Air travel has lost the glamour it embodied in the 1950s, β60s, and β70s. Gone are the days of smoked salmon, caviar, and champagne on Pan Am flights. These are the days of complimentary tiny packs of peanuts β if youβre lucky.
My friend Marie and I bemoaned the loss of such travel glamour over sushi last week. Marie leaves for Ireland in a couple weeks. βI am swamped at work β canβt spend any time figuring out what I need to bring. Could you send some tips my way?β
Eve is always ready to help a friend. Itβs become something of a hobby, really. So, I put out a call to some frequently flying fellows for their air-travel suggestions.
Pilar, who travels extensively to Europe and all over the U.S. for work, was a wealth of travel hints. βI prefer suitcases that can expand in case I find some extra treasure on my trip,β she said. βPack and then remove stuff. You wonβt need it all. I personally havenβt gone the route of packing cubes, but my aunt and uncle swear by them, and also the bags that suck the extra air out.β (Bagail 4 Set Packing Cubes, $19.99 on Amazon.)
βLocks [on luggage] are pretty useless. You have to make sure that they can be opened by TSA. So pack jewelry, medication in your carry on.
βI use a red luggage strap to protect against any zipper failure.β (Tranvers Heavy Duty Luggage Strap, $8.99 for a 2-pack on Amazon.) βAny name tag on bags is fine as long as itβs secure; put info in a couple of places.β
When traveling day arrives, Pilar suggested, βset your clock to the time of the next destination, whether itβs a connecting airport or final destination....
βDress comfortably, but dress well; people have to look at you,β she continued. βBring a wrap that can double as a scarf. It could save a plane ride. Do not dress for summer on the plane.β
For catching some sleep, βan eye mask is a great option.β (Three-pack sleep mask, $10.99 on Amazon.) βOr one of these headphones/eye mask combos, which looks like an awesome splurge.β (Wired Sleep Headphones Eye Mask, $24.99 on Amazon.)
βBring two bottles of water onto the plane with you,β she said. βIf you stay hydrated and sleep, you probably wonβt get sick, and youβll definitely adjust better to jet lag. Bring sani-wipes for hands and plane trays and keep surfaces and hands clean. I hardly use hand sanitizer except when traveling.
βBring a spritzer and a moisturizer on the plane for your face.β She uses Evian and Dermalogica moisturizer. (Evian Mineral Water Spray, $15 for two 1.7 ounces at Sephora; Dermalogica Active Moist, $26.90 for 1.7 ounces on Amazon.) βAnd bring your toothbrush and mints with you and Band-aids in your wallet for when the blisters come β they will come....
βIf you want to throw it way back, Brookstone is selling Pan Am bags,β said Samantha with a smile. ($71.99 for the 16-by-11-inch blue with white Pan Am Retro Messenger bag at Brookstone.) βI bought the passport cover for myself,β she added.
βI donβt leave home without my L.L. Bean toiletry organizer,β offered Julie. βThe hanging multi-compartment-style organizer keeps little items all in one spot. All my toiletries, medicine, jewelry, scarves are popped into it. And the bag is roomy enough to fit the shampoos and lotions also.β (Personal Organizer Toiletry Bag, $39.95 at L.L. Bean.)
βFor our family vacation last year we had a bit of a drive from the airport to our rental place,β said Joe, βso I bought a USB charger that plugs into the cigarette lighter and charges multiple devices all at once. Seems like a no-brainer suggestion, but it made for a much quieter car ride after a long day of travel with everyone plugged in to a device.β ($39.99 for a 4-Port USB charger at Sharper Image.)
Pilar offered one last important travel tip. βI really, really advise people to go without expectations. Too often I find myself or others disappointed because of previously held expectations. Throw them all away and get ready to have an adventure revealed to you. Attitude is everything.β
Air travel has lost the glamour it embodied in the 1950s, β60s, and β70s. Gone are the days of smoked salmon, caviar, and champagne on Pan Am flights. These are the days of complimentary tiny packs of peanuts β if youβre lucky.
My friend Marie and I bemoaned the loss of such travel glamour over sushi last week. Marie leaves for Ireland in a couple weeks. βI am swamped at work β canβt spend any time figuring out what I need to bring. Could you send some tips my way?β
Eve is always ready to help a friend. Itβs become something of a hobby, really. So, I put out a call to some frequently flying fellows for their air-travel suggestions.
Pilar, who travels extensively to Europe and all over the U.S. for work, was a wealth of travel hints. βI prefer suitcases that can expand in case I find some extra treasure on my trip,β she said. βPack and then remove stuff. You wonβt need it all. I personally havenβt gone the route of packing cubes, but my aunt and uncle swear by them, and also the bags that suck the extra air out.β (Bagail 4 Set Packing Cubes, $19.99 on Amazon.)
βLocks [on luggage] are pretty useless. You have to make sure that they can be opened by TSA. So pack jewelry, medication in your carry on.
βI use a red luggage strap to protect against any zipper failure.β (Tranvers Heavy Duty Luggage Strap, $8.99 for a 2-pack on Amazon.) βAny name tag on bags is fine as long as itβs secure; put info in a couple of places.β
When traveling day arrives, Pilar suggested, βset your clock to the time of the next destination, whether itβs a connecting airport or final destination....
βDress comfortably, but dress well; people have to look at you,β she continued. βBring a wrap that can double as a scarf. It could save a plane ride. Do not dress for summer on the plane.β
For catching some sleep, βan eye mask is a great option.β (Three-pack sleep mask, $10.99 on Amazon.) βOr one of these headphones/eye mask combos, which looks like an awesome splurge.β (Wired Sleep Headphones Eye Mask, $24.99 on Amazon.)
βBring two bottles of water onto the plane with you,β she said. βIf you stay hydrated and sleep, you probably wonβt get sick, and youβll definitely adjust better to jet lag. Bring sani-wipes for hands and plane trays and keep surfaces and hands clean. I hardly use hand sanitizer except when traveling.
βBring a spritzer and a moisturizer on the plane for your face.β She uses Evian and Dermalogica moisturizer. (Evian Mineral Water Spray, $15 for two 1.7 ounces at Sephora; Dermalogica Active Moist, $26.90 for 1.7 ounces on Amazon.) βAnd bring your toothbrush and mints with you and Band-aids in your wallet for when the blisters come β they will come....
βIf you want to throw it way back, Brookstone is selling Pan Am bags,β said Samantha with a smile. ($71.99 for the 16-by-11-inch blue with white Pan Am Retro Messenger bag at Brookstone.) βI bought the passport cover for myself,β she added.
βI donβt leave home without my L.L. Bean toiletry organizer,β offered Julie. βThe hanging multi-compartment-style organizer keeps little items all in one spot. All my toiletries, medicine, jewelry, scarves are popped into it. And the bag is roomy enough to fit the shampoos and lotions also.β (Personal Organizer Toiletry Bag, $39.95 at L.L. Bean.)
βFor our family vacation last year we had a bit of a drive from the airport to our rental place,β said Joe, βso I bought a USB charger that plugs into the cigarette lighter and charges multiple devices all at once. Seems like a no-brainer suggestion, but it made for a much quieter car ride after a long day of travel with everyone plugged in to a device.β ($39.99 for a 4-Port USB charger at Sharper Image.)
Pilar offered one last important travel tip. βI really, really advise people to go without expectations. Too often I find myself or others disappointed because of previously held expectations. Throw them all away and get ready to have an adventure revealed to you. Attitude is everything.β
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