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.

To Pee, Or Not to Pee?

A little while ago Bobbylaurie(TM) made a post about something he calls "Lavophobia", where passengers (and sometimes crew) are afraid to use the lavs onboard the plane- for whatever reason- and it got me thinking about some of the weird toilet habits I've seen or heard about on the plane.

I'm no fan of the lav myself, as I think it's one of the ickiest places you can go, but I'll use it if I have to. I'll avoid it if possible, but I won't get so weirded out by it that I develop some bizarre ritual to deal with having to go tinkle in the sky...

Here's a few that I've heard of.


The Paper Towel Warrior

This person is the one who opens the door using a tissue over the handle, and proceeds to paper every exposed surface with paper towel in order to create a shield between their body and any germy surface inside the lav.



Of course, this takes quite a while and is likely to annoy both the people waiting, and the crew who have to keep replacing the loo roll and/or hand towels every ten minutes on a transcon flight. (There are quite a few PTW's on flights these days)


The If-I-Don't-See-It-It-Can't-Hurt-Me Type

They enter the toilet, cautiously peering out of one squinted eye, hoping the reduced vision level will prevent them seeing the horrors of the lav. They do everything by feel including wiping and/or papering the seat before sitting down, all the while thinking 'nice thoughts' to keep them from thinking about what might actually be on that seat. These people are also usually the kind that think if they can't SEE any dirty parts of the bathroom, then it must be relatively clean. (Haha)


The Hand Sanitizer Queen (King)

This passenger (or crewmember) is happy to use the lav at any time, provided everything has been coated in a generous amount of sanitizer before use.



They can usually be recognised by the fact they own shares in Bath & Body Works, and always have a spare bottle in their bag to give to that non-believer who might just be converted to using Purell after their eyes have been opened.

The I-Can-Wait-To-Pee Type

This flyer would rather risk their bladder health than use the icky loo on the plane. No matter how desperate they are, they just WILL NOT go. Even on a long haul flight. I once knew an F/A who was NEVER seen using the lav at any time, but on turns would run into the airport to use the restrooms in the terminal, screeching at everyone to get out of her way as she couldn't hold it any more. There was also an urban legend doing the rounds about a captain who was kind of on the fat side, and as he found it difficult to get in & out of his seat easily, would just pee in a bottle instead. Needless to say, those FAs wouldn't spend any time in the cockpit, much to the dismay of whichever First Officer he happened to be flying with that day.

The Number One Only Type

Happy to use the lav onboard but only for getting rid of number 1's. Will hold it for everything else.


The (Much Hated) "I Don't Do Number Two's At Home" Type

Out of courtesy to their loved ones/colleagues, they avoid going for a "newspaper break" at the home or office, but are only too happy to stink out the back of a 737 with their visits to the restroom. They don't even have the sense to use the air freshener AND I'm not allowed to light matches to counter the reek. I *hate* this type...


The Barefoot Adventurer


This type of passenger is likely to complain that the carpet is not clean enough, the plane is a bit old or the person next to them looks a bit sniffly. They will then happily walk into the bathroom with no shoes on (or even worse, wearing socks, so they can soak up the germs to take home with them.) I love cheerfully informing them that it's not water on the floor in there. On long flights, my colleagues and I sometimes keep a tally of how many passengers go in barefoot. If we're feeling particularly cheeky, we'll tell them due to safety regs that shoes must be worn in the toilet. It's funny how many go back to get their shoes, and how many just shrug their shoulders and go in anyway. I think just for fun I might try making a sign on the computer with a "no bare feet" symbol and stick it on the door... :P

One final note from me: Whichever 'type' you are- PLEASE flush when you're done, it's not a urinal!!




Have you observed any strange bathroom habits onboard? Are YOU a "Lavophobe"? What things do you do onboard to avoid the potential germs?

Leave a comment, hop on over to my Facebook page or Tweet me with your story!!

Ask the FA- How Do I Get a Bulkhead Seat?

I get asked this question a lot, and with the economy the way it is, oil prices rising and thus fares going up, people want as much value as they can when they travel. For most people, this means the best legroom for as little fare as possible. I'll add the disclaimer here that various strategies work best for different airlines, however a combination of these will probably give you the best chance..

