Five items to make flying more fun

 If you can't spring for business class on an upcoming flight, then splurge on a little something that will provide you comfort and relaxation while flying at 38,000 feet. How about a nice cup of tea? Bring your own mug or thermos onboard and some of your favorite tea and then ask your steward for some hot water. Next stop: bliss.One of Paris’s more illustrious tea purveyors, Le Palais des Thes has been serving some of the world’s most exceptional teas to its savvy clientele at more than 30 global boutiques in seven countries. If you're flying into or from New York, then you might consider a visit to one of Le Palais des Thes' Manhattan boutiques in either SoHo or the Upper West Side.Each tea bag from Le Palais des Thes is filled with two grams of whole tea leaves, which unfurl completely in the large cotton muslin squares to release their full flavor and fragrance. For easy traveling, each tea bag is individually foil-wrapped, making it easy to grab a handful for your carry-on.For true indulgence, consider one of Le Palais des Thes' Grand Crus teas, such as Grand Jasmin Mu Dan, which is a rare green tea from the Chinese Fujian province. The tea's silver tips are sewn with an amaranth flower and shaped into a ball. As the tea steeps, a pink floral heart emerges as pink petals float on the cup's surface.Regardless of which tea you choose from Le Palais des Thes, the intoxicating fragrance will permeate the air space around you and calm the entire plane into gentle relaxation. From lavender to peppermint, aromatherapy is one of the most effective means of relaxation - and particularly on a plane. Increasingly, airlines are stocking the restrooms with air fresheners and eau de toilette in refreshing fragrances such as verbena and citron.  For decades, the renowned Italian skincare line I Coloniali has been celebrated for its well-being products, which are inspired by the healing rituals of the Far East. According to I Coloniali, "well-being means taking care of your body without forgetting senses and emotions."     Seductive Elixir Body Fragrance by I Coloniali is an amalgam of a body spray and an eau de toilette. The result is a long-lasting, multi-faceted gentle mist with a top note, a heart note, and a base note.  Formulated with natural essential oils, Seductive Elixir Body Fragrances are available in eight unique fragrance combinations. Cleanse your mind and the air around you with Seductive Elixir Body Fragrance and sink into a blissful fragranced sleep as you glide through the clouds. On a particularly trying and difficult flight, you might yearn for a miracle pill to cure all your ailments. Interestingly, your best bet might be dark chocolate. Studies have shown that cacao is a natural stimulant that elevates mood and improves alertness, while also flooding the brain with "bliss" chemicals.The magnesium in cacao relaxes blood vessels to insure better blood flow. Cacao has also been known to strengthen the cardiovascular and immune systems, both of which are in danger of being compromised on a crowded, long-haul flight.Created by Red Thalhammer, an Austrian living in New York, Antidote is dark chocolate made from Arriba Nacional cacao beans from sustainable farms in Ecuador. The bars utilize raw cacao, which has far more antioxidants that roasted cacao, and are minimally sweetened with organic cane sugar. Antidote's equal blend of raw and roasted cacao is enhanced by delightful flavor combinations such as almond and fennel, rose salt and lemon, coffee and cardamom, and lavender and red salt.  The high cacao content ranges from 77% to 100% and all bars are made with nearly 100% organic ingredients.   Antidote founder Thalhammer, who travels frequently, contends that half a bar of Antidote chocolate is an anti-depressant and an appetite suppressant that tides you over until the next meal - and preferably one not eaten on a plane.  View the list »
In spite of the airlines' best efforts, flying is still stressful for many of us; here's a list of five items to help make flying more fun and restful.

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In spite of the airlines' best efforts, flying is still stressful for many of us. The rising cost of fuel keeps increasing the cost of airfare while squeezing out the amenities.

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Most airlines have introduced "premium" and "preferred" seating, which allows a skimpy 3-4 inches of additional legroom, albeit for an additional charge.

Checked baggage incurs a fee on most major airlines, which intensifies the stampede for overhead storage space.

The cessation of in-flight meals for most domestic flights means that many people arrive onboard with a smorgasbord. You, too, will now be inhaling the ox-tail soup, the chili dogs, the nachos, and the French fries.

By the time the plane heads for the runway, most of us are a bundle of nerves. Here's a list of five items from Antidote, I Coloniali, Intraceuticals, Le Palais des Thes, and Lush to help make flying more fun and restful.

