I love to travel, don’t get me wrong. But as someone who’s a bit of a control freak/neat freak, I like to have order in my life, and travel pretty much upends all of that. It’s hard to work out, to eat healthy, to take care of my skin, you get the picture.

Now that I live in Los Angeles, coming home takes a bit longer than before. I used to live ten minutes away from my parents in Boston, and now it’s about a six-hour flight from one coast to the other. I truly don’t mind the flight, but since I’m not going to be able to afford the comfort of first-class any time soon, I dread the inevitable aches and pains that usually manifest the day after a flight.

I’ve always had incredibly tense, knotted shoulders that are prone to soreness. Yoga has been immensely helpful, but I wasn’t able to go to my usual classes while I was in Boston over Thanksgiving. I woke up the morning of my flight back to California already sore. The only thing I could think to do was to get a box of ThermaCare heat wraps from the drugstore and pray they’d make a difference.

As I sat on the flight writing this, I couldn’t believe I never thought to bring a heat wrap before. It sticks onto my shoulders underneath my sweater and provides serious relief. ThermaCare also makes patches for lower back and other areas that might get tight or sore.

Heat wraps are also a great trick for people who get really cold when they fly, especially now that most airlines make you pay to use a blanket. In short: this is an affordable, easy way to make your life better.