There are several ways to increase your chances of scoring that coveted extra-legroom bulkhead seat.

Some airlines have the frequent flyer programs where you can have a 'preferred seat' put into your booking profile. The only problem is, these seats are popular and if a higher-tier member also requests these, you will miss out.

Web check-in is increasingly popular, so this may be another option, but you have to be quick!! Bear in mind depending on the aircraft configuration, some of these seats may be classified as 'emergency exit row' seats and depending on the airline may not be selectable during online check-in. (Seat Guru may be able to help you check this & have great reviews on leg-room and other in-flight amenities.)



If all else fails, try to check in as early as possible, and ask politely whether any of those seats are still available. As they are popular you may be disappointed, ask only once! You would be surprised how far being pleasant to check-in staff will get you. Always answer questions about exit rows honestly- people sometimes 'hide' reasons they think will prevent them having the seat they want- but even if you get it, the crew responsible for that row can still move you out if they think you shouldn't be sitting there.

These days, it's become increasingly common for airlines to charge a premium for bulkhead seats as they are so popular. In a worst case scenario, you may just have to pony up the cash to get that seat. Sold out? It's supply & demand baby! I often hear complaints from people who are tall or otherwise feel they need the legroom more than others. All I can say to that is, the onyl fair way for an airline to allocate bulkhead seats (aside from frequent flyer loyalty) is by a pay-to-use system. You want it, you pay, and as with many other things in life, it's first in, best dressed.



One last thing- bulkhead seats (especially on widebody flights are often also the location of baby basinettes; if you still get one after all the parents have been allocated, think to yourself do you really want to be sitting near the crying babies all flight!!! :)

A Perfect Potion For Sleep

A little while back my blogger buddy Robyn of Girl On Raw asked me if I would write a guest post for her, about maintaining a healthy lifestyle as a flight attendant.

Of course I said yes!!! I could pick any particular subject, so I chose one close to my heart, Sleep!!! You can read about my tips for managing your sleep over at her blog.

As a complement to this post, I want to share with you my latest discovery for helping in a good night's sleep. Recently while shopping in Sydney's Queen Victoria Building, I found the store 'Perfect Potion'. There's an outlet in Brisbane City, but I had thought it ws a stand-alone store. Nope, they've got them in other places too! Perfect Potion aims to make beauty and lifestyle products using organic and natural aromatherapy ingedients. I've used some of their oils before but never the face & body products.

I used to like In Essence travel roller balm but thought I'd see if PP had anything different. I tried a few different products before I saw "Cool It Quick Fix". It's a blend of rosemary, peppermint & lavender designed for use as a quick "pick me up" when you're feeling stressed or tired, including to relieve those yucky tension headaches.

So far- I LOVE IT!!! I recently had gone 3 days without sleeping well and was feeling really rushed & stressed on a flight, to the point where I just knew I'd have trouble sleeping on demand when it came time for the rest break in the crew bunks. I took my Cool It with me and put some on my temples and wrists. The peppermint is really soothing (and has a bonus side effect of helping with travel related nausea) and I don't even remember falling asleep. For the first time, I slept solid for the whole rest time without waking up once.

TT gives this the FA seal of approval!

The good news is, Perfect Potion have an online store & you can also follow them on Twitter and Facebook!

(This post was not sponsored by Perfect Potion and is my personal experience & opinion only, individual results may vary.)

On the Nose

Yesterday I asked a question on my Facebook page regarding undesirable 'neighbours' on a flight. I wanted to know if readers had to choose between a screaming baby and a smelly seatmate, which one they would rather put up with on a long flight.

I got some amusing answers, but most people favoured the baby to be stuck with, as at least there was a possibility the baby could be calmed down or would stop crying eventually. The smelly seatmate however, offered little in the way of solutions.

(As an aside, the baby comment reminded me of a line in 'Sex & the City 2' where Big & Carrie are stuck in a hotel room between a screaming baby, and Samantha having a *very* good time with her latest man. When Big comments, "I don't know which is worse", Carrie responds with, "Samantha. The baby will tire eventually." It made me laugh out loud!!)

Back to smelly seatmates. If you find yourself in the unfortunate position to be seated next to someone who is a little- ahem- 'fragrant', what can you do?

