Infographic: How to Get That Upgrade

Traveling in coach and economy can be cramped and unpleasant. I have short legs and even I feel like I have no space sometimes. With talks of some airlines trying to cram even more seats into planes that aren't getting any bigger, it would be nice to get upgraded to a better seat, wouldn't it? The best I've ever done was to get upgraded to an exit row and also the bulkhead. Perhaps if I traveled alone I would have a better chance of getting upgraded to a fancy first-class seat. If you want to try for the upgrade, here are some tips to do it. 

Cabin Crew Reveal How to Get an Upgrade infographic

Have you ever gotten an upgrade using any of these strategies or another one?

Guess Who's Three?

That's right! Shereen Travels Cheap is THREE today! Can you believe it? Because I sure can't. I love writing this blog and all my other travel and writing projects, as I hope you are excited to read them. As always, I like to look back at the year and see what posts are grabbing your attention the most and pick the top 5 that you may have missed or want to read again. Do you have favorites that aren't on this list? 

1. How to Get Free Airfare - Everyone likes free stuff, and when it comes to travel, it's even better, because it can often save you big bucks. In this post, I show you how to use your frequent flyer miles to earn free flights. It can be easy once you know where to start and how to accrue miles.
2. How I Spent $10 on 2 Plane Tickets - Yes, I totally did this and you can, too. Read the basics here and then the total how-to on #1. You can go so many places when airfare isn't hundreds or thousands of dollars, right? I'm totally thinking about going to Greece next year!
3. Last-Minute Gifts for Travelers - You guys love travel gadgets, bags and gear! That's okay, so do I, which is why I am constantly bringing you reviews and suggestions for things I think and know would help you travel better and lighter or make amazing gifts for the traveler on your list. I have a nice list going this year for a Pre-Black-Friday round-up, so stay tuned!
4. Travel Goals and Resolutions - Did you make your own travel resolution list for 2013? Somehow, I've been super-busy, but haven't crossed off nearly enough things on my list. Maybe I shouldn't have made it so long! I DID talk myself into going to Madame Tassaud's wax museum, which was completely terrifying to me, and I lived! (post on that coming later) Check off "something that scares me". This year I'm going to attempt to speak French to actual French people. Wish me luck!
5. Super Useful Travel Links (from March 1, 2013) - These Friday posts are always fun to come up with. I'm not sure why this one is more exciting to everyone than others, but maybe you just love churros, too. Or you want to take a nerdy vacation? In any case, if you haven't read this post yet, maybe you want to check it out and see what all the hype is about.

Happy Travels, everyone, and here's to another 3 awesome blogging years!

Fixes for Common Travel Problems Part 1

When you go on vacation there are some things you just can't avoid. It seems the further you travel the more likely these things become evident, like jet lag, swollen feet and dry skin. After many years of travel, I have learned a lot of things and have yet to master some others. As you know, practice makes perfect, so I decided to pass on some tips to you to help you travel better, too. 

Photo credit

Combating Jet Lag

Jet lag is the worst. Nobody wants to get all excited for a trip and then lose a day or more because of the time difference and jet lag crash. It's happened to me. Maybe it' even happened to you. The point is that we need to nip it in the bud so we can enjoy our whole vacation.

• Adjust to the new time as early as possible. If it is before you leave that's even better. If you are flying, try to sleep if it's nighttime where you are going or stay awake if it's daytime. Don't do what I did and try to sleep as much as possible on the way overseas when it was the middle of the day there. After Day 2 in London, I crashed hard and lost another half day.
• On the other side, make sure you get enough sleep once at your destination. Staying up way too late or getting up way too early is not a good plan. If you have issues falling asleep, try a natural sleep aid like melatonin or even Dream Water. You may not sleep a full 8 hours, but the sleep you get will be quality and you'll wake up rested.
• Don't overplan. Make sure your first couple days are relaxed ones, though you don't want to tax yourself on the rest of your vacation either so you can enjoy your time away, but the first couple days of adjustment are crucial.
• Hydrate! Water is so important. On your plane ride, try to avoid alcohol, coffee and soda, as these can dehydrate you and cause you to crash, tire out easily and sap your energy. 
• Eat! get on a routine and stick with it. Choose veggies at each meal and try to avoid overdoing the fried foods and desserts. I know it's vacation, but sometimes too much of a good thing is just too much, you know? Below is a fun infographic from Heathrow's website giving a diet plan for the days leading up to your trip. I don't know if it works, but I'm definitely going to try it on my overseas flight and will report back after. If anyone else has tried it, I would love to hear your results:

I'm all for a new food routine and maybe I'll just continue to aim for a balance. Even though I'll be traveling for a longer time in the fall than I did last time I visited London and Paris, I still don't want to lose any time when i could be soaking up everything those places have to offer. Already we are doing a better job planning, just having the previous experience and all the travel experiences in between then and now, which means I'll have a great loose itinerary in place before we go. How do you combat against jet lag?