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Flying these days—unless you’re flying with quadruple gold deluxe platinum status (lucky you!)—can be a bleak experience. As a food lover, it can be particularly grim. There's nothing like paying for overpriced, mediocre food at the airport to make you feel extra terrible about that three-hour delay. And certainly the airplane food won't provide the least bit of comfort.
I used to travel constantly (read: two to three weeks of each month) and now I'm down to traveling merely frequently—so I’ve learned over the years how to step up my food and packing game for a more fun, enjoyable flight. Here are some foods, ingredients, and tools to pack to ensure that possible spillage, long travel, and less-than-ideal food choices are properly combatted. Safe travels!
Craft Cocktail Mixes
这些鸡尾酒套件几乎让你忘记哟u’re sitting on an airplane, inhaling dry, recycled air rather than on a cozy bar stool somewhere fancy. Each kit makes two cocktails so you can whip up your favorite beverage—negronis! Bloody Marys!—simply by mixing in a mini bottle from the beverage cart as it rolls by. My hack, though? I usually make a makeshift hot toddy on overnight flights by asking for whiskey/bourbon, hot water and lemon. It's not exactly the same as sipping one fireside (though the airplane can be just as cold as a winter night), and sometimes the lemon comes in powder form, but it is pretty good, especially when flights get chilly, and helps put me to sleep.
BUY IT:W&P Cocktail Kit, $24 for two drinks on W&P
Cocktail and Wine Tumblers
Once on a flight, my seatmate spilled her wine all over my computer. Ever since, I’ve been paranoid about liquids near computers, especially on planes. This is why I love the spout lid on the HydAway as it acts like an adult sippy cup to prevent spillage both on yourself and nearby computers whether it’s a result of turbulence or clumsy, tipsy seatmates. Plus, it saves plastic and ups your cocktail game. Simply ask the flight attendant to pour your wine or ice cubes in there.
BUY IT:HydAway, 17-Ounce Collapsible Bottle with Spout Lid, $25 on Amazon
BUY IT:Collapsible Travel Cup, 5 pack, 9.22 ounces, $20 on Amazon
Tea Bags
While coffee and tea are offered on planes, they are usually, well, a little less than desirable. It seems that you can most often only get black tea on planes, but you can always get hot water, which is one reason why bringing your own tea bags is the move. Try the calming Yogi tea for overnight flights or a green tea for when you need to stay alert and do some work.
BUY IT:Yogi Tea Calming, 6 pack, $24 on Amazon
BUY IT:Harney & Sons Green Tea, $6.50 on Amazon
Water Bottles
Many airports have water refill stations, which comes in handy as water bottles in airports feel ridiculously expensive these days. The HydroFlask is lightweight and is great for putting in your bag for hikes or long walks around the city. S'well has cute, compact ones that come in fun colors and designs for something less bulky.
