Air travel hints and helps

[CTyankee]

3. I go to Europe once a year and have looked for the perfect carry on bag...

A tote was too tall and had no zipper. Most carry ons I had or looked for were just too big. Finally, I got a LeSportSac bag I could wear, that has an adjustable strap, across my chest. It has some nice inner pockets and zips up...a good size that fits under the seat ahead of me. So it frees up my hands. I take a medium sized roll around titanium bag, very lightweight, that I check. For a 10 day trip I usually take 3 pairs of basic pants, an extra pair of sturdy shoes, several tops and rain jacket. Since I travel in either spring or fall, my black cotton jacket is the perfect weight and a trim fit. Just enough underwear that I only do one laundering in the hotel sink, using a disposable travel pack of Tide liquid detergent.

It helps to wear a passport/cash/credit card holder on a cord across the chest chest but under my jacket. Only 2 credit cards and my ATM card, all of which, plus the passport, go into the hotel safe, unless I know I will need a cc for shopping or a restaurant. I try to aim for just enough euros so I can get them at the airport ATM when I arrive, but it is a bit tricky trying to gauge what you'll need.

I now carry at least $110 extra dollars, besides what I need for my travel to the airport and for when I return. This is because I had my passport stolen several years ago and had to have $100 in cold hard cash to get an emergency passport at the U.S. Consulate. The fee is now $110.

I never carry my passport on me during my stay. However, I have a copy of it in my carry on bag as well as taping another copy on the inside of my checked bag (I write in my home phone number on the sheet). I also leave a copy at home (hubby doesn't travel). I write down the emergency phone numbers on my credit cards ONLY and I also contact them, and my bank for my ATM card, at least two weeks before I leave and tell them dates of travel and my destinations. That way, they expect that I will be using them in a foreign country.

A friend of mine packs her old underwear and just discards them as she goes, so she has bag space for things she buys. It's an interesting concept and does have some merit.

I always pack Immodium! I only had to use it once but thank god I had it. You can easily pick up a virus on an international flight, so I try to keep my hands washed/sanitized during the flight.

Going over, I always have low dose Ambien, and even with the low dose I try to use just half. No alcohol or at the most one glass of white wine with the evening meal. It's difficult for me to sleep on planes but the small amount of Ambien usually gets me a couple of hours, and I don't wake up feeling drugged. A sleep mask is a must, however. You are warned to carry prescription meds in their original bottles, altho I've never been asked to show them.

An inexpensive midsized ringed notebook serves as my journal since I travel mostly for art and need to jot down my discoveries/observations. I had a bad experience using my cell phone camera so I am going to upgrade to a smart phone, which I should have done once smart phones came on the market. You generally cannot take photos in art galleries, even if you don't use a flash. My photos are usually of the ambiance type of picture...street scenes and architecture.

Return flights are hell on me, so my new strategy is going to be flying nonstop on return if at all possible. Still, I have not found any "cure" for jet lag...I wish I could!