A nomadic couple who’ve spent the past few years travelling abroad have shared their tried and tested tips for coping with anxiety during bumpy flights.
Full-time travelling couple Sara and Ryan shared a list of helpful tricks for managing on-board nerves, many of which they’d picked up from fellow jetsetters.
But there was one ultra-simple yet highly effective strategy that worked instantly for Sara, who openly struggles with ‘flying anxiety’.
The easy travel hack is surprisingly simple – while seated on the plane, just lift your legs off the floor.
‘By lifting your legs during take-off you reduce that shaky sensation,’ read the caption, alongside a video of Sara demonstrating the technique.
‘It’s like turning on noise-cancelling for your body.’
Sara added in the post shared on their @acrosseveryborder account that she was shocked when she tried it the first time and felt ‘no more shaking.’
The traveller revealed that the tip was one of ‘many thoughtful responses’ the couple received when they sent a call-out for flying anxiety coping advice.
Self-confessed nervous flyer Sara shared a video where she tried the in-flight hack of lifting her feet off the bumpy plane floor – and was stunned that it helped alleviate her nerves
Sara and her partner Ryan are full-time travellers and digital nomads. They share travel pics, tips and recommendations on their popular Instagram account @acrosseveryborder
Their recent post, which has been viewed over three million times, included a list of other helpful suggestions fellow nervous flyers had found useful – and Sara agreed that she has since tried many of them and found they ‘genuinely help’.
One tip was known as the ‘jelly sky visual trick.
‘During turbulence, imagine the sky as jelly and the plane suspended inside it,’ the couple explained.
‘When the jelly moves, the plane moves too, but it can’t fall.’
Another suggestion was to listen to ‘high-BPM music’ during stressful flights.
Sara also gave this one a go, describing why she found it helpful.
‘Listening to upbeat music makes me feel like the main character in a movie, and the shaking during take-off, landing or turbulence feels way less unpleasant,’ she said.
Other suggestions on their list included chewing gum to ‘release tension’, taking a ‘fear-of-flying course’, and checking ‘turbulence forecasts’ in advance to help ‘mentally prepare for bumpy take-offs and landings’.
A number of replies to the video explained that the leg lift trick was also their go-to during bumpy rides. Many believed it was due to minimising contact with bumpy plane surfaces
‘Overall, I’ll be honest, there’s always a little discomfort!’ Sara admitted in the video caption.
‘We’ve been travelling full-time for almost a decade, and I’m still learning how to make flying less unpleasant.
‘But over time, these tips really help, which is why I wanted to share them with you. I hope this helps.’
The video’s comments section was flooded with replies from passengers who’d never heard of the anxiety-reducing flying hack.
‘Why have I NEVER heard of this? Definitely gonna try it,’ said one stunned viewer.
‘I didn’t know about the legs thing,’ agreed another. ‘I love travelling but I’m horrible at flying!’
However, a few who already knew about the trick said it was their ‘go-to’ for managing in-flight nerves.
‘I’ve been telling people this forever! It really helps!’
Other anecdotal replies offered explanations for its effectiveness, claiming it was due to reducing the contact points between your body and the shaking plane.
‘As in the video: make as little contact with the plane as possible,’ one commenter shared. ‘Sit up straight, avoid touching the back of the chair, lift your feet off the ground and your arms off the armrests – your body will register fewer bumps and less turbulence.’
‘When the turbulence starts I lift my legs and bend forward – and it helps. You’re removing yourself from the objects that are shaking,’ said another.
‘Nice abs exercise too,’ joked one person.
Sara (pictured here with Ryan) has since tried a number of flight anxiety management strategies that were suggested by fellow frequent flyers, like the “jelly sky” visual hack and listening to high BPM music
Other commenters shared their own coping mechanisms for managing a turbulent ride.
‘When it’s bumpy I imagine we are on an old bus on a dirt road,’ offered one.
‘I have a playlist of fast songs for turbulence that makes it feel like I’m just rocking to the music. It really works,’ added another.
‘If you ever feel scared while flying, just observe the cabin crew. They fly every day, and if they’re still going about their business, there’s nothing to worry about,’ recommended another traveller.
And one person’s cheeky advice: ‘Two Bloody Marys and my noise-cancelling headphones. I’m asleep before we even take off.’
