Travel superstitions & 6 travel habits that work for me

A long time ago when I'd go on flights, I would have to wear a specific set of earrings (winged horses in silver), and two particular necklaces (a silver heart locket and a Greek silver owl). No matter that wearing both the necklaces kind of chafed my neck: I had to wear those items or I didn't feel safe.

I'm not that superstitious anymore. The silver heart locket got stolen when our apartment was broken into, and the Greek owl snapped in half. I still have the earrings, but I don't feel the same need to wear them. I'm not really sure what made those superstitions fade. Maybe it was just the passage of time, me getting older, or the fact that I had kids and realized that there were other things to worry about on board.

There are other travel habits I stick to like glue when I travel however. These are not superstitions, but rather things I've found that work for me, and as long as I follow these "rules", I'll feel a lot better on the flight:

1. Don't eat the sweets - That little cup or tub with dessert on my meal tray: forget it. No matter how tempting it looks (even if it's something-chocolate) I will not touch it. I learned many years ago that me and sweets do not mix at high altitude. So these days I just say no.
2. Don't drink and fly - First of all, alcoholic drinks really don't taste good to me on board. Wine, beer, liqueur, whatever: it doesn't matter. Whatever it is, it will taste lousy when I'm in the air and it won't make me feel any good either. I save the glass of wine until I'm at my destination.
3. Have a glass of tomato juice - My first, complimentary drink on board is always a tomato juice. I'm not sure if this has just become a habit, or if there's some actual reason for it, but I always feel better with that glass of tomato juice in me.
4. Take off the shoes - Feet get bigger on board, simple as that, and it's a lot comfier if your shoes are off. I do keep my socks on, but the shoes have got to go.
5. Don't wear a belt - Really this means: don't wear anything that's too tight around the waist. It's just not comfortable when you're sitting down for so long. Also, a belt will sometimes slow you down through security (metal buckles set off the sensors).
6. Disinfect! - I wipe down my own tray table and armrest with an antibacterial wipe, and I do the same for my kids. If I could, I'd wipe down the entire seat and have it steam-cleaned, but instead I just keep wiping everyone's hands frequently.

Bringing antibacterial wipes is definitely a more practical thing to do than fretting over jewellery on board, but anything that calms your nerves and makes you feel less jittery can be worth doing. Though even with the winged horse earrings, I know I'll still be checking the boarding passes and passports about every hour whileI'm traveling, just to be sure they're still in my bag. Some things just never, ever change.