Most of us fly at least a few times a year, which is why it’s important to know the best tips for not just scoring the best deals, but how best to deal with those many hours in-flight. It’s so important that we made it the topic of our February Twitter chat and the responses from the Twitter community were amazing.

What is a Twitter chat? For those not familiar, TripIt holds a monthly chat on Twitter on the third Thursday of each month from 2-3 pm Pacific Time under the hashtag #TripItChat. Every month there’s a new travel topic where we encourage participants to share advice with one another. To learn more, please see: http://landlopers.com/2013/05/01/tripitchat/

Here are some of the key takeaways from our last #TripItChat about In-Flight Travel Tips!

Mobile Comfort

What you bring onboard the plane with you can make a big difference not only for your own personal comfort, but for your health and well-being as well. That’s why we asked everyone to share what they always include in their carry-on bags.

• Co-host @SandiMcKenna opts for healthy choices including moisturizer, dried fruits/nuts and water.
• Staying busy is important for @always5star who always makes sure her tablet is full of great movies and TV shows to watch.
• Great headphones are also key for any road-warrior, as chatter @JodyHalsted pointed out.
• Other great ideas include: a shawl to keep warm, laptop for work and eyeshades to grab a quick nap.

Staying Healthy

A big challenge for most us is how we start implementing smart choices when we travel. We loved the tips offered up by our Twitter community.

• Hydration is key in-flight as travel pros @theplanetd pointed out—drink water and avoid alcohol.
• Especially on longer flights, deep vein thrombosis is a concern as @micheleherrmann reminded us so be sure to get up and stretch often.
• Eating right, getting rest and sanitizing your seat area were some other great tips offered during the chat.

Never Be Bored

Sitting in a chair for a few hours can be dull, but not if you take the advice shared during the Twitter chat!

• Chat co-host @RickGriffin keeps it simple with ear buds, iPad and wine!
• @Bloggeries doesn’t have faith in the in-flight entertainment options so always makes sure his MacBook has plenty of movies.
• For other folks peace and quiet is priceless; especially, for @thewrabbithole who enjoys a little quiet time away from the kids.

Beating the Lag

For frequent travelers, jet lag is the enemy but there are some tips and tricks to keep in mind to ease the transition to a new time zone.

• Getting on the new zone as fast as possible is essential, says @DanaHFreeman, who advises to avoid napping.
• While not a possibility for everyone, a common answer was to upgrade on your flight so that you can sleep and relax. It helps!
• Chatter @MarvJourney says that preparation starts before you even leave home. Hydrate, eat plenty of protein and pre-adjust to the new time zone.

Favorite Rides

When it comes to long flights all airlines are not made the same. That’s why we asked our travel pros to share their favorite airlines for those long-haul flights.

• Chatter @varunkrish picked some favorites: Cathay-Pacific, Emirates and British Air.
• Frequent traveler @LeeAbbamonte listed his favorites: Singapore Air, Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways.
• Domestically, some favorites were Virgin America, Delta and Jet Blue.

Don’t forget to join us for the next #TripItChat! Our chats take place on the third Thursday of every month at 2 pm PST/ 5 pm EST.