The first time I got on a plane for an extended singing trip was 7 years ago. I was going to Italy for a 3 week long program and I went out to buy a new suitcase for the occasion. I viewed this purchase as an investment in my career, since I would obviously need to have a gigantic red suitcase for all of the career related travel that would surely follow. Flash forward to me at the airport paying an additional $75 in international baggage fees and then later dragging this gargantuan down the cobbled streets of Florence with Italian men pointing and laughing the whole way. Then I had to drag it up the many narrow steps of my apartment because adorable Florentine student flats, while featuring high ceilings and beautiful tile floors, do not come equipped with elevators. Flash forward again to me not wearing half of the clothes I packed and having to pay another $75 to get the suitcase and its contents home.
Those 3 weeks were amazing! I went out every night, ate and drank the most delicious things full of tomatoes, garlic, and alcohol, and woke up and sang without a care in the world or a thought to reflux or dehydration. I spent money like I had it, shopped in the open air markets almost every day, and bought more Pashmina shawls than any person could or would ever need.
Ah to be 20 years old!
Now, 7 years later, here’s what travel for singing actually looks like. I wake up at a time when no human should be awake, and board a plane at a time when no person should be operating a vehicle of any kind. I fly to the first layover destination which is most likely a few states out of the way from the final destination, grab some food and fill up the water bottle, then get on the next flight and listen to the whole safely procedure spiel all over again. My huge red suitcase does not accompany me on any of these voyages. One, I don’t have time to wait for it at baggage claim. Two, it is gigantic and sure to incur an overweight baggage fee, even if I only fill it up half way. If I’m only going to fill it up half way, what is the point of bringing such a huge bag? I hate the thought of paying to check a bag in the first place! At the risk of sounding very old and crotchety, flying is expensive enough and they just keep taking and taking! What’s next, we’ll have to pay for drinks? No free water? No! The airline can make me pay for the privilege of sitting dehydrated in a cramped seat, next to some guy pounding bud lights, but they will not get my $25+! If I’m traveling for a gig, I want to bring home every last cent of my paycheck that I possibly can, and if I’m traveling for auditions, then I’ve already spent way too much money on audition fees and airfare before I even arrive at the airport. Every last dollar counts.
When you check a bag you run the risk of it getting lost, especially if you have layovers. If you are checking a bag, make sure your essentials are in your carry-on.
When I fly, everything I need, even if I am traveling to a month-long gig, goes in my small carry-on suitcase or my L.L. Bean backpack. This backpack belonged to my husband during high school. It is complete with his embroidered initials, but has since been co-opted for my own use and he has given up all hope of ever getting it back. (A friend once asked me if it was an allusion to the episode of 30 Rock where Liz Lemon buys those amazing jeans from Brooklyn Without Limits, but no, it’s just a preppy high school hangover.) Built to accommodate multiple huge text books back in the old days when overworked high school students couldn’t access those things via ebooks on their tablets, it has a magical way of expanding to fit everything I need for the flight.
Here are some of the key contents of my backpack:
-Scores and/or audition binder
-Laptop, laptop charger, and phone charger
-A big zip lock bag full of everything that would ordinarily be in my purse. For the purpose of flying, my backpack is my “personal item”. My empty purse will go into my suitcase.
-Yarn and crochet hooks. I love to crochet and I really love to crochet on airplanes.
-My humidiflyer! Here’s a picture of me wearing it. Cute huh? Here’s the thing about the humidiflyer: I’m not absolutely convinced that it makes the biggest difference for me in terms of humidifying, but it is without a doubt very useful! The principle of the humidiflyer is that it traps the moisture from your breath in the mask so you are able to breathe it back in again. It also warms the air you are breathing so even if your seatmate is blasting the AC directly onto you, you won’t have to breathe in that horrible cold, dry air, you’ll just have to sit there shivering while it hits you in the face. And as an added bonus, the humidiflyer is equipped with a filter of sorts, which may prevent you from breathing in all the gross germs in the plane. In my ideal world, it would have some kind of external water vessel attachment so you could breathe in actual steam and not just your own breath, but that’s not how the humidiflyer works. It all sounds pretty gross, but it makes sense, sort of. In my opinion, there is really no substitute for drinking water constantly throughout the flight. The humidiflyer will work in conjunction with constant water consumption, but not without it. I tried that once for fun and landed with a massive dehydration headache. But here is the best reason to use the humidiflyer: when you’re wearing it, NO ONE will talk to you! You can be reviewing your very cool opera score and the person next to you will not dare to ask you what you’re reading or what instrument you play. You would think that someone would ask you why you are wearing a scary face mask on the plane, but they will not! I think it’s because they will assume that you are wearing it due to some serious medical condition and they won’t want to be rude. Even if they do try to ask you questions, you will be so inaudible with the humidiflyer clamped firmly over your nose and mouth, that they will soon grow tired of trying to understand you and will eventually give up any hope of engaging you in conversation. I think that is worth its weight in gold! You will also want to try to get an isle seat so you won’t have to engage anyone in any way when you get up every half hour to use the restroom because you’ve been drinking so much water.
