Travel tips

[Chuck Bao]

I just arrived back in Thailand and I wanted to write some things down so I don’t forget this stuff the next time I travel. I’m sure you guys can add your own travel tips.

1. DO NOT EAT BEANS before a flight, especially if you are on a 14-hour flight over the Pacific.

2. Long island iced tea is a good choice to put you in a relaxed mood before flying. Heck, I don’t even remember having left the ground and that’s a really good thing in my opinion.

3. No longer count on getting sufficiently drunk at the airport. For the first time, I was cut off at two airport bars at DFW and LAX.

4. Allow for plenty of time and patience for airport security. It took me one hour to clear airport security at LAX and they didn’t even give me a good and proper feel up. My security guy at LAX just didn’t seem to be getting into it.

5. If you are the praying type, say a prayer not only for the plane and pilot, but the passengers too. You never want to hear the pilot ask if anyone on board has medical experience and it seems to be happening more often these days. Of course, you don’t want to have to make an emergency landing somewhere in the Pacific. But, that is a remote secondary consideration. I’ve been praying that the sick passenger was okay and that he, unfortunately, just ate a whole lot of beans.

[Leroy Lizard]

I just arrived back in Thailand and I wanted to write some things down so I don’t forget this stuff the next time I travel. I’m sure you guys can add your own travel tips.

1. DO NOT EAT BEANS before a flight, especially if you are on a 14-hour flight over the Pacific.

2. Long island iced tea is a good choice to put you in a relaxed mood before flying. Heck, I don’t even remember having left the ground and that’s a really good thing in my opinion.

However, if you are clearly inebriated they can prevent you from boarding. That would really suck.

I think the FAA has its priorities fouled up. They should be looking for those having eaten beans, not drinking booze. I would much rather sit next to a drunk.

[TheHumanAlphabet]

...5. If you are the praying type, say a prayer not only for the plane and pilot, but the passengers too. You never want to hear the pilot ask if anyone on board has medical experience and it seems to be happening more often these days. Of course, you don’t want to have to make an emergency landing somewhere in the Pacific. But, that is a remote secondary consideration. I’ve been praying that the sick passenger was okay and that he, unfortunately, just ate a whole lot of beans.

You know, I have been traveling hard and heavy internationally now for 8+ years. Last year I had 2 calls over the PA about requesting passenger medical support. I have never had that occur previously. It is a bit disconcerting when you hear that. And reading on FlyerTalk how late last year a CO FA died enroute to EWR from Europe from an apparent heart attack, just makes you realize how vulnerable you are when in the Aluminum tube...

Glad you arrived back to Thailand okay...

How is the King? and did you find a job yet?

[Chuck Bao]

However, if you are clearly inebriated they can prevent you from boarding. That would really suck.

I think the FAA has its priorities fouled up. They should be looking for those having eaten beans, not drinking booze. I would much rather sit next to a drunk.

Good gosh almighty, I agree with you, Leroy, and I would sit next to you on a plane anyday or maybe I already have. Luckily, Asian airlines still do that all-you-can-drink free booze thing so they are not so inclined to be prudish about it, unlike the US-based carriers. US airlines focus on what works for them instead of what works for the vast majority of passengers. I need some lubricating to get me on that big metal thing that is supposed to fly.

[OUthunder]

Deodorant is always welcomed as well.

[Chuck Bao]

You know, I have been traveling hard and heavy internationally now for 8+ years. Last year I had 2 calls over the PA about requesting passenger medical support. I have never had that occur previously. It is a bit disconcerting when you hear that. And reading on FlyerTalk how late last year a CO FA died enroute to EWR from Europe from an apparent heart attack, just makes you realize how vulnerable you are when in the Aluminum tube...

Glad you arrived back to Thailand okay...

How is the King? and did you find a job yet?

It has happened quite a bit on my flights. Once on a Thailand-Europe flight, we had to make a medical emergency stop in Iran. I was near the couple and the wife was hysterical. She did not want to get off the plane in Iran, but the pilot apparently made the call. To Lufthansa's credit, one of the air stewardesses went with the wife to comfort her and make sure the ailing husband got the needed care.

To answer your questions, THA, I think that Thai politics is stable for the moment and I do not yet have a job.

[Chuck Bao]

Deodorant is always welcomed as well.

Just don't accidently pee down one side of your pants as the plane goes through a bit of turbulence and then try to disguise it by a liberal splash of cologne. I'm sad to say that that does not work.