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  •  On a particularly trying and difficult flight, you might yearn for a miracle pill to cure all your ailments. Interestingly, your best bet might be dark chocolate. Studies have shown that cacao is a natural stimulant that elevates mood and improves alertness, while also flooding the brain with "bliss" chemicals.The magnesium in cacao relaxes blood vessels to insure better blood flow. Cacao has also been known to strengthen the cardiovascular and immune systems, both of which are in danger of being compromised on a crowded, long-haul flight.Created by Red Thalhammer, an Austrian living in New York, Antidote is dark chocolate made from Arriba Nacional cacao beans from sustainable farms in Ecuador. The bars utilize raw cacao, which has far more antioxidants that roasted cacao, and are minimally sweetened with organic cane sugar. Antidote's equal blend of raw and roasted cacao is enhanced by delightful flavor combinations such as almond and fennel, rose salt and lemon, coffee and cardamom, and lavender and red salt.  The high cacao content ranges from 77% to 100% and all bars are made with nearly 100% organic ingredients.   Antidote founder Thalhammer, who travels frequently, contends that half a bar of Antidote chocolate is an anti-depressant and an appetite suppressant that tides you over until the next meal - and preferably one not eaten on a plane.  
  •  From lavender to peppermint, aromatherapy is one of the most effective means of relaxation - and particularly on a plane. Increasingly, airlines are stocking the restrooms with air fresheners and eau de toilette in refreshing fragrances such as verbena and citron.  For decades, the renowned Italian skincare line I Coloniali has been celebrated for its well-being products, which are inspired by the healing rituals of the Far East. According to I Coloniali, "well-being means taking care of your body without forgetting senses and emotions."     Seductive Elixir Body Fragrance by I Coloniali is an amalgam of a body spray and an eau de toilette. The result is a long-lasting, multi-faceted gentle mist with a top note, a heart note, and a base note.  Formulated with natural essential oils, Seductive Elixir Body Fragrances are available in eight unique fragrance combinations. Cleanse your mind and the air around you with Seductive Elixir Body Fragrance and sink into a blissful fragranced sleep as you glide through the clouds.
  •  If you can't spring for business class on an upcoming flight, then splurge on a little something that will provide you comfort and relaxation while flying at 38,000 feet. How about a nice cup of tea? Bring your own mug or thermos onboard and some of your favorite tea and then ask your steward for some hot water. Next stop: bliss.One of Paris’s more illustrious tea purveyors, Le Palais des Thes has been serving some of the world’s most exceptional teas to its savvy clientele at more than 30 global boutiques in seven countries. If you're flying into or from New York, then you might consider a visit to one of Le Palais des Thes' Manhattan boutiques in either SoHo or the Upper West Side.Each tea bag from Le Palais des Thes is filled with two grams of whole tea leaves, which unfurl completely in the large cotton muslin squares to release their full flavor and fragrance. For easy traveling, each tea bag is individually foil-wrapped, making it easy to grab a handful for your carry-on.For true indulgence, consider one of Le Palais des Thes' Grand Crus teas, such as Grand Jasmin Mu Dan, which is a rare green tea from the Chinese Fujian province. The tea's silver tips are sewn with an amaranth flower and shaped into a ball. As the tea steeps, a pink floral heart emerges as pink petals float on the cup's surface.Regardless of which tea you choose from Le Palais des Thes, the intoxicating fragrance will permeate the air space around you and calm the entire plane into gentle relaxation.
  •  What could be more aptly named for a long flight than a toner water called "Breath of Fresh Air"?  Made by Lush, Breath of Fresh Air is a soothing seawater spray that cools down your skin.Facial toners act as weapons against the drying effects of airplane air-conditioning. The seawater in Breath of Fresh Air cleanses your skin while seaweed extracts provide essential vitamins and minerals.Formulated with aloe vera and rose absolute, both of which moisturize and soothe dryness, Breath of Fresh Air is perfect for flying.  Spritz yourself in flight for relief from your fellow passengers and their recirculated air.
  •  Most people are aware of the environmental damage to the skin that comes from flying in a stuffy aluminum tube with recycled air and rampant germs. Long-distance flights are particularly draining for the skin and even after drinking a liter of water, your skin is in desperate need of CPR.Intraceuticals is an Australia-based skincare company that utilizes hyaluronic layering to revive and replenish your skin. Formulated with antioxidants and anti-aging ingredients, Intraceuticals products hydrate your skin to minimize the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.Need more convincing? Madonna travels with Intraceuticals (specifically the Rejuvenate Oxygen Treatment) - and no one travels as much as the Material Girl. Another celebrity swears that the Atoxelene line of Intraceuticals literally wiped her forehead clean of expression lines. Perfect for the plane, Rejuvenate Daily Serum combats the dryness associated with flying by improving your skin's elasticity with vitamins E and C and green tea. Apply to your face and neck before nodding off with your additional four inches of legroom. When you arrive at your destination, you'll be ready for the paparazzi.  
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Suggested by the author:

, NY European Travel Examiner

A long-term New Yorker and a member of New York Travel Writers Association, Mark Thompson has a Ph.D. in American Studies and is the recipient of fellowships at The MacDowell Colony, Yaddo, and Blue Mountain Center. The author of the novels Wolfchild (2000) and My Hawaiian Penthouse (2007), Mark...

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