Tips for Traveling to a Funeral of a Loved One

Hello World! Welcome Friends! Please welcome Jessica Kane to the blog! When a loved one passes on, you face a myriad of emotions. On top of what you are dealing with emotionally, you may also need to deal with travel, including an air flight. This article does not focus on the mechanics of booking a flight or even getting a reduced priced ticket that some airlines offer when a close family member has passed on. Rather, this article presents you tips and thoughts to personally make it through an airplane flight after the loss of a loved one.

Source

The Five Stages of Grief

Many people talk about the five stages of grief in the aftermath of the death of a friend or family member. Those five stages are:

denial
anger
bargaining
depression
acceptance

You may be like many individuals who have been through this process and wonder if the word “stages” is really completely accurate. In reality, many people experience these emotions, in no particular order and even simultaneously. Even acceptance may seem to have taken hold, only to be replaced by anger, depression, denial, and even a renewed round of bargaining.

This is noted because traveling to memorialize and honor a deceased loved one can provide fertile ground for an intensification of the different elements set forth in the so-called five stages of grief and grieving. Thus, you need to prepare and protect yourself, emotionally and otherwise, as you travel by plane to a funeral for a friend or family member.

Use Technology to Hide

You most likely will not be in the mood to idly chat a flight away with a stranger while in the midst of coming to terms with the death of a loved one. Moreover, the brash distractions that occur in a continuous loop on most airline flights is also something that you are not likely to favor when in transit on an plane. Thus, take advantage of technology as a means to hide.

Get noise cancelling headphones (not petit earbuds) to wear and take advantage of when you fly. You can listen to whatever you like while flying, but the real point in going big with your audio headgear is the message it sends. Headphones send a message that you do not want to be bothered. The noise canceling feature also aids in eliminating much of the ambient aircraft rumble, including that coming from fellow passengers.

Also consider donning a pair of sunglasses. That adds another level of privacy protection when you are grieving and traveling at the same time.

Hydrate and Eat Healthy

You’re already stressed, among other emotions, by the turn of events which resulted in you making likely quick arrangements to mourn the loss of a loved one. Don’t aggravate the situation by becoming dehydrated. Spending time in an aircraft cabin can result in dehydration.

Try to drink a glass of water for every hour you will be onboard the aircraft. Match any cocktail you may have one-for-one with an additional glass of water. And, don’t overdo when it comes to cocktails on the flight.

Try to eat something every two to three hours. Healthy food choices are recommended to ensure that you remain in the best possible condition, considering what you are enduring. (As an aside, there is a place for favorite treats and snacks, which is discussed later in this article.)

Be Conservative on Social Media

This tip transcends your travels. Social media can be a wonderful way of sharing news, remembrances and information regarding memorial services. Keep private information off of social media. Don’t get too deeply involved in making social media posts while in the air. Doing so may understandably enflame your emotions, and do so when your in a situation in which are confined have a limited ability to vent and address these emotions.

Be Prepared with Your Carryon Bag

Include tissues in your carryon bag. Even if you’re not one who cries often or particularly openly, you are best to prepare for any eventuality. You don’t want to find yourself scrambling for a tissue should the tears start to roll.

Talk to Others — If You Want To

Much of this article has focused on building a privacy wall around you when you are flying to a funeral for a loved one. If you feel like talking, do so. There is not hard and fast set of rules about what you should or should not do in this situation. If you do converse, consider briefly sharing you’re heading to a funeral to achieve some understanding that you may feel like talking now, but might not after a bit.

Jessica Kane is a professional blogger who writes for Documents International LLC, a leading apostille service for individuals and businesses.

Click the links below for any posts you may have missed!

Make it Pretty Monday

Simple Fall Porch

Cleaning Tips for After a Renovation

Sausage & Lentil Soup

Fall Mantel

I’d love for you to join my email list! You’ll receive a notification straight to your inbox once a week on Monday which will include links to party posts and my home project posts! Simply enter your address below.