The Flight Attendant Chronicles: Part 2

Anatomy of a Food Bag

I couldn't imagine eating out for every meal while working my 3-day trips. Not only would it get expensive, I think I would gain a lot of weight... do you know what kind of food is available in airports and hotels?! Mostly junk. This is why I pack a food bag for my trips...

Here is a photo of my Coca Cola/Southwest Airlines food bag that I pack each week before my trips... not every hotel has a microwave and refrigerator in them, it's a rare treat. Usually we have to use ice to keep our food cold and the airplane coffee pot to warm food up.
Classy, I know!

Last week, my food bag consisted of the following items:
apples, string cheese, yogurt, hummus, a red bell pepper cut up, carrots, turkey slices, tuna in a pouch (easier to pack and no can opener needed, just add mayo from the packets and eat with crackers on the plane), instant oatmeal (add hot water from the plane), spaghetti leftovers (in a freezer bag to warm up in the coffee pot), hard boiled eggs (great protein), Crystal Light on the go packets (because I gave up soda and water gets boring), banana bread I made Wednesday afternoon, microwave popcorn (because I knew my hotel room would have a microwave that week), and my own salt for the eggs.

Here is the hummus, turkey slices, and red pepper I had one day for "lunch"... notice the garbage can I get to stand over while eating, not to mention the bathroom that is 2 feet to my right. Again, very classy!

My goal each trip is to eat out of my food bag for breakfast and lunch each day, then buy dinner at the hotel the two nights I'm away. So far, I've been successful and I feel like I'm eating pretty healthy. But, week after week, packing the same food bag can get BORING, so I need to figure out a few new things to pack this week. I'll be in San Jose on Friday night and there is an In N' Out Burger within walking distance of our hotel... guess where I'll be having dinner on Friday? My mouth is watering just thinking about it!

So, there you have it, my food bag. I have learned some great tricks over the years on how to eat healthy on the road or bring your own food. You can even warm up pizza wrapped in foil on a coffee pot warming plate!

Insider tip of the week:

Did you know that a hotel room remote control is one of the most disgusting, germ filled thing around? Well, now you do! Most people walk into their hotel room and before doing anything else (i.e. wash their hands), they grab the remote and turn on the television. Presto! Germs galore! Here is a little trick I've come to use over the years. If there is an ice bucket in the room with a plastic liner provided, take the plastic bag and wrap it around the remote, then press the buttons through the plastic. Genius, right? This only works if you don't plan on using the ice bucket for actual ice, because if you are... please, use the plastic liner to protect the ice! :) I also travel with extra Ziploc freezer bags and sometimes use those to put around the remote or wipe it down with a sanitizing wipe from the airplane.


I would also recommend pulling back the bedspread before sitting on the bed, those are pretty gross, too. And also, always wear either socks or flip flops when walking on the floors... I swear, between working on airplanes, staying in hotel rooms, and becoming a parent, I have become a complete germ-a-phobe!