Atlantica - 01.01.2006, Side 19

AT L A N T I CA 17
Cozy socks and a sleep mask are a flight-kit must. I found a pair of cush
Smartwool socks made for running but equally apt for padding to the ladies’, and
a line of clever sleep masks printed with pairs of famous pop-art eyes from Andy
Warhol’s oeuvre. (Yes, it was tough choosing between Marilyn and Chairman
Mao.)
Basics covered, I went in search of entertainment. A sand-filled hand-exercise
ball will, I’m convinced, become the envy of my seatmates. Pocket-sized
notebooks from Red Horseshoe Paper are perfect for jotting in-flight notes, and
vintage air-travel notecards from K Monster and Company will help me get a
jump on correspondence. Or maybe I’ll just sit back and read—there’s room in
the kit for a couple of pamphlets from Bük America, a new company recycling
an old idea by packaging classic short essays into cheap, attractive formats as
on-the-go brain food.
Nor shall I forget about feeding my face, having stopped at Teuscher for a
morsel of dark, expensive boutique chocolate.
In terms of stress-management, I decided to supplement a box of drugstore
earplugs with a department-store vial of Origins’ classic Peace Of Mind formula,
a cooling serum applied to temples and pressure points. For good measure, I add
a packet of the fizzy drink mix Emergen-C, and if the situation calls for stronger
stuff, I’ll reach for a vial of Bach Rescue Remedy; four drops of the venerable
herbal preparation helps the cares of the world (or cabin) melt away.
Pack the goodies into the bag, and I’m set. I’m going to emerge from the
jetway fresh and ready to face the paparazzi.
So can you. It takes only a little bit of planning ahead to bring some of the
delights of the upper cabins back into coach – if you do it yourself, you’ll have
exactly what pleases you.
And as with drop-down oxygen masks, once you’ve got yourself taken care
of, you can see to the loved ones around you. A flight kit makes a great gift for
a traveling friend, and it’s fun to tailor the contents to the needs of the recipient
– a child flying alone, a long-distance relationship partner, or a jet-setting
hypochondriac.
Now, if only do-it-yourself legroom was a possibility. a
Airmail+OTF ATL106.indd 17 16.12.2005 12:15:37