Well, it can depend on which airline you're flying with. Some airlines have policies in place to deal with malodorous travellers (Southwest in Airline, anyone?) while others have no official stance.

First things first, check out the seating situation. Are there spare seats available to move to? If not, you're out of luck. Or are you? If you're one of those card-holding frequent flyers, you may just be able to upgrade your way to olfactory reprieve :P

Discreetly speak to one of the flight crew. In most cases, there may be nothing we can do to help you, but we may be able to ease the situation using some of our little tricks. (At the least, a drink or two might help to numb the pain)

So. You're stuck next to someone who dosn't believe in deodorant, the alcohol isn't working and the flight is barely one hour along. What else can you do to stop yourself from jumping out the nearest door?

1. Physical Barriers

If you're flying on an airline that still has blankets, get one and use it to cover your mouth & nose (or even your whole face, if the person is smelly AND ugly). It might not sound like much but it can help to reduce the amount of smell that gets to your nose. (As my FA friend M calls it, a "stink shield".) If putting a (possibly icky) blanket over your face creeps you out more than the smell does, ask the crew if they've been provided swine flu masks.

They can serve the same purpose of restricting the airflow to your face and hopefully cutting down on the odour. An added bonus of using a mask is, you now look considerate, as if you are trying to stop spreading germs, rather than receiving them. (I always keep a face mask in my crew bag for just such emergencies, especially when I'm deadheading in uniform & unable to show my disgusted looks)

2. Aircraft Amenities

Use what the airline gave you. Open that air vent and use the airflow to blast the stink back where it came from. If you as the stink-ee have to suffer, then at the very least make the stinker feel your pain! :P This method, combined with the blanket, can be very effective.

3. Scents & Sensibility

If the whiffy person next to you is particularly offensive, the flight attendants are usually only too sympathetic. Ask them if its possible for them to discreetly blast a shot of air freshener in your general direction every time they pass by. If they can't (not all airlines provide freshener) or won't (could be too busy) pull out your own perfume/aftershave and go for it. If a person doesn't care about how they affect others, then you shouldn't care about possibly offending them. Maybe it's the hint they need!



4. Police Assistance

If you can't do anything else (aside from getting up as frequently as possible to escape the reek), use this tip a police officer once told me. She frequently worked crime scenes and as a cadet cop was often grossed out by the multitude of truly stomach-turning smells she experienced. On jobs, she always carried a small tube of scented hand cream (or perfumed body lotion for a potent punch). Take a small amount on the end of your finger and place it just inside your nostrils. You'll now be smelling the pleasant scent of your lotion rather than the passenger next to you. If you use an antiseptic lotion like Dettol, it can have the added advantage of helping to ward off icky cold/flu bugs. A Lanolin cream can have the side effect of stopping your nose from drying out- one of the first ways we get sick on a plane.

If all else fails, there's this tried-and-true method:



If you have any other suggestions, leave a comment, or hop on over to Twitter!

(Photos: Google Image Search)

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...

Beat the Heat

Now the summer months are upon us (in the southern hemisphere, at least) the weather is warming up and things are becoming hotter. As flight attendants, we're very aware of the weather, because even in summer it can mean bumpy flights and turbulence. Sometimes, summer turbulence is worse than winter. In Australia especially, the flat land heating up can produce very fast updrafts of hot air, which in turn becomes turbulent and we end up getting thrown around.

Even with modern planes that have air-conditioning, it can still get very hot. For example, if the plane has been sitting on the ground for a long time, or parked on the hardstand, the aircon might have been off. Sometimes the aircon might not work properly, and some aircraft only have cooling systems on when they have the engines on.

So how do we beat the heat? For passengers, it's possible to take off your jacket, or wear shorts (I'll leave why I think this is a bad idea to another post) but for the crew, sometimes we have no choice what to wear- maybe we have to keep our jacket or jumper on, or have a scarf which can make us feel hotter. For the ladies, stockings certainly don't help matters in the hotter months. Here's some ways I try to keep cool & refreshed on the plane.

Drink Up!

It's always important to keep hydrated on flights, but even more so in the hotter months. Although a lot of the time I don't feel like it, I force myself to drink as much water as I can to stop myself from feeling fatigued or getting a dehydration headache. it can get boring drinking plain water, but I don't like tonic or soda (not to mention all the salt in them) so sometimes I add in some lemon or lime, or just a touch of fruit cordial to liven things up.

