A flight attendant has revealed that her must-have item when flying is something used by NASA astronauts. The cabin crew member claims that the special medical item stops her nose from being painfully dried out while at 35,000ft.

Emily, a cabin crew member who flies around Europe and Asia, noted that she never leaves for work without taking the Ponaris Nasal Emollient – an American nostril cream that was taken on every Apollo mission as a part of NASA’s medical space kit.

The ointment apparently helps to keep Emily’s "nasal cavity lubricated". This may prevent her from picking up bugs on flights. It’s actually quite common to pick up illnesses when flying due to a combination of so many people being packed into a metal tube (plane) and the fact that the plane isn’t cleaned while you’re flying.

READ MORE: 'I've learned how to travel for free – it saved me £10,000 on a trip to Australia'

Check out our travel section for more holidays, travel news, hacks, flight secrets and more…

But, Emily’s special cream claims to help with that – the product is made of an ionised botanical oil blend containing pine, eucalyptus, peppermint, cajeput and cotton seed. It claims to help to relieve blocked noses and dryness as well as allergies like hay fever.

Emily told Yahoo: "I don’t think it’s a miracle product to ward off colds the way that it was advertised, but it really keeps the inside of your nasal cavity lubricated, so I don’t feel like a dried-up corpse after long-haul flights."

The product can be pretty pricey – it costs about £28 on Amazon – but she claims it’s her must have item for flying. It shouldn’t be used on children or babies and pregnant women should speak to a doctor before using it. If you're after a decongestive spray, there are plenty of budget-friendlier options available at Boots.

The ointment can also help people who get very dry noses on planes due to the dry cabin air and changes in pressure. This can cause pain or discomfort and the ointment can help to relieve that.

Other flight attendants have shared the items they think are useful when working from planes and in hotels. Tinsley Cecil, a flight attendant and mum always packs a small portable sound machine. The cabin crew member said: "I’m a flight attendant and I’m on a layover in Honolulu right now and I am at the loudest hotel of my life so I wanted to show you something I always carry in my suitcase for those loud hotels."

The machine plays white noise which can help her to fall asleep when in a busy hotel. She claims it’s also useful for children on holiday. Valerie Fraser, writing for Insider, suggested a plastic bag costing just 10p is your holiday hero.

Valerie explained: "A plastic bag is the most versatile item you can travel with. Leaky cosmetics? Solved. A bathing suit that's still wet from a dip in the ocean? No problem. Filthy shoes from a hike? A plastic bag allows you to isolate them from your other items."

Source: Read Full Article