With summer around the corner (yay!) lots of people will be planning plane travel trips. We'll probably spend this summer welcoming the new baby, camping locally and spending lots of time in our backyard. But one day we'll take a trip again - maybe Tofino off Vancouver Island, or hiking in Sedona again.
Over the years, we've developed some plane protocols as we call them - things we do to make plane travel less toxic, whether one of us is taking a plane or whether we're flying as a family (something we actually haven't done in several years now).
We developed these after learning more about what one can be exposed to on plane seats, surfaces in planes, while eating plane food & drink and in the airport bathrooms. There are some things one can't control at all, unfortunately, like the air quality on the plane and bumping into germs in the crowds of people at the airports. So at least we feel we're doing a few things to make it all smoother, and a little bit more eco friendly.
(both photos above, via Flickr)
1. Bring twin-sized, old sheets to cover each plane seat with. Over the years we've kept some old sheets we retired from regular bed use, and kept them for use on planes. They are just the right size to comfortably fit over the plane seat. In addition to serving as a barrier between you and the toxic flame retardants soaked into the plane upholstery, the sheet serves as a clean, germ-free place that is really quite conducive to comfy naps, we've found. When you deplane, just fold up the sheet with the clean insides facing one another, and keep for your next trip, or clean at the hotel or family/friend home you are staying at.
2. Bring non toxic sanitizer to clean the surfaces of the plane seat area with. There are some fabulous, even alcohol-free, and toxin free sanitizers out there (in tiny bottles, even) you can use to clean and wipe down plane seat surfaces with. Most hand sanitizers are, unfortunately, very toxic, but there are some alternatives. You can also make your own. The tray, the computer, the armrests - all of these things can be easily and quickly cleaned for little hands to play on. The other option is to use a cloth you bring with bar soap, wet in the airplane bathroom. That brings me to #3.
3. Bar soap! Our plane travel best friend. We take a smallish bar soap, tuck it into a ziploc bag (Ziploc bags are BPA free, by the way) and use it instead of the toxic, perfumed soap in airport bathrooms and even in the plane bathroom. And it's not a liquid so there's never any trouble with airport security. We take another bag with a few little wipes or wash cloths.
4. Bring as much non or less perishable food as you can with you on the plane. We put veggie and meat calzone-type pies in the freezer the night before and eat those cold on the plane. At least we know they are organic, and healthy, and taste a whole lot better than what's usually available. We usually have half a backpack filled with food, and it usually doesn't last nearly as long as we imagine. As long as it's not liquid, there's usually no trouble with bringing it on the plane. And some really kind flight attendants have put some food in their fridge for us - especially things like home-jarred pears for our daughter.
5. Once you're past security, before you board the plane, try to find some glass-jarred juices and water. There have been a number of studies asserting that plane water (served as water, and used to mix coffee/tea and sometimes juice) is less than totally healthy. And the canned soft drinks used on planes all have BPA (bisphenol A, a toxic hormone-disrupting chemical) in the linings. So, short of drinking whisky and rye, we try to stock up on the best options at the shops in the airport before we board. You can often find drinks in glass bottles, which are the most inert and least toxic options. And of course water from home in a child's own sippy cup or stainless steel water bottle is usually OK as far as airport security is concerned.
(photo, above, via Flickr)
6. Lounges. I had never been in an airline lounge before our long trip to Arizona. But when our plane was delayed and we knew we had a 5 hour layover with a 2 year old, we decided to check things out. It turns out that many lounges allow you to purchase a day pass. While expensive at the time, it wasn't too expensive in the overall trip budget, and it saved a lot of sanity. The lounge was quiet, roomy, calm and clean. No crowds. No voices over intercom. Windows and light. And room to run. And play. And complementary snacks. It was wonderful. I'd probably do it again.
Happy travelling!
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