Good Skin Is In
As crew, I've always taken care to use a good hydrating moisturiser, especially given the dry aircraft environment. In summer though, it's possible to switch to a lighter formula (even a gel) to stop that feeling of your face melting when it gets hot! As an Australian, it's very important to use a product for daytime wear that has a sunscreen in it.

I like the Nivea Daily Face Veil because I can wear it under my makeup and it's got SPF 30, which is the highest you can get here. I also look for foundations that also have SPF, in case I wear them alone.

Making It Up
Aside from using foundations that contain an SPF (most major brands now have them)

I also use a light dusting of powder to keep away shine. If you tend to sweat a lot in the face, sometimes blotting papers can help, especially to stop your makeup coming off as well! I use a brand from Hong Kong, but there's plenty available in Priceline such as ModelCo or Manicare.

Misting You
Another good item to have handy is a nice cooling facial spray. I like it for when I'm driving to work in the car, it's nice to have because once you use it you can turn on the airconditioning and it cools right down. It's also nice to use on those long night-time flights to make myself feel more awake, or to use after coming off the crew rest, so I don't look like I just got up! ;)

I have a nice one from the Face Shop, which is Jeju Marine and has a nice scent, but not irritating. Plain water sprays also work, such as Evian, but I find they make my skin feel a little tight and dry, so probably better if you can moisturise after using it.

Taking Stock
I might be trapped in nylons for the whole flight, but in hot weather the type that you use can make a real difference. So long as we have the right colour, the company doesn't really care what type or brand we choose to use. Instead of a full stocking, lots of girls chance to the 'stay up' kind in summer.

Basically it means there's less layers of clothing around the middle of your body which is where you feel hottest, especially when sitting down and stuck in a seatbelt harness for ages. The only thing you have to watch out for is that if it is VERY hot, the elastic doesn't always 'stay up'- so it pays to choose carefully when and where to make use of this type of stocking :P

Fan of Your Work
Another easy way to cool down is to carry a small folding fan in your bag, or even in your pocket. Handy for those times when the airconditioning doesn't work, or when you're strapped into your jump seat and can't get up.

In a pinch, a safety card or menu will do just as well!

These are just some of the simplest ways to beat the heat on flights, hope they have been useful to you. Have a great trip & stay cool!

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! :)

Homey Hotels

Amongst the flight attendants on Twitter, we've often had the conversation about hotel habits, little rituals that we have to make ourselves feel more at home while we're on the road (or in the air, more like!)


All of us have our favourite ways of relaxing, and it really depends on what kind of person you are at home. If we love our comforts at home, chances are we want to be comfy when we travel. If we don't 'need' a lot at home, generally we're light packers. I tend to swing somewhere between the two, depending on how long I'm away and what kind of trip I'm working.

If it's a leanover (very short layover) then all I'll want is comfy pyjamas,

my iPod and maybe a good book, adding a mini hot water bottle in winter or cold destinations. (You can pick up ultra-cute crew-themed tanks & pj's at theJet Line Clothing site.) If I have longer, I might bring a 'going-out' outfit, a couple magazines

and my beauty kit to do my nails and a facial while I watch a movie in the hotel. Sometimes I'll bring my little computer, and work on various things, or just watch tv. Nights where there's nothing good on, I'll try to write a few blog posts so I don't get too far behind.

Anyway, back to hotel routines. I already made a post back in the early days of my Blogger page on this, but what the hey, it's one of those topics that flight attendants never really get tired of!

First thing I do when arriving in the room, is to do a quick check of the room to make sure that a) there's nothing/no-one funky in there and b) make sure it's up to standard and one of the rooms on the crew list (they meet requirements for noise, light, amenities and so forth) Once the room checks out ok, I'll unpack my stuff. Pyjamas go on the bed, ready for sleep time. Book, iPod, torch & water go on the bedside table, along with the travel speakers and eyeshades.

In the bathroom, I unpack my toiletry bag, I'm a bit OCD in that I arrange all the items out in order of use so I don't need to think about it too much for an early bus time in the morning.

