In light of my travels to France and Germany from which I just returned, I wanted to make a series of posts about the must-know facts of traveling. I will address what to pack, different strategies for packing, basic etiquette, and general travel tips to make your vacations more enjoyable and your gruesome international flights easier to survive.
First, I will talk about some essential items every traveler needs in their carry on luggage for their plane ride.
1. Ear Plugs. While not every long flight has a screaming infant, it is more likely than not that you will encounter some sort of noise annoyance, which may be an upset child, other passengers bickering, that snoring guy, or being seated ON the engine. One of the seats I was assigned in my most recent trip made me wonder if the plane engine itself was in fact under my seat cushion, instead of the life preserver that the flight attendant had claimed was stowed there. Ear plugs are very cheap insurance of a peaceful flight and a decent chance at a much needed nap. I feel that wearing earplugs also decreases my ear discomfort caused by changes in altitudes and pressure. You can buy them at any drugstore or places like Target. Here is one example of the style I prefer: Here
2. A Light Jacket. This may seem like a no-brainer, but if you are jetting off to Bora-Bora, you may not think that a jacket is a necessity for your trip. Climates inside airplanes are somewhat unpredictable, but just in case you are stuck on a plane with a 60 degree temperature for 7 hours on your way to Hawaii, the jacket will be well worth it, even if you never use it when you get to your destination. Airlines often provide blankets during long flights, but they are small, thin, and made out a fabric that feels like it might have been velcro in a past life. Not fun. Plus, jackets also double as pillows. Airline pillows are about the size of a tic-tac.
3. Something to Keep You Busy. In case the insomnia demon visits you and you are unable to catch some shut eye on your flight, you will need something to keep you from trying to figure out how many origami figurines you can make from your drink napkin. My favorite is the Kindle. While it is a bit of an investment, if you like to read, the Kindle is really great. Books on the Kindle are often cheaper than buying paper copies, and is also kinder to the environment. It is smaller and lighter than packing a book long enough to keep you occupied for many hours. If you have a nine hour flight to Germany, you could need up to 16 hours of reading material round-trip, which is far more than I ever have room for in my bag. Make sure you download plenty of books before you leave home, since you can't access the internet while you're in the air. I recommend packing it in your carry on in a Ziploc bag. Mine fits perfectly in a quart size freezer bag. Then, if one of your carry-on liquids bursts, someone spills a drink on your bag, or in case you are caught in a torrential downpour on your way from the airport to your hotel, it will be protected. In fact, Ziploc bags are one of the best inventions ever for traveling. I will address this in one of my coming posts.
4. Socks. Let's face it. You might have worn flip flops to make it easier to get through security at the airport. Or you may have chosen to wear your biggest, heaviest shoes to lighten your suitcase to get it under the weight limit to avoid fees. Either way, putting an extra pair of socks in your carry on is a fantastic idea. If you wore flip flops, your feet might get cold. Or if you are like me, you will want to take your shoes off and curl up in your seat. If you were wearing big heavy shoes, fresh socks will probably be nice... Especially for your neighbor. Don't subject anyone to unpleasant odors. There have been times on airplanes when I really wished I had also brought nose plugs!!
One last thing to think about is this: if you were trapped in a closet for X hours (insert flight length here), what would you miss? Whatever it is, pack it!! For me, it was lip balm. But honestly, flying is similar to being in a closet. You don't have access to much, you don't have much room to move, and there is nowhere else you can feasibly go.
Next time I will talk about packing strategies. You might not have known there were such things! Packing should not involve you running around the night before your departure throwing things haphazardly into a bag. You will inevitably forget lots of important things and instead be stuck carrying around crap that you just don't need. There is a method! I can make your packing experience less stressful, your suitcase more organized, and your vacation more enjoyable.
