Flying can be stressful.  Especially if you're flying economy.  Depending on the length of your flight, you can spend hours squeezed in between your neighbors, barely able to move.  Read on for a few ways to make flights less stressful and more comfortable.

The key to more comfortable flying is to be prepared.  Especially when you have a long flight ahead of you, good planning can make the difference between a bearable or even enjoyable flight, or utter misery.  So here are five steps you can take to make flying much less stressful and more enjoyable:

1) Dress comfortably

Make sure you wear comfortable clothes -- and dress in layers.  Temperatures are unpredictable, so you want to be able to add or subtract any time you want.  A light cardigan is perfect for that purpose.  Also wear clothes that breathe.

2) Wear comfortable shoes

Wear shoes that are easy to take off and slip back on (for security purposes).  Also, on a long flight, you probably will want to take them off.  To replace them, bring warm socks so you can walk around in the aisle in more comfort.

3) Pick your seat carefully

Speaking of walking around -- depending on your personality, you should plan ahead where you want to sit.  If you sit in an aisle seat, you'll be able to get up anytime you like.  If you sit in a window seat, you can sleep without being disturbed.  Decide which one is more important to you and plan accordingly.

4) Carry bottled water

Since we're no longer allowed to bring bottled water from home, schedule a short stop at a store after you have gone through security to get at least one bottle of water.  It's important to keep a bottle handy because it's reclosable which means you can take a sip whenever you like. You also won't have to worry about spilling your water as you would have if you relied on the water provided by the flight attendants.  On the other hand, take advantage of any refreshments they provide to save your own supplies.

5) Plan to be entertained

Depending on how stressed you are by having to sit still for extended periods of time, make sure you come prepared with entertainment.  If it's a very long flight, try to pick a plane that has on-demand videos.  Also, iPods are perfect for air travel -- you can bring your entire library of music and/or spoken word and pick anything you like, any time you like.  And when you get stressed, you can even listen to relaxation tapes -- or a book on tape that will take your mind off your worries.