I also make sure the towels are handy and put my shower gel (Body Shop Satsuma) on the bathtub. If I have food that goes in the bar fridge. If we're staying at a hotel with mini bar facilities, I'll check out what they have on offer (and whether their prices are a rip off or not. If so, I go buy that from the supermarket down the road if there is one ;)

If I don't have a lot of time, I'll usually iron my uniform as soon as possible, and hang it in the closet along with the shoes and make sure all the badges and so on are pinned on, so I don't leave any behind. If it's daytime, I'll generally head out into town for a look round or to get food, order determined by how hungry I happen to be. On a leanover, especially a daytime one, I'll probably be getting right into pj's, popping on my eyeshades and music and nodding off to sleep as soon as I can (sometimes aided by a herbal sleep aid)

Sometimes the hotels we stay at have a nice pool or gym, if the weather is good enough (or the pool is heated) then I'm definitely there! Otherwise I'll go for a walk or at least get outside in the fresh air and sun if it's out.

Oh and I always have my slippers in my bag, because you never know who or what has been on that carpet before you! :P

What do you do to feel more at home in hotels- candles, room sprays, BYO pillows? Tell me! :)

Eating on the Fly

When you spend your life in hotels and in the air, it can be difficult to take care of yourself with regard to your diet and exercise. When you work odd hours on top of that, it becomes extra difficult. There's nothing quite like wanting to eat a nice healthy meal, only to arrive at your hotel in the wee hours of the morning and the only thing room service is interested in making is fries and toasted sandwiches.

For Aussie flight attendants, bringing your own food isn't the easy solution you might think, as in most cases, you cannot take fresh food across state borders. Things like cup-of-soup or dried fruits are fine, but salads, fresh fruit, sandwiches and the like are totally prohibited to be taken from one state to another. So if you want to BYO a nice salad for lunch, it has to be eaten before you get off the plane. Sure you can try to sneak it in, but Quarantine have the cute beagle dogs which will sniff out a single rogue grape at 30 feet! And if they find that apple you're trying to bring in... cha-ching!! $200 dollars, thanks!

What's a girl to do? Get creative, of course!! We've heard of cooking in your hotel room, but what if a) you can't be bothered and b) you fear all the potential germs hanging around on the counter tops? Here's what I did on a recent layover...

Take a walk to the supermarket & pick out your ingredients. In this case I decided a caesar salad was in order. I went and got my cos lettuce, cherry tomatoes, a 1/4 cooked chicken (make sure to ask them to take it out of the foil bag & put it in a take-away container) and a pre-packed salad kit which had croutons, dressing, bacon pieces etc...

much easier and no wastage from having enough croutoons for 10 salads.

1. Clear & wipe down the counter in the bathroom (just in case) next to the basin. The salad came in one of those trays sealed in a plastic bag. Flatten the bag and as you wash the salad leaves, shake them and place them on the bag so they don't touch the icky counter top.

Do the same with the cherry tomatoes, putting the clean ones on one side of the plastic tub to drain.

2. Take the 1/4 chicken and pull it into salad-size pieces, putting them on the lid of the take-away container. Discard the unused chicken scraps and wash the container out. Now layer the lettuce & cherry tomatoes into the container, adding the chicken as you like.


3. Using the salad kit, add half the croutons, bacon bits, cheese and dressing.

If you have any left over salad, once you've eaten the first half, rinse the container & make up another, putting the sachets of dressing & croutons in the container to add again the next day for lunch!

Two meals for arounf $10, much cheaper than airport food, and healthier than room service!

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!!!

Mini RV

Haven't had much time for posting lately, and again I'm heading out the door to fly, so in the meantime here's some pics of my 'mini RV'- the one I use for leisure trips of a couple of days, or training days for work.


It's very mini RV, it fits under the seat in front on the smallest planes, even turboprop 50-seaters. It has a nice long handle, so is comfortable to pull along, and 2 good-sized pockets on the front. My EeePC fits nicely in the main compartment with my clothes, and there's also expandable panels for that extra shopping room!



This was for a 2 day trip to visit family. In my RV I managed to fit:

One day dress (floral pattern you can see on top)
Pair black dress pants
Pair black high heels
Underwear & scarf
Toiletry bag
Adaptors/chargers etc
2 t-shirts
Contact lens solution bottle
Jewellery pouch
(Among other things inc a magazine and so forth)

Of course this packing differs from work trips, because I need more outfit changes on holiday. But as you can see, if you fold smartly, you can fit things in. Everyone has their own system, you find what works for you.

