'Completely forgot': Two things airline captain never does when flying
As an airline captain, Aussie Chris Pohl has flown hundreds of flights around the world.
But he says there's one thing he never wears while travelling in order to combat jet lag - a watch.
Chris, 62, says many passengers get stuck thinking about what time it was where they were, instead of focusing on where they are now and just trying to sleep.
READ MORE: 'I was not expecting this balcony view on Disney's biggest ever cruise ship'
Captain Chris has captained hundreds of flights. Supplied
"I just adapt to the new time zone straight away by looking at the time on my iPhone, which updates automatically as soon as I land," he tells 9Travel.
"For me, the key is not hanging on to the time zone I've just left. I try to think in local time as quickly as possible, eat and sleep accordingly, and let my body catch up.
READ MORE: The under-the-radar spots Aussies are choosing for road trips this Easter
"And if I need a nap, I take one. A short nap at the right time often works wonders."
Chris has almost half a million followers on Instagram where he's known as Captain Chris.
A former Ansett pilot from Melbourne, he is now flying from London but lives in France.
Chris has just written a book, Calm at 38,000 Feet to help nervous fliers. Supplied
Meanwhile, there's another no-no for Chris and his family. He never checks in luggage.
"My preference is always a hard aluminium case with four wheels," he says.
"When my family travel with me, I tell them, 'if it doesn't fit in your carry-on it doesn't travel."
The one time he departed from that rule, he regretted it.
"At Christmas, we took a family holiday to New York in brutally cold weather, and for once my family decided carry-on luggage wasn't going to be enough. So we packed a larger checked case with winter jackets and Christmas gifts," he says.
READ MORE: There's a secret 24-hour public onsen hiding inside Tokyo airport
Captain Chris never checks in any luggage. Getty Images/iStockphoto
READ MORE: Best time to travel to Tahiti, as new flights from Australia take off to island paradise
"The problem was, because we never normally travel with anything other than carry-on, we completely forgot to collect it.
"We were already waiting for our transport before we realised the suitcase was still going round on the belt."
Chris has also just written a book, Calm at 38,000 Feet, available on Amazon, to help nervous fliers.
And he cleared up one common fear felt by many fliers when the plane starts to jolt.
Planes won't crash from turbulence.
"Modern airliners are designed and certified to withstand far more than normal turbulence, and what passengers feel as alarming is, to pilots, usually just an uncomfortable but routine part of flying," he says.
"The real risk from turbulence is injury to people not wearing a seatbelt, not the aircraft crashing.
READ MORE: The two-second question you can ask to get a better hotel room - for free
Planes cannot crash from turbulance. Getty
"One of the simplest ways I explain it is with my jelly concept.
"An aircraft is not hanging in empty space waiting to fall out of the sky, it's moving through air, and that air behaves a bit like jelly. The aircraft is supported within it, even when it moves around.
"So when you feel bumps, the aeroplane is still flying exactly as it should."
He advised nervous fliers not to have too much booze or caffeine before boarding.
In fact, he also says all passengers should drink as much water as they can and also add rehydration salts to it.
READ MORE: 'Our friends suggested Bali or Thailand - we went here on our family holiday instead'
