Chug large quantities of Dramamine – otherwise, believe me, you wouldn’t want to be seated next to me for a 16 hour flight! Can you say “barf-a-rama”?!
Always place a hand on the plane as I board and whisper a prayer for the pilots.
Prefer an aisle seat.
Bring at least two Dick Francis books to read.
Recline my seat ever so slightly – even before take off.
Chew mentos – the pink are my favorites.
Sleep. I can sleep anywhere, anytime, for any interval.
Switch out my contact lenses in preference for my glasses. But not until my lenses have literally suction-cupped onto my eye balls.
Avoid striking up a conversation at all costs.
OK, your turn. Subscribers – wanna click over to play along?
PS: For my “why you should avoid me like the plague when I fly” post, you can click here and thank your lucky stars you don’t travel with kids.
Hit the airport bathroom before boarding (I avoid airplane bathroom’s like the plague)
Chew gum on takeoff
Put my earphones in immediately (to avoid awkward conversations w/ strangers)
Sleep. I, too, can sleep anywhere, anytime.
Of course, this is if I’m traveling alone. Traveling with my toddler is a little more frantic! :)
Oh man, yes! When I fly with my kids, it’s an *entirely* different ball game! That post would be http://thegypsymama.com/2009/05/on-the-go/
-avoid putting anything in the overhead bin if at all possible
-read the magazines in the seat pocket…especially Sky Mall
-pack water and granola bars, my Bible, day planner, journal, a “serious” book, and a “fun” book and my IPOD in my carry on
When I fly I always sleep, too! Its a gift. Usually before take off, I am out.
I go to the campy teenager magazine rack before boarding and giggle at myself.
I grab out my journal and write off a few quick thoughts.
I pray for peace over my heart, safe take-off, flight, and landing.
get nervous stepping over that gap when i step onto the plane and i can see the ground.
want a window seat
over pack my carry on with tons of things that i just think i will want to read or listen to or do while on the plane, but rarely end up doing any of them…
because i sleep anywhere and for as long as i can
wear flip flops
skip wearing contacts or glasses…my eyes aren’t that bad thankfully :)
like to have an interesting conversation, but not always wanting to seek it out
like to buy new music for the plane ride and create a playlist for it too
get butterflies and focused about getting where i’m going because i’m so excited
actually listen to the flight attendants and even sometimes read the instructions or read through the fly mall magazine
So you’re the one! I’ve always wondered who pays attention to all those instructions….. ;) I think I could repeat them in my sleep I’ve heard them so many times.
haha, i’m sure I could repeat them in my sleep too…but for some reason i just want to be “extra prepared” or something slash i feel bad that they have to say it every time so then i think if i listen it helps.
I must be strange I have never flown xxx
Seriously? Do you just prefer road tripping via car?
How funny!! I wrote the same kind of blog yesterday!! you will laugh about my flying habits :) http://charsteyn.blogspot.com/2010/07/my-semi-irrational-fear-of-flying.html
1. Pop in a piece of game when I sit down.
2. Bring a book but normally fall asleep.
3. Don’t avoid conversation but never know how to start one.
4. Say a prayer before take-off.
5. Never refuse the pretzels.
6. Get cold when the air vents on me but hot if I move it away.
I normally chew *gum,* but I guess I could chew a game on the plane, too. I’m not going to comment in the morning, anymore. :)
By the end of an 18 hour flight my kids will chew anything in sight!
The only 3 things that are a MUST for me: a good book…I can’t sleop anywhere, but can ready just about any thing, removable shoes, ie clogs in the winter, flip flops in summer, and a carry on that has My basics…pj’s, makeup and a decent change of clothes!
Dramamine, Dramamine, Dramamine!
I have always had a queasy stomach that hates motion. Last year I had to fly to AZ from TX several times to visit my dying mother. At 38 years old on 2 of those trips, I got sick in front of the poor sweet ladies next to me. One time I didn’t get the bag to my face in time. Awful is an understatement. So embarrassing! I will NEVER set foot on an airplane again without my Dramamine! NEVER!
I had a similar trip. My dad went to pick up my dramamine before the flight and came back with only a small box of armbands. They were supposed to put pressure on certain points to help block the nausea. I looked at him like he had lost his mind and kept repeating over and over, “But where are the drugs? Do these bands secrete anti-nausea drugs directly into my body?! ‘Cause if not, they are worthless to me!”