My RV waiting on a train platform, ready for an adventure! :)



PS- Many thanks to John from Adelaide Airport, of course you can let the team know I <3 ADL!!! :D

Blogging Live from Adelaide!

I'm sitting at gate 19 of Adelaide's lovely new airport terminal building, awaiting my 2nd flight with Tiger Airways.

The reason I'm loving being online right now is that I'm not on my smartphone (which although great to type on is not so good for blogging) but my trusty EeePC netbook. I've been 'surfing the webs' for the last 3 and a half hours courtesy of Adelaide Airport's FREE wifi access throughout Terminal 1. BRILLIANT!!! All I can say is, BEST. AIRPORT. EVER. I have to say in the Internet aspect, they even beat out Singapore's Changi Airport (TOUGH GIG!) -because you can use your OWN computer with the provided wifi. So far, I haven't been able to do that with my own laptop.

I've been happily doing work, sending emails & organising my iTunes library. Hey, if it means I pay an extra $5 tax every time I fly here on a bought ticket, so be it!

Currently, I'm gathering thoughts for my Tiger Airways Trip Report (TR).

Unfortunately photos aren't as forthcoming, being as it's been nighttime sectors, and the Tiger staff seem unusually camera shy for an airline who have their own tv show.

Got to go, time to board!!! Wish me luck...

Stay tuned for the TiGRRRRRRRRR trip report

Pillow Talk

Here I am sitting in my hotel room bed. The mattress is a bit hard, but at least the pillows are pretty good. I've discovered that the good hotel pillows (at least in mid-to cheap-range hotels) tend to be in the closet on the top shelf, rather than on the bed. Don't ask me why this is, it's just something that I've noticed.

Maybe the ones in the closet hardly ever get used, so they're softer, or perhaps the housekeeping staff have been told to put them there, so the 'expensive' pillows don't get used as much, and therefore need to be replaced less frequently.

Whatever the reason, if your hotel pillow is crap, try the one in the closet. At least it's likely to be cleaner! :p


Some crew I know take their own pillow (rare) or bring a pillowcase from home, to put over the hotel ones (not so rare). I used to bring my own sheet on one particular layover, because the hotel was notoriously icky & we often found unpleasant things in our beds. Let's not get started on airplane pillows, that is, on the airlines that still have them. Fortunately for my vacation time, I purchased the ultra-cute Lug travel pillow set (pink of course!) It's kind of like the PamBee, which Mel of Tampax Towers has, only I'm not quite so luxe as her & had to settle for the slightly more low-rent, but still cute, option. You can get your own here.

Flights today went ok. Two of them were very short legs. I had to work galley which is a full on but challenging post. Luckily I had a really good crew who helped me out where we needed it. This turned out to be a good thing, because we had to sit down early because of turbulence.This meant we had only just handed out the meal trays and were starting on the clean-up. Of course, there were one or two passengers who didn't understand that this meant we couldn't keep coming out to serve them more wine. The captain basically said to get the cabin ready for landing. That pretty much means, pack up your s**t and sit down.

Still, 6B kept insisting on asking me for another red wine. In my company, once the captain says prepare for landing, that's it. unless you;re having a heart attack, we can't do anything else for you except make sure your seat back is upright & your bag is stowed in the o/h locker. One couple in the last row got really upset that they didn't get their meals choice. Considering that I quickly served them for 30 seconds after the landing PA, they were lucky to get anything at all! We landed 10 minutess early due to tailwinds, and some people even complained about that! You just can't win! Having said that, majority of passengers were really nice & understood that we'd done the best we could..

On a side note, if you're travelling in economy, please don't nick all of my hangers from the closet in business class- I actually need them to hang jackets on- for BUSINESS CLASS!

Light As A Feather...

As you can see, I finally worked out how to add my Twitter posts (tweets?) to my blog. Not that they are that riveting, but anyway. I am such a noob, I was trying to think of a way to code it, but it turns out that Twitter just has an 'add to blog' button!

