Yahoo Autos I flew over 100,000 miles in a year, here's what I bring with me to make air travel more enjoyable
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Travel is an incredible way to step away from your day-to-day life, relax and reflect, not to mention have new experiences, but air travel can be incredibly stressful. While these items won’t completely get rid of all of the stress associated with flying, they have made air travel much easier and more enjoyable for me, to the point where I look forward to getting to the airport, rather than dreading it.
Patagonia Black Hole Duffels
The type of luggage you prefer vastly differs depending on what kind of travel you do. For me, duffels like the Patagonia Black Hole duffel check all of my boxes. With a variety of sizes from 40 liters, which meets most airline and train carry-on requirements, to 100 liters, they allow you to bring as much or as little as you need. They’re also weather resistant, feature a handle as well as removable backpack straps, have some internal organization and fold into their own pocket for storage when not in use.
When I was in my 20s I had no problem throwing a 100L duffel on my back and hauling it around an airport. That is not the case anymore, which is where the wheeled duffel comes in. It’s a bit more price-wise, but my back has thanked me over and over.
My favorite feature for all of these, especially with how often I travel, is Patagonia’s Iron Clad lifetime guarantee. Traveling 3three or four times a month can be incredibly hard on your luggage and the fact that the brand will repair or replace any duffel that doesn’t hold up is a huge plus in my book.
Personal item bags
For me, hiking backpacks check all of those boxes much better than regular personal item-specific bags do. If you think about it for a bit, it begins to make sense. Hiking packs are usually lightweight and are designed to make carrying a lot of gear comfortable for long distances. Many of them are also designed with synched built-in, meaning you can compress what you carry to fit in the rather limited personal item sizes of each airline.
My current favorites are the 22L Patagonia Altvia and 20L Osprey Daylite Plus, which both offer features like dual water bottle sleeves, multiple exterior pockets and a lightweight hip belt (which is removable on the Osprey).
Double check to make sure that your personal item will fit. While most airlines don’t always check to see if your personal item is exactly the correct size, more and more often budget airlines like Frontier and Spirit will charge you upwards of $99 per bag per flight if your personal item is larger than they allow.
Water bottle
If I could bring only one thing with me while flying other than my luggage it would be a water bottle. It is incredibly easy to get dehydrated while flying (especially on long flights on older aircraft) and a water bottle from the airport will usually set you back five or six bucks, if not more. Also, every single airport I’ve been to in the past few years has had filtered water stations, making it incredibly easy to stay hydrated. Just make sure the bottle is empty before you go through security.
My go to is a simple narrow-mouthed 32 oz Nalgene, though it can be a bit cumbersome at times. This 24 oz Hydroflask will keep your water cold, while being a bit easy to fit in your backpack’s water bottle sleeve.
Snacks
Unless you have lounge access, getting food at the airport can become a budget buster very quickly, which is why I bring my food to the airport every time I fly. This allows me not only to spend less, but to have healthier options than those offered at the airport. High protein, easily packable options like beef jerky and different bars are good options that usually keep the hunger pangs away until I land.
Over-the-counter medicines
There are over 45,000 flights and nearly 3 million passengers a day in the U.S. according to the FAA. With that many people traveling in close proximity to one another, your immune system will be working hard. Add to that the fact that many people deal with allergies, upset/anxious stomachs, motion sickness and body pains from incredibly uncomfortable seats, you’ll likely want to have something with you to address at least a few of these issues. Whether you throw a few Tylenol in a Ziplock bag or have an organized case for all of your pills, you’ll be glad you have it with you, even if you don’t end up using it. Here’s a list of what I bring with me, leave a comment below if I’ve left anything out:
Diarrhea medicine (Imodium or Pepto-Bismol)
Pain and fever relievers like acetaminophen or ibuprofen
This should go without saying, but here it is: I am not a doctor nor am I giving medical advice. Make sure to check with your doctor before taking any medications.
Patagonia Houdini Jacket
Like most travelers I always try to look at the weather for upcoming trips and pack accordingly, but I have had times when I had to board a connecting flight on a tarmac and didn’t think to look at what the weather was going to be. Other times I’ve expected places like L.A. or Las Vegas to be warm and sunny based solely on reputation and have arrived to a downpour. That’s where a packable jacket like the Patagonia Houdini comes in handy. At just over 3 oz in weight, I can throw it in my bag and usually that’s the last I think about it. But when you need it you’ll be very glad you have it. It won’t keep you dry if you’re outside for hours in a downpour but for short jaunts from airport to cab to hotel or even longer waits on a drizzly tarmac, it’ll do nicely.
