My 3 Transatlantic Travel Essentials

This week we're heading back to the States! We'll check on our house, catch up with friends and get lots of family visitors. And, I'll admit it, bask in the cool air conditioning. (I'm a traitor to the environment, I know.)

While packing this week, I started thinking about my absolute essentials are for transatlantic air travel, and I was able to narrow it down to three vital items I always have close at hand.

1. Essential Oils, 2. Mints, 3. Noise-Canceling Headphones
1 - Essential Oil. I have a "breathe blend," but tea tree oil works well, too. If I notice the air is getting musty or my nose is getting plugged, a quick sniff or a drop on my wrists is a perfect refresher and pick-me-up. The smell is just so pleasant and crisp. Alice enjoys feeling more relaxed with a little lavender on her pulse points, as well.

2 - Mints. You won't believe how multifaceted a mint can be on a flight. Like the essential oil, it will banish the stale air, clear out sinuses and perk me up. But I'll also pop one to calm tummy troubles or nausea from turbulence or (gross) plane food. And it's useful as a sucking candy to pop ears on landing or takeoff (I'm not a fan of gum). Last, it's perfect to freshen your morning breath post-snooze. MVP of my carryon!

3 - Noise-Canceling Headphones. I'll be honest, I can't help but eavesdrop on a plane, especially when we're all boarding and the conversations are loud and stupid. So the headphones are essential to tune them out. I'll listen to a podcast or an audiobook, or, later, I'll use the white noise app to help me fall asleep. Nothing says "Do Not Disturb" like a pair of big headphones. I also have a few music playlists (calm or happy) ready, in case I'm feeling frustrated or grumpy about the flight.

Honorable mentions:
And, if you're traveling overnight, I recommend Melatonin a natural sleep aid. We get the small dosage from Trader Joe's and one (or two) will help me sleep on the plane or when I'm jet-legged at the hotel. They're so low-dosage my big kids (ages 9 and 12) can take one if they're struggling to fall asleep, too. (I usually travel with an Advil PM in case I need the big guns.)

I also like the Kindle app on my iPad, where I can download free magazines to skim or rent romance novels for free. I also use my Everbrite app to make lists, type out ideas for our destination or memories from the trip. I have a stylus so I can write (or draw) instead of type, too. 

And, last, I can't forget wet wipes (messy kids or face cleansing) and hand sanitizer. Plus, I go nowhere without reusable water bottles and plenty of snacks! The more bready/less salty, the better!

What's in your carry-on?



Related links:
So many more Carry-on posts!
My Packing Strategy -- in Three Phases
Last year's Podcast reviews

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The $80 Kitchen Pantry Update

Image
It took two days and about $80 in supplies, and now our kitchen pantry is REBORN! Here's a quick review of the project in pictures, starting with the BEFORE pictures: My main issue with the wire shelves were bottles or anything "thin" would tip over. And with my commitment to bulk, I wanted to store glass containers in here but knew they wouldn't be "safe." I foresaw broken glass at some point. Plus, it's a great space, so I knew I could add more storage space if I was strategic. Last, wire shelves are ugly. So then I demo'd the pantry and painted the walls (which was just primer) with leftover paint from the rest of the house. It's called Polar Bear. I paid an electrician to install an outlet at "counter height" in the pantry, so I could move the dumb microwave off the counter. (The electrician did a slew of other small jobs around the house, not just this outlet, including a motion-activated light in this pantry. Tres Fancy
Keep reading »

Family Calendar Improvement

Image
 Made a quick improvement at the start of the school year that I'm pretty excited about.  And yes, I'm probably the only one excited about it, but here goes ...  Here's our "command central" in our kitchen. This is a good landing spot, and a central place to all look at the family calendar ... it's that huge wipe board in the middle of the photo. All our activities are supposed to be written on here and our electronic family calendar on Google.  (Brief aside: my family is the WORST at writing their plans down in either calendar and Dave still doesn't share his events on our Google Shared Family Calendar consistently, which makes me nuts. And they all ask me "what are we doing today?" instead of looking at the calendar, usually directly behind me. But, that's another post.) I went to so much trouble putting this little area together and that huge calendar with wobbly writing was really killing the sophisticated look of that space. PLUS, we don
Keep reading »

Basement Shiplap Project

Image
The guys left me all the unused shiplap from the bathroom and I've been trying to think about where to use it. I had so many ideas but not a lot of shiplap, so I eventually settled on this corner of our basement. It's where the exercise mats and treadmill live, right behind the sofa. And also where the Marvel-themed bathroom with shiplap is located. So it made sense. It took much of a rainy Sunday to cut and nail up the new boards ...    I even had enough to do on the "backsplash" of our little kitchenette in the basement I've been slowly building out.  Next up will be to patch all the nail holes and calk around the edges for a clean look. And then the best part ... picking out paint color. Since this is a "free" project, I'm hoping I can find a color in my paint cabinet.  I'll keep you posted. 
Keep reading »