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Minor hack, try this for cologne/perfume

I went to the local Macy's (insert any other place with a "fragrance" section) to get some more of my favorite cologne and shaving goods. While shopping, I was handed a couple of those "sample" spray vials (which are good for about a week with 2x puffs per day). I asked if they had X, Y or Z (colognes I like) and they proffered up more samples.

My cologne is easily accommodated in my 311 bag in a very small format for our upcoming 3 week adventure. And I get to try new smells (which actually are a very strong connection to a memory). You get the point. :-)

Posted by
9403 posts

Just please don’t wear cologne or perfume on the plane...

Posted by
15678 posts

I was thinking the same thing, Susan. Enjoy the strong connections to those memories but AFTER you're off the plane! :O)

Posted by
630 posts

I have to add to the “please don’t wear perfume on the plane.” Unfortunately some people can’t handle the smell of perfume; my husband is one of them. He can’t stop coughing when he smells perfume and it’s difficult for him to breathe. It’s scary when one can’t breathe or catch their breath.

Posted by
9403 posts

Cologne, perfume makes me very, very sick... : (

Posted by
7010 posts

Same here. I can't even walk through the fragrance section of a department store without getting choked up. Strong perfumes or aftershaves on a plane (or anywhere closed in) make me physically ill.

Posted by
585 posts

This applies to men as well, go easy or do not use aftershave. I was once sitting next to a man wearing strong aftershave on a transatlantic flight - phew. Luckily he moved to another seat once plane had taken off so did not have to suffer 9 hours of it.

Posted by
34 posts

Oh boy. I had no idea! I guess I'm sorry in retrospect. I'm not talking about dousing myself - just a dab or two behind the ears. Does that still offend? Honestly the last thing I want to be is a bad seatmate.

Posted by
522 posts

Please, please do not wear fragrances (men or women) unless they are very, very light. There are loads of us who are allergic and in closed spaces, it's just not a good thing!

Posted by
181 posts

Any fragrance on a closed in area such as a plane would make you a bad seat mate. So many people are scent sensitive, and on a plane, there is no escape. Kudos to you for not wanting to upset anyone. Please please keep your perfume for outdoor use, where people can leave the area.

Posted by
9403 posts

corpkid, Thank you for being so gracious about the feedback. Please, please, not even a dab behind the ears on a plane.

Posted by
9403 posts

I do. I think it’s a great tip. A good way to bring travel size perfume/cologne on a trip.

Posted by
34 posts

I'm so thankful for this community in that we learn constantly from each other on how to be better travelers. Here, I'm thinking I'm the "best seatmate ever" and I'm learning... maybe not. LOL

Thank you all for the feedback. The hack still works, just once you are on tera forma, and a light dab is what I gleaned from this conversation. Off to Ljubljana/Krakow and then a Danube river cruise out of Vienna in a week and am so excited!

Posted by
7181 posts

Of course this belongs in a travel forum. And young business travelers should be taught not to apply nail polish on a plane, as I have seen more than once. Men First-Generation
-Professionals offend too, with cologne and nail clipping.

Posted by
15678 posts

corpkid, kudos to you for wanting to be a thoughtful traveler! 👍

Fragrance is such a problem for significant numbers of people that many businesses request that their employees don't wear it to the office. Both my husband and myself worked for large corporations and both had reasonable fragrance-free policies.By "reasonable" I mean use of, say, daily moisturizers with mild scents that usually dissipated by the time you hit the desk were OK.

Because I worked in food products, it was especially important that fragrance didn't interfere with smell & taste of what we were testing.

Posted by
34 posts

I write code for a living, and sometimes I WISH some of these folks I'm in a "war room" with for weeks on end would wear cologne!

No cologne on planes/trains for me going forward! Travel can be a personal evolution if you are open to it - this being a great example.

Posted by
9403 posts

Thank you corpkid! You have a great attitude, have a fun trip!