[OUinFLA]

I never fly on a flight numbered 888

[Soonerfan88]

5. If you are the praying type, say a prayer not only for the plane and pilot, but the passengers too. You never want to hear the pilot ask if anyone on board has medical experience and it seems to be happening more often these days. Of course, you don’t want to have to make an emergency landing somewhere in the Pacific. But, that is a remote secondary consideration. I’ve been praying that the sick passenger was okay and that he, unfortunately, just ate a whole lot of beans.

Had this happen on the way to Phoenix. We ended up routing to Omaha & were delayed about 2 hours as they off-loaded the passenger, family & luggage then had to wait in line to get de-iced.

[FirstandGoal]

So I'm confused on who ate the beans. Was it you or the unfortunate passenger that needed the medical help?

[Chuck Bao]

So I'm confused on who ate the beans. Was it you or the unfortunate passenger that needed the medical help?

I ate a big plate of Tex-Mex food including a generous portion of refried beans on the way to DFW. I requested it because there are no good Mexican restaurants in Thailand. I seriously regreted that decision during the long flight over the Pacific.

I do not know what was wrong with the passenger who needed medical assistance. I was hoping that he just had a case of stomach gas.

[Tulsa_Fireman]

Deodorant is always welcomed as well.

This. Embarassing story time.

We're in the friendly confines of Munich when my lovely wife and I decide to knock out our check-in online. We grumbled a bit about our four hour layover in London from when we originally scheduled the tickets but stared shocked at the screen when we discovered our flight from Heathrow to DFW had been outright cancelled. The friendly folks at American Airlines had moved us to another flight through Chicago but we were now staring down the barrel of a nine hour layover.

As we wade through the madness at the Jihadi and Dot-not-feather Airline counters, we find out how the british really feel about us colonists as the AA ticket counter and boarding lanes are tucked in the bowels of old London Heathrow, as far away as one can get from the sparkling new and amazing terminal reserved for British Airways flights. We almost expected a herd of goats to go trampling by as my dearest wife braves the insanity and dives into line. But through all the craziness, God bless him, the AA employee at the counter finds us a spot on a plane, a nice 777, and shuffles us to the front of the check-in line with ten minutes until the plane is scheduled to leave.

Now I'm a big boy. The family packmule. My lovely wife still has her lithe, long legs from her former track star days and remembers how to use them. So after the fine folks with American Airlines speed us through check-in, I smile at my bride and simply say, "Go. I'll keep up."

And go she did.

With our two carry-ons and two "personal items", I adjust my load and bear down on the yoke as I see her bobbing blonde hair begin to disappear in the distance. And just like traffic, my haste and heavy load finds every shuffling geezer in London on the way to our gate. But we get there just in time, lathered up from the race across the airport, sneaking in a sigh of relief between deep breaths. And needless to say by the time we loaded our bags the family packmule smelled exactly like a packmule, even through the deodorant. I was embarassed as I could be but sometimes fate can be kind as I sheepishly smiled at the man next to me, wanting to apologize but not wanting to attract the already obvious attention to my sweat-ringed t-shirt and the ripening funk.

The man asked me if I was from Tulsa as we settled in, noting the TULSA FIRE hovering just above the still wet, darkened blue of my time on the yoke. And as we talked, I discovered the man was from Piedmont, visiting his daughter who lives in Germany. And wouldn't you know it, we ended up talking about some Sooner football. So if you're out there Man from Piedmont, my apologies for stinking up your flight. And I appreciate you for simply being who you are and where you were.

[GDC]

Of course, you don’t want to have to make an emergency landing somewhere in the Pacific.

You don't make emergency landings in the middle of the Pacific, you just die.

[SunnySooner]

Slip on shoes. And if you have any metal in your body, just get there early and allow time for the body cavity search, not that bad, I've had less fun on a Friday nite. ;)

[JohnnyMack]

So if you're out there Man from Piedmont,

A/S/L?

[Harry Beanbag]

There once was a man from Piedmont....

[SicEmBaylor]

The worst experience I've had is getting stuck at Gatwick for 3 days and finally being bused over to Heathrow for the flight home.

[Chuck Bao]

My worst experience was flying into Tokyo a few years ago. We were stuck in a holding pattern because of a severe storm. The air turbulence was so bad and for so long that you could hear people retching and throwing up throughout the plane. The man sitting next to me threw up in his barf bag thingy until he couldn't anymore, but he kept trying. When we finally landed all of the flights out were delayed and passengers on other incoming flights said that they had the same experience.

The main thing to remember is to never wear light colored clothing when you are flying, unless you don't mind showing the "turbulence" stains for the rest of your trip.

[C&CDean]

My worst experience was flying into Tokyo a few years ago. We were stuck in a holding pattern because of a severe storm. The air turbulence was so bad and for so long that you could hear people retching and throwing up throughout the plane. The man sitting next to me threw up in his barf bag thingy until he couldn't anymore, but he kept trying. When we finally landed all of the flights out were delayed and passengers on other incoming flights said that they had the same experience.

