Even though my daughters are seasoned travelers, things don’t always go according to plan. In fact, one of my worst nightmares came true during a flight.
When my daughters were younger, we were flying from DC to Louisiana to visit family. We boarded with no issues and took our seats. My younger daughter sat by the window, my older daughter in the middle seat, and I on the aisle. My husband was across the aisle from me.
Our girls knew the drill, as they had been flying since they were born: seatbelts safely in place, fully charged Game Boys at the ready, and the plane taxiing down the runway.
And then, my daughter, next to me, tapped my arm and said, “Mom, I don’t feel good.” Immediately she threw up on herself, her seat, the seatback in front of her, the floor beneath her, and me.
I had no idea what to do next.
Luckily, a flight attendant soon came to the rescue
The flight attendants were buckled in for take-off, but gestured to me to wait. And so, there I sat in my thoroughly soiled clothes — both my daughters now crying loudly (the younger one crying in sympathy).
The smell alone was overwhelming. Everyone was looking around, trying to ascertain the origin of the loud crying and horrible stench. My husband was helpless.
Eventually, I heard the flight crew unclicking seatbelts. One came down the aisle carrying a container of airsick bags, wet wipes, and paper towels. Together, she and my daughter scraped the front of my clothing and my daughter’s, so we could go to the rear lavatory to clean ourselves up as much as possible.
The flight attendant doused both of us with a white powder that was supposed to kill the odor and disinfect our clothing. Meanwhile, another flight attendant was doing the same cleaning routine at our seats, my younger daughter watching the whole thing. I kept praying that she wouldn’t then throw up, as she had done once when her best friend threw up at school.
Eventually, it was as clean as it was going to get. Since the seat cushions were damp, we each sat on a magazine.
I had to figure something out for the smell
The smell had been greatly lessened, but it still hung in the air.
I then remembered an interview with NYC garbage collectors who said they carried Vicks VapoRub on the job. Rubbing it under the nose protected them from the foulest of smells.
Ever since, I’ve carried a small container of it in my purse. It has saved me many times from bad smells, from teenage boys in my classroom right after PE to vile bathrooms on road trips. This was one of those occasions.
Rubbing it under my nose helped me last the rest of the flight.
On a recent flight, I once again had occasion to use my Vicks hack
More recently, my husband and I had boarded and were seated across the aisle from each other. A woman with three young children came down the aisle, carrying her youngest son. I glanced up just in time to see him throw up all over himself, his mom, the floor of the plane, and the man seated behind my husband.
A flight attendant came rushing over from the back. She dashed to the rear of the plane for cleaning supplies. Meanwhile, I reached into my purse for my very best travel hack: my little container of Vicks VapoRub.
She returned, having donned a face mask and rubber gloves. In swift fashion, she doused the area with white powder and, on her hands and knees, began scrubbing the floor and seats with wet wipes.
The young mom was horrified and offered to help, but the flight attendant responded in a calm, compassionate voice, “No ma’am. You just take care of your child. I’ve got this.” And she did.
The flight attendants are the real heroes here
As I watched the flight attendant quickly clean up the mess, I was reminded of my horrifying experience with my daughter. I knew exactly how that mother felt and how grateful she was for the flight attendant.
I’m still so grateful the flight attendants acted so warmly and professionally in both instances.
After flying frequently for over 50 years, the day my daughter threw up on that flight still ranks in the top three worst experiences I’ve had on an airplane, and it is the day I learned to never board a plane without a change of clothes and my Vicks.
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