Summer season brings suggestions and tips for more comfortable travel.

We've saved a few and would welcome hearing more from readers. We know that back-to-school and holiday vacations are not far behind, so many of these tips are fairly timeless for those of us who live on an island and generally travel by air.

Things to do on the plane:

Bring music and headphones. You can bring the cheapest mp3, CD or tape player around or bring your iPod, cell phone or laptop.

A number of travelers suggest investing in a pair of noise-reducing headphones.

Here's where you can spend a lot of money — or not. We tested five sets of headphones on a recent trip and found the headphones that fit over your ear worked better for noise cancellation.

This was an unscientific survey that included headphones from Sharper Image (no longer available) and a high-end pair made by Able Planet. We also tried a small pair of titanium headphones and two different styles of Apple iPod earbuds,

(Full disclosure: A public relations company mailed us the Able Planet headphones as a way of encouraging folks — especially business travelers — to try them.)

The Clear Harmony Active Noise Canceling Headphones sell for $299.99 or more at www.ableplanet.com and online. They did perform better than the other headphones at screening out the noise. Our readers also recommend the Bose Quiet Comfort 2 noise-canceling headphones.

Other travel tips:

Comfort: One colleague swears by carrying a pillow onboard. She claims she would pack one fewer bag if forced to make a choice.

So far, she's been able to pack her purse within her pillow and not have to drop a bag or pay for another one.

Drinking: Most travelers recommend you drink bottled water, not the water stored in those tanks aboard some planes. Water offered on board most major airlines remains free, and appears to come from large bottles. But you can bring an empty bottle from home and then refill it once you've passed the security checkpoint.

Eating: Many airlines sell snacks, but you can bring your own. Remember, though, there are restrictions on carrying liquids, gels and aerosols, which must be in 3-ounce or smaller containers and fit in a clear, quart-size, zip-top bag.

Some travelers load up on vitamin C, in chewable or liquid form, as a way to keep up energy and resistance to germs.

One frequent Las Vegas visitor recommends a preventive concoction that combines Emergen-C mix-in drinks with high-fiber Metamucil. (I was afraid to ask if this has a name.)

Other suggestions included wearing lip balm and applying hand lotion to fight the dry air.

Our previous column on travel tips brought in some suggestions from readers including these helpful hints: