From where I live, Lufthansa is the primary non-stop carrier to Europe. Frankfurt, where I once tried to attend University, is the best shot to Germany. I can get cheaper flights by routing around a bit, but remember kids, each link in the chain is another opportunity for misadventure. Every layover, every transfer becomes another opportunity for you to get delayed, lose baggage, miss a flight, etc. If you can, spend the extra 20% and fly direct.
It’s no secret that things are different around the world. You need power adapters for wall plugs, you need converters to step 220 to 110 so you don’t blow up your devices. But what you shouldn’t need anymore, are the 2 prong 3.5mm headphones that airlines used to try to sell you special headphones for an extra nickel and dime. It’s been years, and we’ve all moved on. Lufthansa, thank you for maintaining the planes so well that outdated tech still exists… but maybe update the audio, please and thank you.
If you are flying soon, check out your local audio bits and bobs store or favorite online megaretailer and get an adapter. There are even some that come with a Bluetooth dongle that will allow you to use earbuds and connect to the plane entertainment!
There are some things that no one can anticipate other than to plan for the worst and hope for the best. Flood insurance, seat belts, condoms… but there’s just nothing to be done when there is a toddler hellbent on summoning the hordes of hell with their screams on an airplane. On this flight, I meet my nemesis. A family of five; parents are inured to childrens screams by their third one, and the youngest is not old enough to speak, but old enough to be dissatisfied by the captivity of a plane.
Pack earplugs and some means of blocking light; bandana, eye mask, hat, whatever. As soon as we were airborne, I put in earplugs and pulled my hat down over my eyes. I then spent the next 6 hours switching between dozing and startling awake to the screams of a tyrant child.
I tried out the trivia app, and was in awe of the bizarre questions. Here’s a few…
Bleary eyed and hung over feeling, I stumbled out of the plane in Frankfurt looking for the train station and as much distance as I could get between the howler monkey child and myself.
Surely, a sleepless night and jetlag is the low point of the trip?