Ask and You Shall Receive

I am currently on the US side of the big pond this week.  Taking a journey back home to the arms of friends and family.

Part of my journey of course included the long flight to Philadelphia and then on to Pittsburgh.  It was a great trip but I thought I should share some tricks on my international travel with you.   I believe I have mentioned before some of my health issues.  I am living with multiple autoimmune diseases which can make travel difficult.  Either the jet lag or just finding foods for me to eat that I am not allergic or intolerant to.

So some of my secrets to make traveling possible for me which I have learned over the years, are really pretty simple but they make a huge difference for me on the road.

About a day or two before traveling I take some melatonin (do a google search on this supplement) to start getting my internal clock ready.  At the airport, it is always worth asking at the ticket desk when checking in if there are any bunk head seats…when flying these days it is very important to ASK for the things that will make your trip more enjoyable.  All they can say is no…but many more times they will say yes.

On the plane, just as it is about to take off I take 2 melatonin pills and am normally asleep in about an hour.   I also download some books onto my ipod before I leave and it is at this moment that I pop in my ear plugs and get comfy.  For me, the melatonin and audiobook helps me sleep most of the flight.  Wearing comfortable clothes and shoes easy to remove are a great tip…but don’t forget some soft socks for the 8 hour flight.

One of the most important thing to think of if you have special food needs like I do is to order your meal at the time of purchasing your tickets.  I have to have gluten free meals and for years it hasn’t always been easy to find and many times the airlines use to give you a gelatinous glob of tofu which wasn’t too appealing…OK so I will admit I cried one time when they presented me with that white block on a flight, knowing I would have to go hours with out food.   On my flight on Friday I was pleasantly surprised to get my pre ordered gluten free meal and it was delicious.  A juicy chicken breast served with ratatouille and polenta.  It was GORGEOUS!! I made sure to tell the flight attendant who appreciative I was.

Another tip for my fellow photography friends who are shooting film, I ordered most of my film to be delivered to my parents house who I am visiting, but I wanted some film on me for when I landed.  I put my film in a small mesh bag and when I was going through the security check points I requested a hand search on those items.  There were many confused faces…”FILM WHAT?”   Also many funny security personnel joked they would open the film up and pull out the film to check it, but after a laugh or two they would wipe the items and check with a chemical for explosives but other than that small delay, I had safe film upon arrival.

I guess my whole purpose to write you about this subject is to tell you, even now in this day of cattle car like flights and high security…it never hurts to make your needs known, in a polite way and a smile…and people will normally try to make your travel a good experience.