Travel hard on body?

Hubby and I have reached "a certain age" and although we are healthy and still have all our own parts, we find that long flight from the West Coast very uncomfortable. Our solution, which I realize won't work for everyone, is to go less frequently, but use miles and go business class when we do go. Those flat-bed seats are sweet.

Sharon - interesting question. I'm 30 but on my trip to Europe last year, I found that I was really uncomfortable on the plane. Even though I had a window seat, I couldn't get comfortable enough to fall asleep (and I had a restless 4-year-old next to me); my knees and legs hurt from not being able to stretch out (I'm 5 feet tall, come on!); once I was in Europe, I got blisters from hours of walking... But it's all totally worth it. If I had the time and money, I'd be on a plane to London next week. I get up every two hours on a long flight and try to stand for about 10 minutes each time (it's hard to find a place to stand out of the way). That helps. On my next flight, if I can pick my seat, I might pick a seat at the very back of the plane so that I can stand behind my seat and watch a movie.

Drugs. I've got an old back injury that tends to flare up on planes and trains and cars, etc etc. Besides stretching, I take drugs. Either a sleep aid to get me to sleep (see your doc for a prescription and discussion of safety), or a narcotic pain killer that makes it so that I can sleep through the pain or a muscle relaxer to stop the cramping. Frankly, it doesn't matter how much I stretch or walk around, nothing helps. I also pre-dose. Knowing how air travel affects me, I simply take the pill when I plop down in my seat and call it good. Oh, and since it gives me cotton mouth and requires drinking lots of water, I invoke the medical problem status and the nice folks on the plane are happy to leave me with my very own large bottle of water (plus whatever I bought before boarding on the other side of security). Oh and those instant thermacare heat thingies you can strap on? So helpful either on board or on the other side. Beware, they can set off metal detectors, so I usually skip them on the plane, and use them on the other side (or just buy a heat pack once there).
So, go have a chat with your doc and see if she/he can help give you some advice. You may have health issues I'm not aware of so you should ensure that you're being safe when taking these things. Also, do as suggested above and search out some other answers.

I think airplane travel is a necessary evil, I've never met anyone who really loves traveling in Coach. I never drink alcohol on the flight, only water or juice. I try to relax and doze as much as I can, just to fight the boredom of a long 10 hour flight. I found the A330 that Delta uses for flights from Seattle to Amsterdam has a weird angle on the wall next to the window seat, and for the life of me I could not find a way to prop my head against the wall with a pillow to get comfortable. The screens on the backs of the seats are super nice though, they have movies and we found a solitaire game that was a nice distraction for an hour or so. I won once, yay. The 767 that we flew back on with Delta to Seattle was more comfortable for me, because the wall was straighter and I could prop my pillow better. And since it has no screens on the backs of the seats, there is ample room under the window seat in front of me for my feet (on the A330, because of the screens, there is an electronics box under the window seats). I do try to stand for 30 minutes or so on every long flight, it seems to help. And I get up to use the bathroom every few hours too. Go - the body pain goes away as soon as you find yourself marveling at the incredible beauty of the city you have just arrived in! It sure did for me. I fell in love with Amsterdam about 3 minutes after we began walking to our B&B from the station.

"Not sure if anyone else encounters this." I would say virtually everyone finds travel to Europe hard on the body. At least economy long haul travel. Let's face it: Sitting in a cramped space for 10 to 20 hours is not a beneficial physical experience for anyone. And then once you get there, there's the stress of disrupted sleep, more walking than many of us are used to, etc. There have been many discussions, here, of the physical effects of long-haul economy air travel. If you would like to review the many previous posts on this subject, see the search instructions in the stickie at the top of this page.

Yes, I know I have seen other similar posts; as a matter of fact, I had submitted a version of this before. I just keep hoping there's going to be some new insight for me - I think I'm dreaming. It's just very hard to think of finally stopping international travel since we've done it for so long and have loved it so much. But, I know that could be one of the choices.

My last few international trips have been so much more pleasant and less stressful on my body since I bought the noise cancelling headphones and I wear them whether or not I am listening to music or a movie. When I take them off I am amazed at how agitated I start to feel from the noise of the plane. I can now doze and that makes all the difference in the world for me. I have traveled a lot for the past 15 years and the headphones have been with me just this year, but I now even use them on a domestic flight longer than about 2 hours. I used them yesterday on a flight from Portland - Salt Lake- Orlando and it was not a gruelling experience... I felt okay. Give it a try.

I will have to say, there have been some good ideas here that I will try. Thanks!

Virgin Atlantic premium economy is fairly comfortable. Cost is about double regular economy but we feel it is worth it for the extra leg / hip room. The entertainment system and champagne also help. Their only flight from SFO is to LHR, we get to other destinations from LHR by car, train, or Cheapo Air........ Another solution that I was OK with but my husband hated it is to break the flight into two segments with a few hours on the ground in Chicago, New York, or Boston (never Washingon, Dulles is HORRIBLE!)

My left knee is my problem - arthritis I suppose. So I choose a seat on the aisle with my left side to the aisle. Then, from time to time, I stretch out my left leg into the aisle. I also arrange the free blanket behind the small of my back and that seems to keep my back more comfortable. The bulkhead seats available on economy plus (United) allow for extra leg room, but very little luggage room. And the other seats in that row may be filled with children or other special passengers. This can be distracting over a long flight. I get up to go the the toilet every couple of hours and do a little stretching then. I also wiggle my feet and stretch my arms while in my seat. Drink water, sleep if possible, avoid alcohol or over-eating. Starting out rested helps; then there is less need for sleep on the plane.