Food I Pack When I Fly & My New Year's Resolution

When I first started this job, I made a point of eating delicious local meals wherever I had a layover. Now,  experienced and jaded Flight Attendant that I am, if I have a layover somewhere new I absolutely make a point of trying out the local restaurant scene, but if I have a trip with three consecutive layovers in the same city (BORING), somewhere I don't have local friends, or a really short overnight (12 hours to get off the plane, get to the hotel, sleep, and back on the plane) I don't want to scramble to find food and I'd rather spend my time sleeping anyway. The trip that really convinced me I had to plan my food consumption better was a few months ago, when I found myself hiking across a dark highway to get to a Walgreens so that I could have something for dinner and lunch the next day. There are few things sadder than buying dinner alone in a drug store at 9:30pm.

My other challenge was that I often found myself with the ability to purchase delicious local specialties or I'd have leftovers that I'd want to eat for lunch but no way to transport them or keep them fresh. There's only so much you can do with ziplock baggies in your purse, trust me.

So how did I solve this little challenge?

I broke down and turned to my favorite travel store ever: ebags.com

I purchased their Crew Cooler II and it has CHANGED. THE. GAME. 

I can pack breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks in this bad boy and go for DAYS. It's also just a pretty good little carryon bag. Now, a word of warning. For most of you travelers out there, the Crew Cooler Jr. is going to be plenty big enough for your food needs while traveling. You're also going to want to keep in mind that as a uniformed crew member I have different parameters for bringing liquids through security, but you CAN bring foods through security if they're solid. Read, frozen. So pull a Queen Elsa and freeze that soup you're hoping to have for dinner later and you'll be golden. (Probably. Don't get stuck at a TSA checkpoint being like "But Caroline SAID I could bring frozen soup.")

In fact, the TSA has published a whole list of foods that you can and can't bring in your carryon. I love that Maple Syrup is specifically identified. You just KNOW that's because enough people leaving Vermont have been like "But it's a NECESSITY. I NEED THIS." 

Good news though, pies and cakes are cleared to fly. Thank. Goodness. 

For all you non crew flyers out there, the New York Times recently published an article about bringing your own food on the plane, so check that out. 

Food I Pack When I Fly

Leftovers from the night before

Roasted Vegetables

Crackers (Melba Toast or Saltines)

Almond Butter Packets 

Avocados

From Trader Joe's: 

Frozen Chicken Tikka Masala

Frozen Channa Masala

Frozen Reduced Guilt Mac & Cheese

Frozen Microwaveable Rice

Chicken in Red Curry Sauce

Precooked Lentils (these are in the produce section at your local TJ's and they are a GIFT)

Salad mix plus cucumbers, celery, and grilled chicken

Frozen Steelcut Oatmeal

Frozen or freeze dried raspberries

Not From TJ's:

Oatmeal Caramel bars from Hudak's in the summer

Vermont Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette

Non-perishable items I keep in my cooler:

Frank's Hot Sauce

Benito's Old Coy Dog Hot Sauce

Lake Champlain Chocolate Squares

Lara Bars

Tea bags: Earl Grey, English Breakfast, Peppermint, and Ginger

Mints and gum

I try to consume a generally beneficial mixture of whole grains, vegetables, and protein. If "eating clean" is your thing, you do you, but honestly I'm a little suspicious that it can stray too close to disordered eating. I'm with Nigella on this. 

Which brings me to my New Year's Resolution. Generally, I don't believe in committing to something just because it's January, but this year I'm trying to make a new start when it comes to one thing.

I've decided to stop seeing weight loss as success, for me or for anyone else.

Possibly a remnant of my pageant days, probably just part of existing as a woman in Western culture, in my head "losing weight" is something to be proud of. Like, when you see someone who you haven't seen in a while, and they've lost weight so you say "You look so great!". 

Being thin does not make you healthy. Being thin will not give you peace with your body or your appearance. Being thin is not, in and of itself, an accomplishment.