And then I spent the next 12 hours puking my guts out when what I really wanted to be doing was flirting with the cute Dutch boys in the aisle across from me!
Chew gum on takeoff and landing
Pray at takeoff and landing
I’m that annoying person that strikes up conversation (generally) with the person next to her. Sorry. I can’t help it. I’m southern. My momma always did it growing up and it drove me nuts, now I am doing it – its genetic.
I generally bring needlework of some kind on a flight- smocking or crocheting, etc. I love to read also, but sometimes I find if I have my hands busy then its easier to pass the time.
So *you’re* the one!! :) I’ve always wondered what makes some folks chatty on flights and others fall instantly asleep. Must be genetic!
Always place a hand on the plane as I board and whisper a prayer for the pilots.
**Me too – except I whisper Ps 91… for everyone flying too ** :)
your list sounds perfect…for when you are not travelling with kids! :)
my usual “must do / love to do while flying” list got thrown out the window when I started flying with my little ones. Time to read? Sleep? Even think about having a conversation with any adults within ear shot? Nope…not now, not for a long time perhaps.
I will be flying trans-Atlantic with my two toddlers in a week’s time — what does my new list look like?
* new toys to bring out over time during the 8 hour flight
* changes of clothes…for all 3 of us! (daddy can take care of himself :))
* lots of tylenol — extra strength for me, children’s for the kids to settle them down
* recharge the batteries on the portable DVD player / pack favourite movies
* load iPod with kids’ songs
* large plastic ziploc with all the kids food / drinks for the flight, to haul out at security so that they don’t give me a hard time at the screening
You know, I dream of the day I can fly by myself again. Or at least fly with older kids who can self-entertain long enough for me to read an Economist & a People magazine (my favourite in flight reading), watch an in-flight movie, and take a nap :)
Oh man – that is my life exactly these days traveling with our boys. Yikes, I still have some post traumatic stress from our last 36 hour jaunt across the Atlantic. Here is my horror story and the lessons I learned. http://thegypsymama.com/2009/05/on-the-go/
I will be thinking of you – brave mama – as you kid wrangle at 70,000 feet!
Dramamine – check. Prayer and tightly gripped armrests – check. Big fat book (although my flying preference is a Catherine Coulter mystery) – check. And one last thing for me: a clip for my hair, because I always sweat like CRAZY before the fans kick on!
Those fans make me crazy cold! I break out in sneezes until I turn them off….
I can’t fly unless ALL the fans in the row of seats are pointed at me and going full-blast! I get so hot so quickly! I’ve been known to redirect the fans to me even if I’m the last one to sit down in the row of seats. I’m completely miserable otherwise.
I always avoid conversations too!! And since I’ve been pregnant the past few times I’ve flown, I always loudly discuss how NAUSEOUS I am, and how I really wouldn’t want to throw up during the flight…
…this creates the possibility of LOTS of room around me on the plane. :P
Ha! Making a mental note. I find, though, that when I am traveling with kids that alone will have folks giving us a wide berth! ;)
I pretty much just strike up conversation with God.
(keeps my heart at peace…….AND people tend to avoid the crazy lady talking to Jesus)
On a plane, I always…
-bring at least a half-dozen books so I have choices. They’ve all been for school over the last few years, but that doesn’t (always) mean they can’t be fun. :)
– for overseas flights, bring some sleepy medicine and muscle relaxers, because sleeping on a plane is near to impossible for me.
– get a little giddy about going new places and seeing new things. I have always loved flying. :)
– in the pre-ipod days, I would pick my favorite songs on the in-flight music and then spend most of the flight figuring how to time channel switches so as to always hit my favorite songs. Usually by the time we reached Copenhagen (or wherever we were going) I would have only just figured it out.
– true confession: as a little girl, when I flew (and that was often, since my parents owned a travel agency) I would always, ALWAYS, order bouillon from the beverage cart. Yes, if you flew British Caledonia or KLM or SAS a lot in the 80s, I was the swarthy little kindergartener drinking beef tea.
– prefer a window seat. I adore cloudscapes.
OK, it’s weird enough that you ordered it, but much much weirder that airlines actually served it!!
I know, right? It’s hard to imagine a flight attendant today asking, “Coffee, Coca-Cola, bouillon?”
I don’t think even my beloved Dramamine could off set the instant gag reflex that statement causes!
