Long Haul Life

[kingaira90]

For those of you that fly for long haul, long time on the road companies how does it work for you?
Such as:

Laundry on the road? Do you just put it on the hotel bill/pay the high price or spend your 1/7s on the road doing laundry? Or haul around 3 suit cases for the 20 days on the road?

Calls home? Skype, cell phone, calling card?

Is it still standard to have crew meals supplied? I know that has disappeared from most domestic flying.

Sick on long trips? Do you haul the medicine closet with you or just but medicine when you need it? Ever had to shut down a trip on the other side of the world because you were too sick?

How do you deal with getting you body clock really messed up?

Just like to hear how you make it work.-kingaira90

 

[N817AA]

Sick Of ABQ already?

 

[kingaira90]

smart azz

Sick Of ABQ already?

No, I like ABQ. Just had a nice weekend down state at this big lake (in the middle of the desert no less). I don't know what I will do when the hotel points run out! Lots to do outdoors in NM.

Just like to know how they do that. I have never spent more than 7 days on the road in a row, just thinking of the practical aspects. -kingaira90

 

[Huck]

Welllll.... I'm getting home today after 18 days, so since you asked:

1. Laundry - I carry 7 days worth. On laundry day I dump it in the tub, pour a bottle of hotel shampoo on it, and agitate. I carry 50' of parachute cord to hang it up in the room. I send my uniforms out.

2. Calling home: doesn't really work for us. I've got 3 (soon to be 4) kids and if I call, she is always busy with something else. We ALWAYS get along better if we email - she only writes when she's in the mood to talk. We email 2-3 times a day.

3. International flights are always hot catered at FDX. Excellent choices.

4. I carry aintihistimines, ibuprofen, and (the biggie) a bottle of Cipro. If you get food poisoning (it's happened to me twice) it'll kill it quickly. Nyquil capsules also.

5. Body clock: plan on taking a day for every two hours of time change. I am getting home from Singapore, and I'll feel pretty bad for the next 5 days or so. Exercise helps some.

Any other questions?

 

[kingaira90]

Welllll.... I'm getting home today after 18 days, so since you asked:

1. Laundry - I carry 7 days worth. On laundry day I dump it in the tub, pour a bottle of hotel shampoo on it, and agitate. I carry 50' of parachute cord to hang it up in the room. I send my uniforms out.

2. Calling home: doesn't really work for us. I've got 3 (soon to be 4) kids and if I call, she is always busy with something else. We ALWAYS get along better if we email - she only writes when she's in the mood to talk. We email 2-3 times a day.

3. International flights are always hot catered at FDX. Excellent choices.

4. I carry aintihistimines, ibuprofen, and (the biggie) a bottle of Cipro. If you get food poisoning (it's happened to me twice) it'll kill it quickly. Nyquil capsules also.

5. Body clock: plan on taking a day for every two hours of time change. I am getting home from Singapore, and I'll feel pretty bad for the next 5 days or so. Exercise helps some.

Any other questions?

Wow thanks for the insight! I was spent on questions with the first post. Anything that was more difficult than you expected related to that type of flying?

In relation to your quote, I saw Cowboy Mouth in Charlotte at the Neighborhood Theater. Probably one of the best live shows out there. Just a rock band but their lead singer puts his all into the show. The whole drummer/lead singer thing was kinda cool too, with the drum kit up front, not hidden at the back of the stage.

Thanks- kingaira90

 

[Huck]

Anything that was more difficult than you expected related to that type of flying?

I actually enjoy the "epic" days, followed by 2 or three days to recover. Once at Gemini (Fedora will back me on this) I did 24 hours in the seat on a DC10. We did Harare - Lagos - Amsterdam - Brussels. Oh yeah we started at midnight too. But then we got 3 days off in BRU.

I'd slit a vein if I had to fly more than 4 or 5 legs a week......

As for Cowboy Mouth, I always listen to "Jenny Says" from the Live at the Zoo album when I'm running. Greatest rock track ever. EVER.

I heard my 4 year-old singing it in the shower recently. Made my day!

 

[spitfire1500]

Long Haul is a blast!!! You wanna call home use Skype it's free. I also take 7 days of clothes and wash as I need them.In Germany they sell detergent in a tube just for doing clothes in a sink. I usually have plenty of time for this since layovers are usually a few days.
I havent had much of a circadian clock issue until I arrive home. I am usually up at nights the first 2 days home...doesn't matter I end up watching stuff I recorded off of Direct TV while i was awy those nights.

 

[Stryker]

a good jet lag cure for me is a 40 minute nap upon arrival, force yourself to get up, go to the gym (this will sting a bit) and do what you have to do to stay up till 9 pm local and then sleep a good 8 hours. This usually drops my recovery time from 3 days to 1

 

[GogglesPisano]

I always tried to stay on East Coast US time -- no matter where I was, even if it meant sleeping during the day and being up all night in Asia. You don't do much sightseeing, but at least you're not jet-lagged.

 

[Mooseflyer]

Eat 'till you're tired, sleep 'till you're hungry....