"What would you like to drink today, sir?"

“Welcome on board”, “beef or chicken?”, landing and seatbelts are all parts of the flight adventure and the joy of flying that travel-holics can surely relate to. However, flights also have their own cons, but that can be easily avoided. “What would you like to drink today, sir?”. This piece of writing will be your advisory on how to cautiously pick your drinks on flight.

Carbonated drinks

Drinking carbonated drinks on your flight is, unfortunately, not on the “you can do” list. In fact, carbonated drinks are the first drinks you should avoid on a flight. Commonly known for increasing the risks of having gases and heartburns, the plane’s altitude can further alleviate those symptoms if you have them right after drinking carbonated drinks. In addition, high altitude makes some carbonated drinks hard to pour and accordingly, when you attempt to pour the drink into the cup, not all the drink in the can will be poured and the can will not be completely emptied. More importantly, carbonated drinks increase the risk of dehydration on flights, which can be difficult to withstand, especially on long flights.

Tap water?

Not all airlines provide bottled water on board. Tap water is really necessary to avoid on a flight. This is because the tanks that store tap water on planes are not frequently cleaned. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), many airlines’ tap water was found to be contaminated with pathogens that can cause diseases.

Go for bottled water

Since tap water would not be the most hygienic choice on flights, always either ask for bottled water to drink or you can just take your own bottled water with you to your flights. A fast tip: you can always buy bottled water from either the vending machines or the mini markets in airports, especially during transits.

Tea or coffee?

Given that tea & coffee are prepared by tap water on some flights, they are not recommended to drink. Even though the water is boiled during the preparation of both tea & coffee, it is still advised to avoid drinking either tea or coffee on board as there might be remains of bacteria leftover in the boiled water. Additionally, not only might drinking too much caffeine cause diuresis, which can be a nightmare on a long flight, but also it might alter your sleeping cycle.

Tomato juice

Yes, you read it right! Tomato juice on a flight is a go for! Planes’ low humidity cause your taste and smell senses to not work as effectively as they do on land. The cabin’s pressure alters these senses and the cabin’s dry air also further alters your smell receptors and when your smell of food is changed or impacted, you taste food differently. To cut it short, based on the aforementioned facts, tomato juice tastes sweeter and better than it tastes on land.

These were just short quick drinking tips for an “on the go” flight! “What would you like to drink today, sir?” Given that you have taken note of these tips, you will be able to answer that question right! Welcome on board & have a nice drink!

Sources

https://foodagrinews.com/2021/09/15/why-you-should-avoid-order-tea-or-coffee-in-a-flight/
https://greenseedgroup.com/global-carbonated-soft-drinks-market-facts/
https://www.express.co.uk/travel/articles/1313655/flight-secrets-consuming-fizzy-drinks-onboard-plane-sickness
https://aquaporin.com/tapwater-over-bottled-water/
https://www.today.com/food/what-s-best-thing-drink-when-flying-why-you-shouldn-t158146
https://kidspressmagazine.com/science-for-kids/misc/misc/bottled-water-facts.html
https://www.garaycompany.com/blog/tea-and-coffee-extract-peruvian-imports
https://www.thesun.co.uk/travel/5012377/food-drink-avoid-bloated-flight/
https://foodviva.com/juice-recipes/fresh-tomato-juice-recipe/
https://www.rd.com/article/tomato-juice-tastes-better-airplane/