Advice for Tall Men who want to travel comfortably

When you’re about to travel, especially if it’s a long-haul flight, the last thing you want to worry about is comfort. What with all the things that are out of your control that could go wrong, flight delays, luggage lost etc. you want to make sure you have your own comfort sorted out.

Tall  men have always had a problem with comfort on planes, especially on the cheaper, smaller air-crafts like Easyjet and RyanAir. There’s normally not enough room for your legs (even if you’re supposedly sitting in the “extra legroom” chairs), and bumping yourself up to travellers or business class doesn’t normally solve the problem. If you can afford first class, the beds on flights like British Airways are pretty spacious, so you wouldn’t really have a problem. For the rest of us who have to stick with economy, however, the problem is a big, and very serious one.

Not only does leg cramp provide us with an uncomfortable flight, but for destinations that require  many hours on a plane, the problem can turn into a serious health issue. Prolonged sitting, especially in a cramped airplane, can cause blood clots that run the small risk of getting into your lungs.  You can also develop deep vein thrombosis (DVT).

The symptoms can occur several days after the flight, and therefore the cause is sometimes mistaken. The symptoms include:

• Sudden swelling in one leg.
• Cramp or tenderness in one lower leg.
• Bruise or swelling behind a knee.

It’s important to look out for these symptoms, especially in tall men and women, and go straight to a doctor if you notice any of these or are worried about other symptoms.

Here are five tips to help tall men travel comfortably:

1. Exercise. Whatever you do, don’t sit in your chair from the time the plane takes off to the time it lands. It’s important to take a walk up and down the aisle whenever you feel too cramped, and every 30 mins to do a few flexing exercises with your legs. Just extend each leg at a time and push your toes down to the ground and back up again. Then rotate your ankles in both directions. This will help your blood circulation and prevent your legs from being in the same position for hours on end, preventing those awful cramps and “pins and needles”.
2. Compression stockings. These socks will dramatically reduce the risk of you developing DVT. They also reduce the discomfort and swelling of the legs associated with flying.
3. Get a seat that fits. If you can afford to fly first class, really do. The legroom and space you have around your chair/bed will be much needed, especially for long flights. Tall men can then stretch out and walk around, without bumping into or disturbing the people around them. Now that airlines have recently introduced on-line boarding, where the passenger can check in themselves online and print off their boarding pass within 24 hours of their flight, passengers can now choose which seats they want (providing they get online early enough). The best seats to choose are those right in front of economy, just before business class starts. Although these are often close the toilets, it does mean you will be in the seats with the best legroom in economy.
4. Luggage. A lot of luggage that has pull up handles doesn’t go up far enough to be pulled along easily by tall people. This contributes to bad posture and back and shoulder pain. Choosing the right luggage is therefore an essential part of traveling. Company Travelon sell travel luggage handle extenders, which can add up to 8 inches on to your luggage handle. These are a perfect solution to the luggage problem.
5. Destination/over-night stay. If you’re flexible on destination or if you just need somewhere to stay in between traveling to your destination, choosing the right hotel is imperative for your rest. There are now hotels that have specific “tall rooms” for taller people. These include longer beds, higher shower heads, raised toilets and furniture, and longer bathrobes. This will mean you’re more comfortable and can therefore rest and relax a lot better. Kimpton Hotels is one of the companies that does this.

The Kimpton Hotel website (site: kimptonhotels.com) offers some great deals for these rooms, so check it out now.