on which to rest your arms during the flight and a scarf or travel throw if the flight is chilly.

5. Maintain Sleep Quality While Traveling

• Stay hydrated by avoiding too much caffeine before and during flights.
• Avoid alcohol and heavy meals during the first day of travel.
• Be prepared for the change in time zones, if any. If you arrive at your destination in the morning, get sunlight as soon as possible to help reset your circadian rhythm to the new time. For more information on the effect of morning light on our nighttime sleep, read the article linked below.
• For a gentle way to wake without any additional gear, consider our Pillowcise. You can download a copy of these easy stretches done with your pillow before getting out of bed.

A little bit of preparation can make your travel so much smoother.

-Team at down etc

Read more:

11 Tips to Travel More Calmy and Comfortably this Summer

6 Travel Tips for a Great Night’s Sleep

5 Ways to Ensure a Quiet Hotel Room

5 Ways to Make Yourself Comfortable on Long Flights in Coach

What Is Sleep Tourism?

Bedtime Rituals for Better Sleep

5 Ways Light Can Affect Your Sleep

About down etc

For over twenty years, down etc has worked with hoteliers and professional housekeepers in hotels around the world to provide the pillows and bedding that will offer hotel guests memorably great sleep. Through our retail website, we seek to provide products that will result in the same quality sleep for our customers at home. We believe in the restorative power of a great night’s sleep, whether at home or away.

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