I just returned from a five-day trip to Paris, on a budget airline that charges a fee to bring a carry-on. I’m cheap, so that means everything had to fit in a small bag under the seat in front of me. Friends, I did it. You can, too.

I hate aeroplane travel. I know, I know, it's the safest way to travel, cars are far more dangerous, blah blah, but the moment I'm strapped in and we're taking off — into the sky, which is not a place humans should go — all I can think is that I'm trapped in a silver gleaming death machine.

If there is someone who knows how to make a plane ride more comfortable, it's the pilot. That plane is their office, and they know all its secrets. Here are some tips from a professional flyer on how to make the skies a little more friendly - for you.

A man trying to fly from Iceland to England was recently denied boarding for wearing all of his clothing at once in an attempt to avoid a checked bag fee. This is a terrible attempt at a travel hack. He claims that the gate personnel said it would be OK beforehand, but even if they had let him board, he would have been miserable. Please don't try to do this, people.

There's too much goddamn content in the world right now. I'm far from the first person to say this, and I certainly won't be the last - it's just a fact of life, and it's only getting worse. And while you surely have your own ways of coping with the unending onslaught of "premium" shows, movies, books, articles and music, there's one trick that you might not be utilising to its full potential: Skipping right to the end.

With holiday travel season looming and airline companies increasingly trying to squeeze every last dollar out of passengers, surely there's a way to make flying at least somewhat more bearable? If you can't afford a business class upgrade (because really, who can) and aren't holding out hope for a high-speed rail system, you can -- and should -- make the most of the one crumb of control left to you: your choice of seat.

You may not think it from the mental picture that comes to mind of a "plane crash", but most real ones, like planes skidding off runways and such, are survivable. Over at Quora, Cheryl A Schwartz, a former flight attendant, offered some useful suggestions for making sure you survive, and get out of the plane safely.

If you frequently travel overseas for work, your friends probably envy your "glamorous" lifestyle. The reality is lonely hotel rooms, tedious stopovers and cursed, never-ending jet lag. If your travels abroad leave you feeling endlessly exhausted, you need to try these nine natural remedies.

The numbers at the end of a runway aren't just there to help pilots see where they're supposed to land. They actually mean something important: the runway's degree from magnetic north. This video from Atlas Obscura explains.

Qantas has revealed fresh details about its in-flight wireless internet rollout and it's sounding pretty good. By early 2017, around 100 domestic aircraft will be outfitted with high-speed Wi-Fi under a partnership with global broadband services provider ViaSat. Best of all, the service will be completely free to all passengers. Hurrah!