I'm a plus-size traveler – this is how I manage uncomfortable flights

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Plus-size woman, 28, with a chronic illness reveals her top tips for FLYING comfortably – detailing how she stays healthy AND deals with judgment from fellow passengers

  • Hanna Brandow, 28, uploaded a clip to TiKTok detailing an airport trip
  • As has a condition which causes the heart to beat very fast after getting up
  •  Some of her favorite travel items include Crocs, a mini fan and a face mask

A plus-sized traveler with a rare heart condition has revealed some of her top tips in a bid to make trips more comfortable for others in her position. 

Hanna Brandow, 28, who is based in Brooklyn, New York, uploaded a clip to TiKTok detailing her journey through the airport and on to a flight. 

Firstly, she instructs viewers to always ‘leave plenty of time for travel and always open the windows’ of your taxi to avoid getting hot and bothered.

As she suffers from postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), which causes the heart to beat very fast after getting up, Hanna says she always wears a mask while traveling, as any form of illness such as Covid could have fatal consequences. 

Hanna Brandow, 28, who is based in Brooklyn, New York, uploaded a clip to TiKTok detailing her journey through the airport and on to a flight


After going through security and finding a seat near to the gate, Hanna says she gets out a ‘mini portable HEPA air purifier that I just turn on and put on the seat right next to me’


Some of Hanna’s travel essentials include Crocs, sweatpants and a bag of snacks

Hanna Brandow’s top tips as a plus-size traveler 

Hanna says these tips will help you to ‘travel safely, avoid a chronic illness flare up, and avoid everyone else’s germs’:

  • Leave plenty of time for travel
  • Always keep taxi windows open
  • Use a mini portable HEPA air purifier when waiting in the airport
  • Elevate your legs on your suitcase while waiting at the gate
  • Wear compression socks
  • Wear a mask and a double one for the flight 
  • Wear a comfortable outfit to the airport, such as Crocs and sweatpants
  • Pack plenty of snacks
  • Stay hydrated with electrolytes
  • Invest in a mini fan
  • Always ask for a seatbelt extender on the plane 

In the airport, the TikToker explains that she has to pull her mask down ‘just for a second’ at the security gate while an agent verifies her identity.

After going through security and finding a seat near to the gate, Hanna says she gets out a ‘mini portable HEPA air purifier that I just turn on and put on the seat right next to me.’

To take the weight off her feet and prevent swelling, she makes sure to put them up on her suitcase and she says compression socks are ‘key.’ 

Her other wardrobe essentials include Crocs and sweatpants. 

To keep hunger at bay, Hanna says she packs ‘a lot of snacks and a wrap and also electrolytes so I can stay hydrated.’

During the journey, the travel pro changes into a double mask as an extra safety precaution.

For comfort, she also brings a mini fan – which she says has been one of her best purchases yet – and she always makes sure to ask for a seatbelt extender.

To date, Hanna’s insightful video has gained over 9,000 likes, as well as hundreds of comments from thankful followers. Many shared some of their own tips.

One viewer said: ‘I would also recommend a fan that you could put on your neck so that you don’t have to hold it! GAME CHANGER!’

Another comment revealed: ‘I made sure to buy my own seat belt extender. Goes with me every flight.’

By posting these tips online, Hanna hopes to help other plus-size and chronically ill travelers.

Hanna says air travel isn’t something she can avoid because both her fiancé and her parents live in different cities to her


To date, Hanna’s insightful video has gained over 9,000 likes, as well as hundreds of comments from thankful followers

‘It’s up and down, but I don’t let my condition or my size stop me from travelling, though I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think twice before booking trips’

She said: ‘I get tired very easily, my heart is greatly affected so I have to be careful with lifting and bending.

‘My blood volume is low so I get dizzy very quickly.

‘I get severe migraines as well.

‘This all makes for a hard day-to-day life, traveling is even harder.

‘Some days I can walk, some days I use a cane or stay in bed.

‘It’s up and down, but I don’t let my condition or my size stop me from travelling, though I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think twice before booking trips.’

To make air travel easier for everyone, Hanna says roomier plane seats should come into play.

She explains: ‘We all know airplane seats have no leg room and no width to them, even for thin people.

‘They just want to fit as many people on the airplane as possible and I understand that from a business perspective, but there are so many people who are uncomfortable in planes.

‘People treat fat people like we are to blame or deserve to suffer or should just stay home.

‘People are worthy of dignity and respect and equal treatment even if they are fat.’ 

Hanna says air travel isn’t something she can avoid because both her fiancé and her parents live in different cities to her. 

However, she says her hacks help her to ‘travel safely, avoid a chronic illness flare up, and avoid everyone else’s germs.’

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