Travel Stuff

When you travel on the road, it's not uncommon to develop an (sometimes unhealthy!) obsession with travel gadgets and tiny-sized toiletries. It's quite usual amongst flight attendants to have a comparison session in the galley of the most recently acquired "cool stuff", especially after a layover in a new city or one known for great shopping.

Here's a few links to some neat travel stuff I've spotted around in various places in print & on the web. As I just wrote down the links and not the place I was reading, I couldn't actually tell you where I saw these originally, sorry. I just thought they were cool. (I have also not been asked nor paid to feature these items, I just figured some of my readers might like them and are not responsible for any effects on your credit card!!) ;)

I'd always wanted one of these when I was a kid. Until I heard the joke about the Russians just using a pencil. But still, as someone who gets tired of cheap hotel pens running out of ink at the worst time, the Fisher Space pen seems like a pretty cool idea. Especially if you've ever ruined a uniform with exploding ink stains!

Notemaker has quite a range on their website as well, with all the different models. A bit on the expensive side, yes, but then again you should no longer have to be buying or stealing taking your entitled pens from hotel rooms 200 times a year.

Now, for all you Flight 001 fans, they now have their very own .com.au site, full of all the travel gadget geekiness you know and love. One cool product I'm lusting after is the Grid-It, a neat web of elastic bands to keep all your bits & bobs (especially electronics) in place.



For someone who's always losing her phone chargers in a carry-on bag, this is a great way to keep track of everything & prevent tangles. (Hint Hint Santa)

The next product up is shown in prototype form, but would be awesome for those long flights where you're stuck in a middle seat with nowhere to snooze. Basically, it's a hoodie with an inflatable pillow built into the hood, so you always have a place to lean wherever you may be- airport floor, train, in your parent's car on those boring road trips... anyway, hopefully this one will be available soon. My notes show Burton as having one, but when I checked their website there's nothing there, so it's either sold out or not being made available here just yet. Still, pretty cool!

Hart & Heim is one of my favourite stores, and you can now shop online! I can always find something cool here, and for those of you who hate packing, or always forget something, here's the solution for you. The Packing List is a tear-off notepad with checkboxes for all of the stuff you might need for your trip. Simply check items off as you pack them and you'll know exactly what's in your bag- even if you're the "pack three things then wander off for 3 hours" type. If you work in an office environment be sure to check out the rest of the pads & sticky notes, including the classic 'Sh!t List' and 'Do This Now' versions. Great cubicle-dwelling fun!!! =)

Have you seen any cool new travel stuff? What's your favourite gadget that makes your life easier?

Leave a comment below or head over to Facebook or Twitter to tell me what you found.

It's Sale Time...

Have you been wanting some cute new travel gear, but couldn't justify it to the hubby/parants/accountant???

Ciao Bella Travel are here, with their post Travel Expo Sale!

It's on now until next Thursday (or while stocks last). So stock up now for your next trip or organise an early Mothers day present.

To receive your 25% discount, just fill your suitcase then enter promo code Sale in the promo code section when you reach the check out. Enjoy!

Products include travel bags, eye shades, the famous SINGLE SHOTS range & 'Plane Friendly' clothing items.

Click here to check out the CBT shop!

Ask the FA- Recap

As you may know, I've recently teamed up with the lovely gals from Aussie company Ciao Bella Travel to write a Q&A for their newsletter. CBT have a great range of travel gear as well as lots of information to help you plan your next trip (or help you daydream those last few hours away on a Friday afternoon!)

The next newsletter will be out soon, so for those of you who might have missed it, here's the first edition of "Ask the Flight Attendant".

Q) Why do I have to open my window blind during takeoff and landing?

A) Believe it or not, this is one of the most common questions passengers ask. There are some urban legends out there about why this has to be done, but believe me, they're NOT true! It can also be annoying if you've just woken up and the sun is really bright, or it's hot outside and you want to stay in the shade- but safety comes first.

