This is a very short article. It was written on a scrap of paper, 38,000 feet above the Pacific Ocean.

However, that doesn’t mean you can’t learn something.

As someone who’s flies tens of thousands of miles each year, I thought it’d be fun to share three of my favorite travel tips.

These are all simple little things, but they improve your flight experience greatly.

Also, the third tip on this list has netted me thousands of dollars in free stuff.

Anyway, enjoy and I hope you learn something useful!

1. Workout Before Your Flight

Go to the gym and lift heavy weights the day before your trip.

Why?

Because international flights make great “rest days.”

Since you’re sitting on a plane for several hours, your body has plenty of time to recuperate.

Additionally, this is a great natural sleep aid. When you’re tired enough, you’ll always doze off on a flight. After doing 20-rep squats (that’s my favorite pre-travel workout), I always pass out within 10 minutes of takeoff.

2. Invest In A Pair Of Quality Earbuds

Airports, especially ones in Asia, are noisy as the dickens. I’m always amazed at the number of travelers shouting into their phones, playing games with the volume at full-blast, or listening to music through their iPad’s speakers.

It gets annoyingly loud.

To combat this, I recommend buying a pair of noise canceling headphones.

I use a pair of Symphonized NRG earbuds, and they’re amazing. Put them in, throw on a track of nothing but ambient sounds (I like this rainforest one), and relax in peace.

3. Read The In-Flight Magazine

I’ve never met anyone (besides my parents) who actually reads those in-flight magazines they have on every plane.

And that’s a shame.

Why?

Because most airlines run contests and giveaways in their magazines. If you take a picture or write a short essay, you can win free vacations to all sorts of cool places.

A few months back, I entered one of these contests (you had to write 25 words on why you liked the airline) and won an all-inclusive trip for two. That’s several thousand bucks worth of free stuff (airfare, hotels, etc), all from reading the in-flight magazine and doing a 5 minute writing assignment.

These contests are super simple and most people never enter. As a result, they’re easy to win.

Always check the in-flight magazine for giveaways. It’s a great way to score free vacations and other travel goodies.