The Cabin Cuddler-Don’t Fly At Night Without One!

Written by Elizabeth on August 4, 2008 – 3:07 pm -

After BlogHer in San Francisco last month, I flew home on a red-eye flight that left at 9:50 PM and arrived at 5:20 AM. As we boarded the plane we each took a pillow out of a big cardboard box, and there was a blanket on each seat. Now, my blanket was folded and wrapped in plastic, so it may have been new, but I wasn’t taking any chances. I slid the pillow into a special airline-pillow-sized pillowcase that I bought online, and took out the CHILD’S TRAVEL PILLOW and INFANT SIZED FLEECE BLANKET I had bought at Walgreen’s before I left and had packed in my suitcase. My Winnie The Pooh (oh YES it was!) blanket might not have been much larger than the airline blanket, but at least I knew I was the only person to use it. Because if you think that airlines WASH those blankets between flights, well, yeah, they don’t.

I was comfortable enough sleeping with my head against the window, propped up with my pillow, the airline pillow in the pillowcase, with the folded and still-in-the-plastic blanket under that, and I covered as much of myself as I could with my little blanket, but I was still so COLD. Why is there a stream of ice-cold air running along the floor of airplanes? My feet felt like ice cubes when I woke up!

So yeah, it worked out okay, but then I come across the Cabin Cuddler and I’m all OMG, I SO could have used that instead!

Check this out-US Airways Express captain Jim Levings saw people on his flights struggling to get comfortable and stay warm while traveling in the summer, wearing shorts and t-shirts, while their seatmate had the cold air blasting straight down. Standard airline blankets are not only too small for most people anyway, they don’t even come close to covering your feet. Captain Levings thought, why not make a travel blanket that covers the whole body AND keeps the feet warm, AND is easy to carry?

Cabin_cuddler

He felt so strongly about wanting to fill that particular airline traveler’s need that he QUIT HIS JOB and invented the Cabin Cuddler with the help of his wife and sister! Now, how cool is that?!? He also saw it as a way for people to get some sleep if their flight has a long delay and they have to hang out in the airport. And the BEST reason to invent this product? For those of you who are squeamish, I just want to warn you, this is going to be REALLY GROSS:

There was another reason for creating a personal travel blanket. Levings says, “Blankets are reused on airlines no matter how sick people may have been who used them, no matter how wet, moldy, or germy the blankets were.” To complement the germ-free environment he envisioned, Levings includes an inflatable pillow in the soft travel pack, which can also double as a pillow case.

GAH! So this is why you need to BUY A CABIN CUDDLER travel blanket before your next flight-not only will it keep your entire body warm including your feet which are tucked nicely into a patented foot-pocket, BUT, it covers the SEAT OF THE PLANE, which I’m now envisioning as a festering pool of previous traveler’s germs and filth. You just lay it on the seat, sit down, put your feet in the pocket, wrap it around your shoulders, then buckle the seat belt around it. Your hands stay free and you stay warm!

Oh, and it comes in it’s own tote bag, which you can use as a carry-on item or slip inside a larger tote or backpack until you get on the plane. Some people even use the tote with the blanket inside as a comfortable seat cushion at sporting events! It also comes with an inflatable pillow which is as easy to blow up as a balloon, according to the website. I’m telling you, if I’m going to continue to fly every few months or so, especially flights at night, I need a Cabin Cuddler! I won’t even mind answering the inevitable “OMG, where can I get one of those?” questions I would be sure to get. I may have to switch to train travel unless I can get one!

Sponsored by Cabin Cuddler


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Little Jet Set-Cute, functional travel items

Written by Elizabeth on April 8, 2008 – 11:54 pm -

Little Jet Set was founded by two mothers, Hana S. Wolf & Nisha T. Cordero, who left the practice of law to share their extensive knowledge of how to keep kids entertained on planes, trains, and in automobiles without resorting solely to electronic gadgets. Their website is packed with an outstanding collection of products designed to help make travel easier and more fun for both kids and parents!

All of the brands whose products are carried by Little Jet Set are of the highest quality and are carefully chosen. To give me an idea of what is available on the site, Lisa at KidStuffPR sent me two great products to review.

This Bee Lightening Bug flashlight by Manhattan Toy has an easy on/off button switch and shuts off automatically. It comes with two AA batteries and is meant for ages 3 and up. It’s a cute toy AND a flashlight!

From the Luggage and Bags category, I received this Wet/Dry Case by Room-It-Up in adorable pink and green plaid. It’s got a divider so that your wet toothbrush or bath sponge can go on one side, and the items on the other side stay dry. You bet I’m packing it when I go to Disney in two weeks!

I skimmed through all of the categories on Little Jet Set and here are just some of the great things I found to use when traveling-Craft kits, coloring books, flashcards, cute hooded beach towels that fold up into pillows, Nocturnimals, which are stuffed animals that gently glow with the touch of their paw and stay lit for four minutes, games for the car-cards, magnetic games, puzzles with oversized pieces in a zippered travel bag, travel journals and scrapbooks, soft Playsets that are smooshable and machine washable (love the Snow White and the Seven Dwarves finger puppets!) and the Trunki, a rolling suitcase that toddlers can ride on while you pull them by a strap-cute and fun!

Whew! I’m telling you, before you take your next trip, check out Little Jet Set! Whatever you need (or don’t know you need yet), I bet they have it! Thank you again to Little Jet Set and KidStuffPR for sending the flashlight and the wet/dry case for this review.


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Posted in Kids, Products, Travel | 4 Comments »