How to Sleep on a Plane or Train Like a Boss

As you jet set and snake your way across the globe, taking in all you can handle, your body is still going to need to sleep. But while it’s a necessary human function no matter how many cups of coffee you consume, that doesn’t mean you can’t be smart about it. Here’s how to transit well so you can maximize on every other minute of your travels.

Travel Overnight

Whenever it’s affordable and possible, book overnight plane flights and train rides to your next travel destination. You’ll get the bonus of a full night’s rest without having to pay for another hostel or hotel room. Just make sure you pay close attention to the listed hours (i.e., the 24-hour clock also known as “military time” to Americans) and time zone changes. Seeing a place in all its pre-dawn splendor is not as fun when you’re rushing across a huge city trying to not miss your next international flight.

Feel No Evil

Be kind to your neck and invest a few bucks in a quality travel pillow. It’ll save you days of pain from sleeping wrong in odd positions, and it can also double as a seat cushion for those unnecessarily hard chairs you’re bound to sit on. And try to keep some snacks handy so you don’t have to suffer the extortionate prices and often poor-quality food on the plane or train. Also, always travel with a sweater handy. Temperatures within planes and trains vary wildly, and may drastically differ in your departure and arrival cities. Shivering for an entire night is never anybody’s idea of a good time.

See No Evil

You could bring an eye cover or sleeping mask, but that may make you the subject of someone else’s scrapbook memories. So, to be a bit more sly about it, wear a hat onto the train or plane and quietly use the brim to shield your eyes from the harsh lights and the cute guy or girl you keep sneaking glances of. You can dream of him or her instead, and maybe make flirtatious small talk after some rest, when you’re a little sharper and mentally quicker once again.

Hear No Evil

Even if they’re just a pair of cheap earbuds, always pack a pair of headphones. If the train or plane is loud, and even if your music player’s battery is dead, they can always dampen the idle sounds of people talking, existing and shifting in the background.

Tempt No Evil

Many folks fear they’ll get their stuff stolen if they sleep in the air or on the rail. To prevent this from happening, simply sleep in shifts while traveling with a friend. If you’re sightseeing solo, then start sleeping intertwined with your stuff as a theft-deterrent procedure. It’s rather hard to take someone’s backpack without waking them up if their arms or legs are laced through the straps.

And with that, you should now be able to sleep tight and travel right — squeezing more well spent hours out of every one of your travel days.