I recently had one of those Flights From Hell(tm), in which a 45-minute layover became a 4-hour layover. Of course, the canny business traveler is prepared for such things, even in these days of reduced baggage and carryons, which leads to the question - what's in YOUR travel survival kit?
After some discussion with friends on Twitter, we came up with the following list. The idea is that this is stuff that fits in one's backpack or laptop bag, so that one doesn't have to carry yet another bag. Our list:
- Outlet splitter/USB charger (I like http://kmrt.us/dQkytf for this purpose) to share charging stations/outlets.
- Playing cards
- Pocket book of crosswords/sudoku (and, obviously, pens/pencils)
- MP3 player/headphones/earphones (if you don't automatically carry that, as I do)
- Peanuts/trailmix/granola bars, in case the delay extends past closing time for airport shops
- Instant coffee/cocoa and/or vitamin drinks (such as Emergen-C)
- Collapsible drinking cup (such as http://bit.ly/f24DFb for example)
I already had most of these, but I'll be adding Emergen-C (thanks to @billmalchisky for the tip). After being caught by an unplanned overnight stay last night (sans baggage), I took to adding an airline "amenity kit" (the ones received in business/first class) as well, since they include basic toiletries such as a toothbrush/toothpaste, earplugs, comb, eyeshades (useful if one wishes to nap in the terminal), socks...already packed in a delightfully small pouch. All told, my "survival kit" occupies but one pocket of my traveling pack; the security is well worth the space.
What's in YOUR survival pack?
2 comments:
Just emptied my backpack for the exercise :-)
http://twitpic.com/48ykra
I carry all of this stuff, all the time. I've been caught out before, and now carry everything I need to be self-sufficient without checked luggage.
Noise cancelling headset (one of the BEST travel investment's I've made),
Universal power adapter, nuff said,
Emergency battery powered phone charger,
Every cable and connector known to IT,
Spare laptop battery,
Spare laptop HDD,
My TV tuner card (never be stuck with something you don't want to watch again...)
Several USB drives,
Spare whiteboard markers and laser pointer (hey - I'm an instructor),
Blank CD's - so I can burn an install/boot disk if I need to.
Coffee powder, Mints, Energy bar, Cough Drops (and Ibuprofen in the clean-kit)
Clean-kit
Toothbrush/paste (get the Colgate folding one - it's great!), razor, chapstick, skin crèam (cuts, scrapes, etc), Q-Tips, deodorant, alcohol based disinfectant spray (Bill Buchan gave me enough at #LS11 so I won't need to buy any this year, also good for cleaning Laptop screens), Ibuprofen
Tissues (Qantas keeps my supply full),
Clean boxers and socks - being clean is nice, having clean underwear is even better!
Join a frequent flyer program, and pay for Lounge access if you need to - to take advantage of your clean kit! NB: SOME lounges will give you toothbrush/paste and maybe a razor, but this is rare, and they NEVER have deodorant!
The orange thing is a battery powered inset repeller, it works, and it's brilliant for anywhere tropical with nasty bugs!
Personal Stuff
Family Photo's
Binoculars (from Deb - so I can "always see where I'm going")
Compass (from Deb - so I can "always find my way home")
My Passport (Trust me on this one!)
Just weighed it - total of 3kg (6.6 lbs), worth every pound!
It's not just airport delays that I carry this stuff. 3 times in the 'States, twice in Aus and once in Europe I've made my connecting flight, but my luggage hasn't, that's also when the additional stuff comes in really handy.
Heh, I travel light, especially for a girl. I usually bring:
iPad, headphones
Emergen-C
Water bottle (empty)
Nutrition bars
Tissues
Toothbrush/toothpaste
Gum/mints
Alieve
Computer, chargers
A small fleece blanket - sometimes you can't find a chair to sit on, so I sit on the blanket. I get cold in flight. Or if I'm wearing a skirt I can cover up if needed.
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