Wow, some of these travel stories are horrible! LOL Especially your 36 hour transatlantic one! I’d seriously die.
I normally bring a couple books, some magazines and gum. And I pray to God that I’m not seated next to a barfer. I have major anxieties about puke/puking, etc, so I try to stay away from people I see meddling with barf bags, dramamine, sea bands, look as pale as a ghost or like Muthering Heights, announces they are extremely nauseous! LMAO :)
I don’t fly a lot anymore and it’s so much easier. :)
On that trip, I may have wished to die….
It’s funny so many people should talk about being plane-sick. I don’t think I have ever been anywhere near someone throwing up on a plane. Of course, now that I said that, my next flight will probably be in a middle seat between two barfers…
I always pray that my daughter, Emma (19 months) will sleep at least an hour and a half and that the people around us will at least be gracious and understanding and at best love kids and interacting with Emma.
I have to travel from one coast to the other occasionally for work, so I always have a good novel to read – one I wouldn’t normally have the time to read at home. I always say a prayer before takeoff, reminding God that I love raising my two boys. I always pray for a “divine encounter” – have yet to have that happen. But I always have empathy for the mother traveling with small kids alone. I’ve babysat more than one baby while she took the toddler to the restroom, or kept the toddler preoccupied while she took the baby to change a diaper. I feel so sorry for someone in that situation!
On behalf of all mothers who travel with toddlers – Thank You!!
God bless you, Bobbi!! You were indeed the “divine encounter” for every mother travelling alone with kids that you have every helped…
After my last flight, I realized that I cannot board another airplane without Dramamine. ( I didn’t puke, thank God, but just barely!)
I have to have water
a book
something to write with/on
glasses, contact solution, and case (just in case my contacts dry out)
snacks (granola, dry cereal, dried fruit)
extra clothes
a hairbrush and hair band
For the kids I bring
books
crayons
paper
extra clothes
extra snacks
as much water as I can carry
sippy cups
a couple of hand towels to wipe up any spills
Alone, I avoid eye contact so I don’t have to talk to anyone. I prefer to keep to myself.
With kids, I have an excuse to not talk to anyone – I’m too busy taking care of them. Fortunately, my kids are good travelers and I haven’t had any major issues on planes. Even the one to Colombia with a 4 month old and the later one with a 3 year old and 9 month old. Then again, that flight is only 6 hours -not bad at all!
Washing sippy cups in airplane “bathrooms” is one of my least favorite things to do.
Bring a book and my iPod. One or the other gets used.
Wear slip on shoes.
Preferably wear a skirt so I don’t have to worry about taking a belt off during security. Plus more comfortable to fly in than jeans.
Get Starbucks immediately after passing through security.
1. upgrade to first-class (even if I have to pay for it)
2. ipod
3. kindle
4. turn all the fans to ME
5. avoid conversation at any cost
6. slip off shoes, elastic waist pants (sometimes even jammies)
7. oh yeah – passport
8. contact case, solution, glasses, toothbrush, clean underwear
9. aisle seat
10. pray
ready for take-off (which btw will be to Moscow Russia in August – I am psyched!!)
No way – Russia! Really? We lived in Ukraine for two and half years. How’s your Russian? Kak Di La? :)
-splurge and buy myself a fun magazine to read… (when I’m traveling alone that is)
-pray over everyone I and my little ones will come in contact with… immigration workers, airline employees, stewards, and fellow passengers… that they will be child friendly, patient, and even helpful if needed… it’s amazing how God has answered our prayers over the years of travel with little ones.
-make sure I have 2-3 copies of all important family documentation, our passports, visas, birth certificates, Bolivian id’s, American id’s, and marriage license in one place all together.
-make sure the portable DVD player and laptops are FULLY charged!
… get butterflies in my tummy because I’m excited about “going somewhere.”
(Other than that, I don’t fly enough to have an “I always” ritual.)
1. Hit the Bathrooms before Boarding.
2. Have a stash of headache meds (excedrin and Firoicet)
3. I always get very lightheaded and dizzy and feel like passing out. (I actually have passed out a few times on a plane, but just for 5-10 minutes usually)
4. Sleep- the entire flight usually. I don;t notice the dizziness and faint feeling that way, and when I’m asleep it’s OK my heart rate drops – ’cause I’m sleeping. And I really do think one can pass out while sleeping. I think I have before, LOL
5. Take pictures, the few minutes I’m awake.