Personally, I struggle with wanting to be thinner (just like practically everyone else), and I kind of WISH I could go all in on an extreme diet and crazy workouts to drop thirty pounds, but I just can't. I can't because it feels wrong and nags at my conscience. There is NOTHING wrong with my body as it is (except for my one knee that keeps crackling and I do have scoliosis, but that's unrelated) whether it's at a size four or a size twelve. Frankly, I'm kicking around a size 8 right now and that should be ok.
Part of me wants to lose weight to fit into size four dresses that I just LOVE from when I was Miss VT. The other part of me wants to stay the same size I am now to show people (especially young girls) that it is completely acceptable to wear a size 8 dress. I know that when I see pictures of Amy Schumer, or America Ferrera, or another "average" sized celebrity it makes me feel less like there's something wrong with my body for looking the way that it does, and I want to be able to provide that for someone else out there in the universe.

There are a whole variety of weights and sizes out there in the world, and I need to constantly remind myself that it is acceptable for anyone to be any of them.  
(Unless your doctor tells you to lose weight for your health, then you need to do that.)

I want to be healthy. But does healthy have to mean having a thigh gap, the ability to do a handstand, and running marathons?
For me healthy means being able to easily stow my roll aboard in the overhead bin, being able to do a 90 second plank, and being able to run/jog/walk a 5k at a moment's notice.

So in the midst of this internal conflict, I think the best I can do for right now is to drink a LOT of water, enjoy my kale and my french fries, and to stop thinking losing weight is the pinnacle of success. 

That Reserve Life

As a newly hired Flight Attendant, one of the less delightful parts of the job is how you are assigned trips. New hires are generally "reserves". Each company structures their reserve system differently, but essentially what it boils down to is this: we sit and we wait for the phone to ring. We are the ones who get called in when another flight attendant has a cancelled flight, sick call, or missed commuter connection.

All summer and fall I flew very consistently, getting called for trips the majority of the time I was available.

Then winter came....

In December I flew very little. Very very little. So little that I almost started to wonder if I still had a job. This was the result of a perfect storm of circumstances: my seniority moved up just enough that I stopped getting called at the last minute, there was a computer glitch,  and luckily there were very few major weather events. So far January looks like it will be similar in terms of flight hours.

Here's a peek into the daily life of a Reserve Flight Attendant during a slow time:

The night before, you check your assignment for the next day. While the page loads you're like: 

via GIPHY

When you see you've been assigned a twelve hour on-call shift instead of a trip you're like: 

via GIPHY

When you check to see how far down on the list you are to be called, you're like:

via GIPHY

And then when you realize someone junior to you was assigned a trip you wanted, you're like:

via GIPHY

You keep your ringer on max volume so that you WILL NOT miss that call.

via GIPHY

When you wake up you debate whether you should get out of bed or shower because what's even the point if you aren't going to work?

via GIPHY

You accidentally eat way too much because you're bored.

via GIPHY

So you hit the gym like:

via GIPHY

All the while you're like, "Heyyyyyy Crew Scheduling!"

via GIPHY

You spend the rest of your day watching Netflix, crafting, reading, blogging, and who knows what else, but the whole time you're just like:

via GIPHY

Until your shift is finally over and since you didn't get called you're just like:

via GIPHY

Unless a co-worker on Facebook asks if it's legal to be assigned RAP A after RAP C and you're like:

via GIPHY

But you know that someday your trip will come and you'll be like:

via GIPHY

So You Want to Be a Flight Attendant

Do you dream of flying all over the world with a sassy scarf around your neck and your entire existence packed into a carryon bag? Is your goal to establish an exciting career in the aviation industry?  Do you want to explore the world? If your answer was "yes" to any of these, you're probably interested in becoming a Flight Attendant. But wait, you ask, how do I become a flight attendant?

When I graduated from training, we were told that our company only offered training spots to 2000 of the 200,000 people who applied for the job. Luckily, when I was applying I had no idea how competitive the process was. I was interested because I love to travel, I enjoy people, and I was excited by the prospect of all of the benefits- travel, dental insurance, and comprehensive health coverage.

In this wonderful internet age, there are a million resources available for aspiring Flight Attendants. I did research on YouTube, read blogs like this one, and asked a million questions of my pal who flies for another major airline.

I wanted to share some answers to questions I get asked ALL the time about how I became one of the lucky few who get to travel the world and get paid for it.

Q: How did you apply in the first place?
A: I went to the websites of airlines I knew I was interested in working for (specifically major airlines with international routes who also fly to BTV) and I checked out their career pages.You'll want to look under "Flight Service" or "Inflight" when you get to their job search pages. The listing might say "Flight Attendant" or "Trainee Flight Attendant" or something similar.

