Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Packing for a trip

When I first started at my airline I had no idea how to pack. My first trip was a nightmare. I packed way too much. Since then I have refined what I bring. I'm starting a 4 day trip tomorrow.

In my main suitcase I have:

1 spare Uniform Shirt

3 undershirts

2 regular colored tshirts (for working out/walking around)

1 pair of jeans

1 collared shirt

4 pairs of  black socks and boxers

1 pair of tennis shoes

1 pair of white socks

4 pair of contact lenses

Shaving supplies

Network cable (for hotels without wireless)

3 tuna fish meals (more on that in a bit)

3 Snack bars

With the exception of the last two items, this is my standard 4 day trip suitcase. I have rarely needed more than this. Getting down to this level took a while. Sometimes I would not bring enough...other times too much.

The trip I am leaving for has two overnights I have been too before, one I have not. One of them I know for sure has no food available at the hotel or nearby. We get in at midnight and leave at 3PM the next day. I plan on eating the fiber bar for breakfast and the tuna fish meal for lunch. I might get the hotel van to take me for food. Maybe.

Tuna fish packs well for trips. I used to bring a lunch bag with associated ice blocks. Keeping food cold while on the road can be a challenge. I found it too much of a hassle. Having snack bars is a must as I never know about delays or how energized I will be once I get to a hotel.

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My flight kit (the big black bag you see many pilots slug around), I carry a few items as well. In addition to the required manuals, I carry my headset, umbrella, alcohol wipes, lotion (skin get very dry flying around all day), chapstick, notepads, pens, a snack bar or two and of course the most important item...my easy button.

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I love stickers...my flight kit has a few.....

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The third bag I carry (flight crews are supposed to only carry 3 bags...most people abide by this rule) is my "man purse" AKA laptop bag.

Inside my laptop bag is my Macbook Pro, headphones, Zune MP3 player, associated charging cables, book, magazines, car keys (hate having them in my pocket), lotion, snack bars, cameras, spare coins (I dump them in when going through security), notebook lock (used in hotels), alcohol wipes and my laptop ac adapter. I bought a second laptop ac adapter that I only use on the road. Remembering to pack my main one with my laptop was too hard. Having one only for travel is much easier.

2 comments:

  1. Im afraid that may be too late for the world. We could impeach him though.

    ReplyDelete

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