I recently flew to Geneva and was very aware of the affect it had on my voice. It was quite dry and I had developed a lot of mucus around the vocal chords making my voice quite cloudy. Other people have mentioned to me that they often feel their voice is quite ‘dry’ after a flight.

This is not surprising; everyone on the plane was breathing in the same recycled air. People with colds and viruses kindly shared their germs with every passenger! The air conditioning also has a drying affect upon your vocal chords among other things.

In a previous newsletter I have recommended drinking water TWO HOURS before a speech, to ensure the water has been absorbed by your body. I would also recommend this for aeroplane journeys. Obviously, you are no longer allowed to take water through the security areas, so buy more water when you have got through. Continue drinking during the flight.

As a preventative measure for catching anything from other passengers, I would recommend gargling with salt water to cleanse the throat. Paula Radcliffe, the marathon runner, revealed that she cleanses her nasal passages with saline solution after any flight, for the same reason. Saline solution is available from chemists (ask the pharmacist).

If anyone has other tips for ‘surviving’ airline flights, do send them to me.