Q: Have you always wanted to be a Flight Attendant?
A: Nope. I joked about it while I was in high school, but I never seriously thought "I want to be a Flight Attendant" until I started feeling burned out on politics while working as a Field Organizer during the 2014 campaign. I didn't want to become jaded at 24 so I decided to take a break from that career path for a bit. Now I get to still be involved in Vermont politics, but it's not the only thing I do.

Q: Do you have to be a certain height and weight?
A: No. Many years ago there were requirements for those, but then the world realized that hiring based on those criteria is discriminatory and wrong. Today you have to be able to comfortably reach to a certain height (i.e. be able to reach into an overhead bin) and be able to sit comfortably in a jump seat. Nothing crazy, just requirements of the actual job.

Q: What is your schedule like? Do you always fly the same routes?
A: Our schedules are determined in large part by our seniority within the company. I'm a very new Flight Attendant, which means I am very junior. Since I'm junior, I'm on reserve. Essentially, being on reserve means that you're on call for flights that the company needs a Flight Attendant to go work. You might know 24 hours in advance that you'll be working a trip, or as little as 2 hours in advance. Some specific assignments require you to be on call in uniform at the airport, just waiting to be put on whatever plane needs you. I get 11 days off per month, and I know what those days will be by the middle of the previous month (I got my December schedule on November 18). As a result of my reserve status, I almost never fly the same routes. It can be Greece one week and then flying shuttle trips between Philadelphia, Boston, and New York the next week. For some people, this can be really stressful. There have been times when it's a challenge (try packing when you have no idea if you're going to Tampa or Minneapolis) but for the most part I find it exciting.
As I accrue more seniority, I'll be able to have more control over where and when I fly.

Q: What's the pay like?
A: I'll be honest, I took a pay cut to take this job. As with any career, when you first start out you aren't making as much as you will be five years down the road. For me, the difference in pay is made up for by the value of the benefits I receive- travel privileges, consistent and comprehensive health insurance, dental, and vision. I also just absolutely LOVE this job, so that alone makes it worthwhile for me. As a reserve FA, I'm guaranteed X number of paid flight hours a month. If I fly more than X, then I'm paid for more. If I fly less than X, I'm still paid for that minimum X number.

Q: What's training like?
A: Training varies from airline to airline. The FAA requires you to learn certain things and to spend a certain number of hours in training, but beyond that it's up to the company to determine what they want their training program to look like. I can really only speak to the training process of the airline I work for, since that's the only one I've gone through. We train at the company's HQ for a six week period, and it's incredibly intense. You'll learn the details of every aircraft you'll be qualified to work on, what to do in every possible emergency situation, and so much more. My personal favorites were self defense, fire fighting, CPR, and water evacuations. You take tests every few days, and anything below 90% is considered to be failing. You can retake a handful of tests (2-3), but if you mess up again you're removed from training. In our training we're housed and fed for those six weeks, which is great. Some programs have paid training, other don't.

Q: Do you have to live in the city you're based in?
A: Most companies allow you to commute from where you live to the place where you're based. I still live in Vermont, but for the times when I'm on call, I have an apartment where I stay in Philadelphia. That's a big part of why I work for the airline that I do- I wanted to be able to easily commute to work and I was THRILLED when I was assigned to Philly because it's such a short flight home to VT.

Q: Was it difficult to get used to working in a plane?
A; I grew up traveling and spent a LOT of time up in the air, so I have always been pretty used to flying. I recently realized just how comfortable I am on planes now- it really is just another day at the office.

Q: Does the airline pay for your accommodations while you're working?
A: Yes. The airline I work for provides a hotel and transportation from the airport and back. That's pretty standard. We all have our own rooms while we're on a layover.

Q: Do you like it? Is it worth it?
A: OH HECK YES. This is the most fun job I have ever had. It can be hard (you know, like when a passenger projectile vomits or you're working five legs a day or you have a plane full of cranky people), but for every rough moment there are ten wonderful moments. Getting to explore cities and countries I've never been to before, getting to meet WONDERFUL people (passengers and crew alike), and getting to see friends and family all over the country... it's wonderful and totally totally worth all of the hard parts.

Do you have other questions you're wondering about? Feel free to email me at highflyingadoredblog@gmail.com.