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DW dropped me and D1 aged 7M to go on an international flight halfway across the world. I was carrying her, her hand baggage and mine. A good samaritan stranger close to my seat offered to hold the baby while I put the hand baggage away. She started bawling and within seconds threw up big time all over the lady. I had never felt more embarrassed in my life, and the lady was so classy and completely dismissed my apologies and offered many more times to look after her during the flight.</p>
<p>Oh yea, I never knew for months that what I ate influenced S’s digestion when he was nursing. Somehow, I just never made the connection. Some of the veggies I consumed caused him to have “gas” and “explosive poop.” Fortunately, we always brought a change of clothing and diapers for him–unfortunately for us, we never thought to bring changes of clothing for us, which made plane rides more eventful than we would have liked. ;)</p>
<p>I caused an embarrassing incident on a flight. While trying to open a difficult packet of salad dressing, I managed to squirt it all over the woman sitting next to me. It made a pretty big spot on her jeans. I felt awful and offered to give her money for dry-cleaning, but she refused.</p>
<p>First rule of thumb when traveling with kids-- Each needs a change of clothes in their backpack. Second rule of thumb… parents should have at the least, a clean t-shirt in theirs, as they are usually in the line of fire.</p>
<p>Not really strange, but interesting-- Simpati airlines in Indonesia used to stop at the end of the runway before takeoff, and all passengers were instructed to take out their prayer card and pray in the religon/language of their choice. The prayer card had Christian, Muslim, Hindu and I don’t remember what other prayers… Covered all the bases.</p>
<p>toledo, any air traveller who doesn’t know enough to wear washable clothing deserves whatever dirt comes their way.</p>
<p>^^^I hope the card included a statement of the Bernoulli Principle. I have always held that the reason planes stay up in the air is the sheer power of faith. Most people have faith that the plane will fly, therefore, the plane flies. If you happen to get on a plane where most of the people doubt that the plane will fly, the plane will not fly. So for me, a cogent statement of the scientific principle that makes flight possible would go a long way to making me believe that the plane would fly – there by increasing the safety factor for everyone on the plane.</p>
<p>My DH (like many consultants and other businessmen/women) travelled weekly for 2 years. Much of the time he was in a suit because he was either flying directly to or from a meeting. His suit is not “washable”. I think your post is unduly harsh, LasMa.</p>
<p>LasMa, in today’s travel climate where travelers are charged extra for luggage, it is often more practical to wear your business suit and pack the extras in a carry-on bag. Otherwise the bulky suit would need to go in checked luggage. </p>
<p>While it’s a good idea to wear washable clothing, it’s not always the most practical option.</p>
<p>That’s a good point too, bookreader. </p>
<p>Which reminds me of other “weird behavior”. Maybe it isnt weird, but rude. A passenger decided to move other people’s belongings from the overhead compartment and squish them elsewhere to make room for his stuff, which was large and probably should have been gate-checked. He didn’t even ask whose items they were and if the owner(s) minded. He just took them out and shoved them elsewhere.Really rude.</p>
<p>OK, my bad, I agree it was harsh. I don’t travel for business, and I do have the luxury of wearing easily-washed clothing when I fly. I apologize.</p>
<p>But since I have that luxury – besides the risk of having things spilled on me, another reason I wear washables on a plane is that afterward, they have that indefinable airplane smell on them. It doesn’t smell dirty exactly, or even particularly unpleasant, but it’s definitely there.</p>
<p>
Hate to disillusion you, but the forces generated by the Bernoulli effect are nowhere near enough to get a plane off the ground.</p>
<p>Instead, you should be praying to Newton. :D</p>
<p>A few years, I was returning from a vacation with my family. When I went to my seat there was a family sitting in our row and a toddler in my seat. Before they were reseated, the toddler managed to spill his entire super-sized coke from McDonalds on my seat cushion soaking it through. I refused to sit there until the cushion was changed. Perfectly reasonable, right?
Well, I thought the passengers were going to lynch me. I was the only one standing in the plane and all eyes were on me. It took them forever to get a new cushion. Why they didn’t take one from the kid is beyond me.
However, the day was saved when just before we went onto the runway, the homeland security guys came on and took the guy who was seated next to me off. Guns were not drawn but their hands were on their holsters.
I can’t believe I didn’t remember this until now.</p>
<p>^To think Woody, your stubbornness (and the spilled Coke) may have saved that flight!</p>
<p>Were you willing to sit in his (the guy taken off the plane’s) seat cushion?!?!? :eek:</p>
<p>And thanks for apologizing LasMa. Classy.</p>
<p>I guess I am fortunate that I no longer have an accute sense of smell and cannot smell the “airplane smell” on things, including clothing. Will have to ask H & the kids if they can. I do understand that some folks wear business attire, especially if they have to race from the plane to a meeting, as several folks I know do. Am fortunate that I am able to travel in washable, comfortable attire instead. Still have a black stain acquired on an airplane on the sleeve of a white washable blouse.</p>
<p>That would have been an unnerving start to a flight, Woody–toddler, spilled coke & terror suspect escorted off the plane! I also would have refused to sit on a coke marinated seat cushion.</p>
<p>notrich, It doesn’t really matter if the principle is correct or not, it just has to sound scientific enough to convince me that there is a rational reason the plane will stay in the air, so I am good praying to Newton too.</p>
<p>You’re all wrong. The reason planes stay in the air is that people like me hold onto the arm rests with white knuckles throughout the entire flight, thereby holding the plane up in the air. Word.</p>
<p>You are so thoughtful hayden. Thank you for the service you provide. :-)</p>
<p>Almost forgot about this one.</p>
<p>Embarking on the return flight cross-country with the infant Lake Jr. in tow. Once in the air, I pulled out the bottle and began to feed the little son of a gun. He finished the entire bottle promptly. Well, unbeknownst to me, granmama had also fed Lake Jr. just prior to us departing for the airport, which was a stone’s throw from the house. You know what’s coming. 5 minutes after finishing the bottle on the plane, Lake Jr. is in my lap and he lowered the boom!!! All over my shirt. And of course as a new papa I didn’t have any change of clothes in the carry-on. Amazingly, the two passengers in the row with us didn’t notice a thing, until several minutes later when one said “what’s that smell?”</p>
<p>All I could do was laugh. Flight attendant was good natured, and she found new seats for our aisle mates. I spent the next 25 minutes in the restroom with Lake Jr., washing my shirt in the teeny tiny airplane sink, fending off more than a few anxious fellow passengers with apparently weak bladders whom kept banging on the door.</p>
<p>hayden, I thought planes stay in the air because people like me don’t move a muscle (that would throw off the balance of the plane) and barely breathe (all that inhaled air makes us heavier)!</p>