Random Hints for Air Travel

We just returned from a little family trip to Washington DC.  I learned many things...such as, when the police tell everyone to clear out of the park across from the White House, they don't answer questions like, "Why? What's going on? Should we be worried?"  I learned that even though you KNOW you'll be walking miles (and miles), you'll still wear your wedges to The Capitol and resort to wearing 17 Band-Aids like a toddler.

And, I picked up a few tips I'd like to share about air travel.  You might know that a long, long, looooong time ago, I was a flight attendant with Delta.  Back in the days when airlines served food and stocked magazines and decks of cards.  Remember that?

These are not flight attendant tips, though.  These are tips gained as a passenger.

Hypothetically speaking, let's say your family of 3 is traveling from, oh...Houston to DC.  Hypothetically.  And let's say that you're assigned middle seats in different rows.  Let's say that you bake and decorate cookies for the gate agents in the hopes that they'll help you find 3 seats together.

MY TIP: if the gate agent will not even humor you and take a peek at your tickets AND will not even open the box of cookies and say thank you, TAKE THEM BACK!!!  Save the cookies for the flight attendants...they probably haven't eaten all day.

Middle seats: They're bad enough when you're sitting next to someone to whom you are related.  When sitting next to strangers, it's all kinds of awkward.

My TIPS: 

1. Claim the armrests ASAP.  The window seat has the wall, the aisle seat has room to breathe.  Those armrests are your only hope of personal space.
2. If window or aisle person leans into your space, a quick elbow jab will take care of the situation.  (Pretend it's a sleep reflex.)
3. Upon approach and landing, it's important that you can see out of the window.  If the person next to the window has their entire face covered in a blanket, it is perfectly acceptable to reach over and open the window shade.  If they reach over and close it, fist fight.

Those are my tips...here's the rolling bag tutorial.   You might have seen this cookie design as a part of the flight attendant cookies I made a while back, one of my favorite cookie sets ever.  I love them.

You'll need:

• rolling luggage cookies (I used a template for the rolling bag, see below.)
• royal icing, tinted with AmeriColor Royal Blue and some plain
• disposable icing bags
• couplers and tips (#2, #1)
• squeeze bottles
• toothpicks
• silver luster dust
• vodka
• small paintbrush 

Use a #2 tip to outline the cookies.  Reserve some of this piping consistency icing for adding details later. Use a #1 tip to pipe a wheel with the plain icing.

Thin the blue icing with water, a bit at a time, stirring with a silicone spatula, until it is the consistency of a thick syrup.  You'll want to drop a "ribbon" of icing back into the bowl and have it disappear in a count of "one thousand one, one thousand two." Four is too thick, one is too thin.  Count of 2-3 is good.  Cover with a damp dishcloth and let sit for several minutes.

Stir gently with a silicone spatula to pop and large air bubbles that have formed.  Pour into a squeeze bottle.

Flood the outline with the thinned icing.  Use a toothpick to guide to edges and pop large air bubbles.

Let the cookies dry for at least one hour.

Use a #2 tip to add the bag details with blue icing.  Use a #1 tip to add the zipper and remainder of handle with the plain icing.

{Since my table is usually full of decorating supplies, I move a cookie sheet to a chair to take the tutorial pictures.  My supervisor is sleeping on the job *again.*}

Let the cookies dry uncovered 6-8 hours or overnight.

{If you're making map cookies as well, follow the same process.  No, geography is not one of my gifts.  Yes, that is supposed to be Houston to DC.}

Once the cookies are dry, time for a little drink...

....I mean, time to apply the luster dust.

Mix a bit of the luster dust with vodka until smooth.  Use a small paintbrush to apply to the areas of white icing.  The alcohol will evaporate, leaving just the metallic finish.

And here's the template for cutting out the cookies:

{Just print and use the instructions here for templates.}

What travel tips do you have to share?

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