The simple reason is, window blinds must be open at these times so that if anything is happening outside the plane that shouldn't be happening, the crew can know what is going on. You might wonder how the crew would know when they are sitting down near the doors for landing. Well, that's where passengers come in. If anything really drastic is happening outside (for example, a fire) we're pretty sure that you will let us know about it! There are also systems built into the plane itself that will inform the pilots if any kind of malfunction is happening.

If you're an uneasy flier, rest assured that the chances of anything bad happening on your flight are minimal. And if you DO see something that you think isn't right- please tell the crew. You might feel silly, but we appreciate it that you're looking out for our safety too. Ninety-nine times out of a hundred, whatever you've seen is normal. If this is that one time it's not normal, then telling us means we can do something about it.

Once we've taken off, feel free to close the window shade & enjoy your flight!

If you want to score yourself some fab goodies, head over to Ciao Bella Travel & check out all the lovelies on offer! Soon we're hoping to bring you some fab offers and of course you can also click on 'Become a Member' to receive the latest info right to your inbox, stylishly as always!

Ciao...

Ciao Travellers!

Finally I can let you all in on a project I've been working on. I'm a big fan of the Aussie site, Ciao Bella Travel, makers of the handy 'Single Shots' travel toiletries range.

Aside from these extremely popular products, CBT also carry a wide range of cute travel accessories- from bags and tags to gadgets to make life on the road easier.


The girls at Ciao Bella also have some great travel tips, blog articles, city guides and a travel forum- so you'll never miss those must-see places or local secrets on your holiday.

I'm also pleased to say that the CBT girls & I have teamed up to bring you 'Ask the Flight Attendant'- a new section of their newsletter aimed at answering those things you always wanted to know about travel & flying, but were too afraid to ask!


So pop on over to Ciao Bella Travel, check it out & sign up for the newsletter- you'll be glad you did! In case that's not enough to tempt you, check out "Bella Benefits"- great discounts at some cool places. Best of all, Ciao Bella are based in Brisbane- I love Aussie brands! :)

If you have a question you'd like to see answered in the next Ciao Bella newsletter, send an email to info(at)ciaobellatravel.com.au or Tweet me! :)

I've Got the Power

Life as a flight attendant has changed dramitcally in these modern times. Where once one had to keep in contacvt with family via letters & telephone, we have progressed to email, Facebook and other gadgets to keep in touch with our loved ones at home.

However having this modern convenience comes at a price- having to firstly bring the equipment with you, and also keeping it charged up and running.

Some of the things flight attendants carry around include:

Laptop/Netbook (essential for we blogging/Twitter/Facebook addicts)
Mobile phone/iPhone/Blackberry (Non-negotiable now for FAs so Sched can contact us)
Digital camera (Ditto for the bloggers)
iPod
PSP/Nintendo DS/Other gaming device

Along with these devices we must also carry the various chargers and adaptors. The drawback to this is, we are trying to minimise the stuff we carry, and also it's quite easy to lose plugs. I'm sure nearly all FAs at one point or another have left a phone charger plugged in at the hotel, only to realise halfway to home base where it is. There's also the issue of not being able to charge things in airports where plugs are blocked, or on the plane during a delay.

Enter the PowerMonkey, a nifty device I picked up duty free on the ferry across from France to Dover.


This handy little gadget is basically a portable recharging device. It comes with a wall charger, but unlike other chargers, it has interchangeable adaptors for different countries so you can buy it and use it anywhere. Included with the PowerMonkey are various adaptors for devices and different models of mobile phone, so you only need the one charger. I can charge my iPod, my camera and my phone all with one. Laptops are trickier as they need a lot of power, so I haven't tried, but it cuts down my required units from 4-5 to 2. You can also buy additional clip-on connectors for other devices if they're not included.

All in all, you should check this baby out if you travel with lots of gadgets! The PowerTraveller website also has lots of other useful items, including a laptop version, aviator's torches and solar-powered chargers for you adventurous types!!!