-Lip balm, hand sanitizer, coconut oil, and all other liquid things, all packed in the infernal small plastic baggy. Let me wax poetic about coconut oil for a moment. Coconut oil is amazing stuff! I love how it smells, I love how it feels, and I love how it tastes. I use it for everything…removing my eye makeup, moisturizing my face and body, putting in my coffee when I run out of half and half. It’s said to have anti-fungal and anti-microbial properties and it is a very light and easily absorbed oil so it’s not super greasy and won’t make you break out when you rub it all over your face. (I actually do this every single night instead of using a night cream and I think it’s the best thing in the world.) On planes, coconut oil is invaluable. I buy it Organic from Trader Joe’s and then spoon it into a small portable jar. A little bit of coconut oil goes a long way. I use it as a hand cream, and also (and this is probably best done in private) put it in my nose so my nasal membranes don’t dry out during the flight. Your nostrils will feel moisturized and you’ll get to enjoy the beachy scent of coconut instead of the smell of stale plane air, baby diapers, and farting plane riders. (I kid you not, I was on a flight a while ago where the guy in front of me was farting continuously thorough out the flight with absolutely no reservation.) Coconut oil also makes a good lip balm if your lips aren’t super dried out, but I find that on planes I usually need something with more staying power, likely something that contains beeswax. Note: coconut oil is solid at temperatures below 76 degrees Fahrenheit, but on the chance that it gets above that temperature in the security line, keep it in a container that is smaller than the regulated liquid size limit so they let you bring it on the plane. If you want to get creative, you can add a few drops of essential oils to the coconut oil when it’s in its liquid state. Make sure the essential oils are high enough quality. Healthfood store quality should be good enough, but don’t go to a mall kiosk or anything like that. I love the smell of lavender and coconut together and eucalyptus and grapefruit are some other favorites.
-gum
-Big water bottle (empty of course until you get through security).
-Good headphones! I love listening to audiobooks when I travel. It feels like such a treat to have someone else read to me and it keeps my hands free to crochet. Last audition season I listened to Gone Girl on the way to NYC and Gillian Flynn’s other book, Sharp Objects on the way back. Both of them were amazing and so riveting that I didn’t want to get off the plane. I just wanted to keep listening to find out what would happen next! According to Variety, Sharp Objects is going to be made into a TV mini-series and I am so excited! Read/listen to the book before that happens! Regardless of what you listen to, headphones are a great way to keep out the unwanted sounds of babies crying and annoying people having loud conversations from opposite ends of the plane. Headphones also give any chatty seat partners the clear message that you do not want to talk to them. Add some dark sunglasses and you’re untouchable!
Here are some of the key contents of my carry-on suitcase:
-Clothes and shoes obviously! No one really wants to hear the laundry list (get it...laundry list) of all of my clothes, so I’ll keep it general. I usually like to pack things that can be switched around and accessorized to create multiple outfits. For audition travel obviously the audition outfit and accessories are the most important clothing items, but you will also want comfortable, versatile, and professional looking outfits for your downtime. Especially in NYC during the winter months, you never know who you’ll run into, so keep everything clean, flattering, and walkable and you can’t go wrong. For gigs, packing is more of an art, since you will have to fit enough clothing for a month or more into your small carry-on. I have learned that for me this means lots of versatile cotton or jersey dresses, (with different colored tights in the colder months), lots of different statement jewelry pieces, and a few comfortable but versatile shoe options. I also bring a lot of yoga pants and work out gear so I can exercise, but also so I have options if the production is a particularly physical one. There are the stand and sing in your dress types of productions, and then there are the crawl around on the floor, climb up ladders, fall to the ground and lay there in your yoga pants kinds of productions. Keep in mind that it’s still a professional setting so wear your nice yoga pants. I only bring things that can be machine washed (except for any performance gowns and dresses), and everything I bring has to be able to be applied to at least two outfits.
-My empty purse
-Usually more yarn
When traveling for singing related trips, keep in mind that managing your stress level is possibly the most important thing you can do when it comes to keeping healthy and performing at your best. I think as a rule, it’s best not to travel on the same day as your audition or rehearsal. You don’t want to have to worry about delays or being tired when you arrive. After a good night’s sleep and a chance to adjust, you will undoubtedly perform better than you would if you bundled all the stress of traveling on top of the stress of auditioning or performing. If flying really stresses you out, give yourself an extra buffer day to recover, (though I realize this isn’t always an option if you are paying for a hotel during audition season). There has only been one occasion when I have flown in on the same day as the first day of rehearsal, and it was stressful! Everything turned out fine, but I arrived to rehearsal with minutes to spare, feeling and looking like a zombie. Honestly, life is stressful enough and we all deserve to be as relaxed as we can possibly be when making a first impression. Think of the plane ride as a chance to pamper yourself and enjoy quiet activities that you don’t usually have the time for when you are running from rehearsal, to lesson, to audition.
Safe and happy travels to you all!
Come scritto...as written by Sara Duchovnay 
Leave a comment