When travel is necessary to get to your next gig or audition, flying is usually the best combination of money and time management. Airlines have sales, airports are generally reliable, and you can travel from the Big Apple to the City of Angels in about six hours.

However, there is one giant downside: air travel wreaks havoc on your body. All singers need to know their body and understand how travel affects them, while learning how to defend their vocal cords from illness or injury. Unsure how to formulate your flight health plan? Here’s a list of common problems and easy preventative measures.

1) Lack of sleep and stress

The fear of missing your flight can result in a sleepless night. Airports are already a hotbed of stress. Waiting in line, close proximity to strangers, and the anxiety of getting through security as fast as possible can exhaust you before you even set foot on the plane.

Prevention Tips:

• Plan to fly the day before your audition or gig. Give yourself time for the worst to occur; i.e. a weather incident, canceled flight, or flight delay.
• Pack crucial items like medication, your audition binder, and your phone charger in your carry-on. Try to only take a carry-on if possible.
• If you have the luxury of flexibility, try to catch a mid-morning flight rather than the earliest or cheapest. Sometimes paying the extra money for the more convenient time is worth it, especially if your gig has given you a travel stipend. The cheapest flight isn’t the best option if it will cost you your health.

2) Dehydration

Airplane cabins have very low humidity levels because the majority of the air is being pulled from outside and high altitudes have very little moisture. As a result, your cords and throat might feel dry and itchy.

Prevention Tips:

• Consider traveling with a humidiflyer. 
• Increase your water intake 24 hours before you fly and continue to do so after you arrive. This will serve a two-fold purpose: you will help moisturize your vocal cords, and frequent trips to the bathroom will keep your blood flowing.
• Take a large empty water vessel through security and fill it up on the other side. It’s environmentally friendly, cost effective, and good for your voice!
• If possible, try not to sing the same day you fly. Give yourself a recovery period after your flight. Take a steamy shower, sleep with a travel humidifier, and let your body rest.

3) Pressure changes

As the altitude changes, the pressure changes with it, putting pressure on your ears as they try to regulate your balance. This pressure on your eustachian tubes is uncomfortable and leads to ear popping. This can trigger an lasting pressurized sensation or even a sinus infection.

Prevention Tips:

• Yawn during take off and landing.
• Chew gum.
• Consider taking a Sudafed. This medication will be drying, but can be worth it. Know your own body and voice!
• Avoid wearing headphones during takeoff and landing.

4) Illness

Close proximity to strangers, interacting with young children, and interacting in high-traffic areas all increase your risk of illness. Often the most important auditions occur during peak cold and flu season. Experiment with different preventative mediations and vitamins. Do your research to discover what remedies have scientific backing. Remember, what works for your friends or mentors might not work for you. Try new things, but stick to what serves you best. You probably don’t need as many supplements as you think. Exercise and a healthy diet go a long way to boost your overall health!

Preventative Tips:

• Wash your hands.
• Take a zinc if you have symptoms and vitamin C for prevention.
• Bring some sanitizing wipes to sterilize your immediate area (trays, arm rests, seatbelts, etc.).
• Don’t touch the plane trays then touch your phone or your face without cleansing them.
• Don’t freak out. Stress can trigger an auto immune response.

Through trial and error, you will learn the unique way to care for your body and your voice. Preventative care will help ensure you land in the same condition you left!