The turnaround ended up being ok. Half full on the way up, full on the way home. This flight is kind of notorious for a bit of misbehaving on the part of the pax, but they were ok this time. Jokey, and making mischief, but ok.

I bought a new rollaboard the other day. We get issued with company luggage, but have the option to purchase our own if we wish. I made do with the standard issue until now, but noticed on day trips that I needed something in between our tote bag, and our wheeled bag (which is bigger than passengers are allowed to bring on, because we do international trips)

My new one is so light! The company ones are heavy even empty, and by the time you pack even jeans, gym clothes and sneakers/trainers, it weighs a ton! let's not mention a laptop, book or any kind of company manual to study for SEP. Oh and the toiletries/makeup bag for the ladies!

So the new bag is a relief. I think I'll be trying to get away with carrying it ALL the time. Is strange how small it seems compared to the other one. I think it's onlly about 40cm tall. Wish I'd had this when I flew on the tiny planes- our tote bags would hardly fit under the seats, let alone our rollaboards! No 'buy your own' at that airline though!

The next week will see me doing a few 2 day trips and a couple of home reserves. So, need to catch up with paperwork, more SEP study and clean house!

Postcards, Tour Groups & the Dedicated Spotter Award

Well, where to start?

I had a great trip, with a really good crew, and awesome passengers. We had a daytime flight on the biggest Airbus my company flies, and were preparing to be pretty busy as is usually the case on these daytime trans-continental flights. Normally on the "Bus" we fit about 270 or so down back, but on this flight we were full in the front cabins and only had about 200 down the back. So it wasn't so crowded as to be crazy-busy.


I was still expecting things to be pretty full on though, as we serve complimentary alcoholic drinks as part of the premium service. Of course the passengers take full advtange of this and enjoy a wine or two with their lunch or dinner. (We have to be careful, as some will ask each of us for two or three drinks, potentially getting 8-12 drinks in a flight, so we must pay attention)

The crew were great, we were from 3 different bases which can sometimes be hit and miss, but these guys were fine! I flew with 2 girls from my base who I hadn't flowm with before, and they were really fun. We had time to chat on our break and just had a good time. We had some cute families on board, and a really nice elderly couple whose daughter was travelling with them. They were such dears, we had to open their cutlery and ice cream for them because I don't think they'd ever seen a Cornetto before! At the end of the flight, I found out that their daughter was turning around and going straight home again, she just wanted to make sure they'd be ok on the flight over! Isn't that sweet? (Not to mentione expensive! But, it's the only way to do it if you want to be absolutely sure they will get everything they need, as we sometimes get so busy we can't stay to help even if we want to)

One of my colleagues happened to mention a passenger who had asked if we could find out some information from the captain. This passenger was a bit of an aircraft enthusiast, and he had a folder with lists of all the aicraft types, airlines and registrations he'd EVER flown on, as well as departure airports, arrival airports and anything else you could think of. (AviationCrazy, you would have been impressed!) So of course we offered to take his folder up to the guys up front, who wrote all sorts of things down for him including altitude, speed, fuel figures, all those facts only "plane nerds" like me would appreciate.

I went for a rummage through our amenity box and found a company pen which we gave him. I also went on a mission to find the rare writing paper and envelopes, plus a pack of playing cards, but sadly they hadn't been loaded on that sector. My last idea was that I vaguely remembered putting a company postcard in my bag on my last international trip, so I was hoping to find it and pass it round the crew for them to sign. But again, it wasn't there, and then I remembered that I had to throw it out when a juice spilt in my crew bag :(

Still, the passenger was thrilled when I told him to stop by after landing to say hello to the crew in the flight deck (this is allowed at my airline) and he had the chance to take a few snaps in the flight deck. I wrote down the name of a company that used to do tours of the airport (runways and such) and told him to visit the airport museum. At least one person left the flight happy! While I was in the airport later, I took the chance to drop by the gift shop and bought about 10 postcards to put in my bag, just in case. I never have any in the aircraft when I need them. Besides, I like to be able to bring out something like that as a surprise!