The main thing to remember is to never wear light colored clothing when you are flying, unless you don't mind showing the "turbulence" stains for the rest of your trip.

You know what's interesting (to me at least)? I've been on flights that were so bad the overhead bins were popping open, lights are flashing, dust and crap is falling down out of the crevices between the overhead bins and the wall, people are wailing/puking/fainting/etc. and I've never been anywhere close to sick. Scared ****less to be sure, but not sick.

I've been on the ocean a few times - most recently a couple years ago on a cruise to Bermuda - where we had to leave a day early for Boston to try and beat a hurricane. We didn't make it. The drinks in the casino were spilling everywhere, you couldn't stack your chips cause they would topple over, and walking on the track around the ship was painful because you were slamming into the rail, then the inside wall, then the rail again. The elevators all smelled of vomit, and about 90% of the people were in their rooms retching. Not sick at all.

Put me in a car as a passenger, ask me to look at a map or any printed material, and I am sicker than a damn dog within seconds. WTF? I can't look down and read without getting instantly nauseous. I can read in an airplane both in flight and taxiing, I can read on a heaving ship, but not in a car. What's really weird about it is if I am driving, I have no problem. I used to put a newspaper up on the steering wheel and read while driving across New Mexico/Arizona and never once get sick. Let somebody else drive and look down to read? Vomit. Weird.

[olevetonahill]

You know what's interesting (to me at least)? I've been on flights that were so bad the overhead bins were popping open, lights are flashing, dust and crap is falling down out of the crevices between the overhead bins and the wall, people are wailing/puking/fainting/etc. and I've never been anywhere close to sick. Scared ****less to be sure, but not sick.

I've been on the ocean a few times - most recently a couple years ago on a cruise to Bermuda - where we had to leave a day early for Boston to try and beat a hurricane. We didn't make it. The drinks in the casino were spilling everywhere, you couldn't stack your chips cause they would topple over, and walking on the track around the ship was painful because you were slamming into the rail, then the inside wall, then the rail again. The elevators all smelled of vomit, and about 90% of the people were in their rooms retching. Not sick at all.

Put me in a car as a passenger, ask me to look at a map or any printed material, and I am sicker than a damn dog within seconds. WTF? I can't look down and read without getting instantly nauseous. I can read in an airplane both in flight and taxiing, I can read on a heaving ship, but not in a car. What's really weird about it is if I am driving, I have no problem. I used to put a newspaper up on the steering wheel and read while driving across New Mexico/Arizona and never once get sick. Let somebody else drive and look down to read? Vomit. Weird.

Prolly all that dayum Yogurt an Granola **** you eat

[SunnySooner]

Me too, Dean, never sea/airsick, but CANNOT read in the car. GRRRR!! We take long road trips, it would be nice. Sometimes we do audiobooks, which can be fun, but I wish I could flip thru my People without hurling on it.

I get "arrival sickness" (aka MDDS, some French name) from cruises. Never been sick a day on the boat, but when we get home, it's usually two weeks before it feels like I'm not on the boat anymore--feels like a heaviness, dizzy, nauseous, can't walk straight, etc. Regular meds don't work, so they give me Valium to calm all the tiny ear parts back down. Helps some, but not much. Happened on all 3 cruises we've done, weird.

Anyone else get that? Took em forever to figure it out the first time, had to have an MRI (It's not a tuuumahh!), see the neurologist, etc.

[NormanPride]

It's a visual trick rather than a motion/inner ear trick. Your eyes tell you you're both moving and standing still (reading) and your brain goes "WTF, dude." and your internal sensors go all weird. baj gets motion sick really really bad even on a car ride home from work, and a lot of it is that. If she rolls the window down and gets fresh air it's not so bad.

And Sunny, I've had that too. I wasn't sick, but it did feel like the ground was swaying for a few days. I felt a bit nauseous when I first got on the ship, but once I learned how to balance myself and walk I was fine. Of course, it was a pretty easy trip even with the storms.

[FirstandGoal]

Hey Sunny, I get "landsick" as well. Been on 3 cruises (one of them was during a hurricane and I can relate to Dean's story) and never sick for one second. Then about 12 hours after getting back on land, I would get all woozy and feel like I was walking sideways for about a week or two after.

My biggest fear when traveling is being stuck somewhere without clean underwear. I always pack about 3 extra pair in whatever carry-on bag I've got with me.

[olevetonahill]

If I aint got clean ones I just go commando ;)

[JohnnyMack]

If I aint got clean ones I just go commando ;)

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