So after the gift shop we jumped in the crew van to the hotel. Was good chit chat with the girls, and as we were on a min rest we decided to just pop over to the restaurant next door and have a drink and a bite to eat. I got a crew discount cocktail (hehe) and we had wedges, fries and some thai entrees. It was really good. But soon it was off to bed for our early pickup. I had a whole Chinese tour group staying on my floor, and boy were they noisy! They were going in and out of each other's rooms, talking loudly and laughing. But bless them, I couldn't be angry, they were probably on the trip of a lifetime, so I just turned up the ocean soundtrack on my iPod louder, and nodded off to sleep pretty much right away.

More about the trip home, and an interesting sign, a little bit later!

(Pictures: A330 Cabin- Swiss Airlines)

Pretty Busy...

I haven't written anything here for quite a while, well I know it's not been that long really, but in my usual schedule of posting every few days, I guess it has!

I've just been up to the usual, flying my butt off, hanging out at home on reserve days and meeting up with the friends and family when I can.

Workwise, things have been pretty good. I've had some great flights, I've done some trips to Darwin, Melbourne & Brisbane (yes SHB, I hate our hotel as much as you do!!) and I had a really good performance review from one of the onboard managers. I've actually done a few flights with her lately, so she compiled those into the one review, and gave me really good marks.

Unfortunately, as with most businesses at the moment, the suffering economy is taking its toll. While the flights seem as full to me as ever, we are getting a bit of a doom-and-gloom speech from our managers. Nothing too bad, just that we have to be sure to work extra-hard to keep our passengers coming back to fly with us and to make sure they enjoy their flights. (Can be difficult when you feel your job is threatened, but oh well.) The other downer was that planned promotions are not going ahead, which means I'm stuck in employment limbo as to my status (at the moment on an open-ended contract, but that could change suddenly)

Other things happening? I've been taking advantage of the nice weather to sit by the pool on days off, or after early flights, and catching up with a good book. Today I went for a ride on my bike (yes it finally got assembled after much head-scratching due to the odd instructions which had nowhere near enough diagrams in them) and now I have a sore butt. (Must buy that padded seat cover). I'm nowhere in Kimmy's league, I just plan to ride as somehow it seems easier than walking for exercise.

And hallelujah, I managed to get my tax papers found from the abyss that is my storage room and get organised to finally file the damn thing, nearly a year after it was due. (Apparently I have til end of June to do it if I want the $900 government bonus- yes I do!) Add that to the estimated $1900 tax refund, and well, that's a good $2800 for the travel fund. Woo hoo! (I did dip into the savings a bit, but only to pay essential things like rent and car loan from the month I wasn't working)

Aside from that, I've been trying to be better at looking after myself. I kind of got slack during my leave, I stopped taking my vitamins etc and really noticed it. So I've been doing things like using a body scrub once a week, having a nice face mask at night before bed, taking a half hour in between housework to read a nice magazine (free from the plane of course) and just do things like that, 'me time'. I really got into it last year and I suppose wintertime is more conducive to it as there's more reason to stay indoors.

Lastly, the computer issues have been sorted, luckily I had taken out extra warranty and the company which provides the after-manufacturer warranty agreed to repair it. So off it went with the Toll man to get its checkup, they would only have got it today so I think maybe Monday or Tuesday they will look at it and maybe Wednesday I might get a call to tell me exactly what's wrong. Hopefully I'll have it Monday after next at the latest. In the meantime am getting photos printed out, just in case. Think I will stick to DVDs as backup from now on, as the portable hard drive saved everything in a weird archive format so I have no idea where a particular file is, and it's all compressed! Next time I will just copy and paste everything I think!!

In-flight iPods & Medical Emergencies

Hey all,

I'm feeling a little too drained at the moment to do a proper update. Have had a huge past week at work, not least of which involved some medical emergencies. (Last time it was SHB's turn, now it seems, it's mine.)

I promise I will post in more detail, once I've had a chance to rest up.It's just a hugely big weekend at the moment, being Australia Day and everything. (Our version of July 4th, for my US readers.)

Yesterday I dropped my sister in at work, the funny thing was, passing one of the major hotels I just about ran over two of SkyHighBoy's colleagues, who weren't watching before crossing the road. Oops! That could have been a nasty flight delay!

In news for travellers, Singapore Airlines have announced new technology to allow iPod & iPhone connectivity inflight. Pretty cool news for travellers. Other airlines, including Emirates and Delta, are said to be following suit.