What to put in a small care package?

July 10, 2007 11:00 PM

My wife and I are looking to pack a carry-on care package for a friend who is flying to China soon. He will be staying there for a month on business. What kinds of things should I send on the plane with him? Just small things that would fit in say a quart size ziplock (or maybe something more creative than a ziplock). Perhaps stuff to do on the plane or maybe something useful once he gets to China? Just plain fun, stupid stuff is good too.

My own personal idea was to put a small, red usb drive in the package since he'll have his laptop on the plane, but I'm at a loss as to what to put on the drive. He's in his 30's, into fitness, motorcycles, and he's gay. Thanks in advance.

posted by philad to Travel & Transportation around China (11 answers total)

Porn.

sorry, had to say it :)

Does he read motorcycle magazines? A few would be nice for the long plane ride. A novel based in the city he'll be staying at would be nice, too.
posted by hobbes at 11:05 PM on July 10, 2007

Response by poster: Follow up to my own post. It struck me that mentioning he's gay would be about as useful as saying, "oh, by the way, he's straight". I meant no offense.
posted by philad at 11:07 PM on July 10, 2007

I hang out for good quality English-language reading. It's got easier to get a broader selection in Beijing recently, but maybe a good book or two? I know you said sexuality was kind of beside the point, but for historical China gay interest, you can't beat Passions of the Cut Sleeve. Bit short on Yangtze delta motorbiking but might put the trip into a different perspective. :)
The small home comforts stuff will vary depending where he's going. The big cities will have pretty much everything you can get back home (maybe short a few niche foods, like us English wanting Marmite).
posted by Abiezer at 12:04 AM on July 11, 2007

Little packages of tissue, and a bunch of dollar bills.
posted by ottereroticist at 1:11 AM on July 11, 2007

Benadryl for the long plane ride? I hear it works wonders for helping you just sleep straight through and goes a little way towards helping adjust to the new time.

Otherwise . . . for the usb drive maybe you could stick on an emulator and some games. Excite Bike?
posted by that girl at 5:22 AM on July 11, 2007

i vote plain fun stupid stuff.

possibilities: one of those "magic pen" books where you use the magic ink to connect the dots or whatever and lines magically appear (wow, that was a shit description of what i'm talking about); risque flip book (yes, these exist); a tasty treat of some kind to break up the monotony of plane food; dorky fun music on the usb drive; dorky fun dvd (of the watch once and then never admit to owning variety).
posted by misanthropicsarah at 6:10 AM on July 11, 2007

Mad libs.
posted by infinityjinx at 7:01 AM on July 11, 2007

Unless he has one already, maybe a little booklet with Chinese phrases / cultural notes. Or something like this, but sufficiently unique that he won't have it already (e.g. "Chinese motorcycle etiquette" or "What every Chinese person will ask you about America - or want to" or "How to _really_ impress someone in a Chinese business situation").

My other suggestion is going to sound weird, but I swear by it for long airplane trips: a fresh, clean, unscented (laundered after you purchase it, no scented laundry detergent or fabric softener) washcloth. The washcloth should be wetted just before leaving for the airport, wrung out, and sealed in a very secure ziploc bag or plastic container. This is quite refreshing when one is feeling all dried out from airplane air, and is great to drape over one's face when sleeping on a plane. Extremely low humidity increases the already-good chances of catching some stray virus from a fellow passenger, and can also just plain give one a headache.

Other things: eye mask and inflatable neck pillow - also for sleeping on the plane.
posted by amtho at 7:32 AM on July 11, 2007

If he's flying long-haul, the plane should have an integrated entertainment system. If he's lucky, it will be one of the ones where he can select his own movie/TV/music. If he's unlucky, he'll be stuck watching whatever is put on by the airline. So maybe a few gigs of various good movies and/or TV would be appreciated. However, his laptop battery won't last the duration of the flight, so he won't get through it all. But it might be nice to watch when he's over there.

Earplugs. Definitely earplugs. If he's flying business class or first, he'll probably get a little care package with that sort of thing, but just to be safe. Also, how about moist wipes? You always end up feeling sweaty and grimy during and after a long flight, so it might be nice if he could wipe his face. And also a clear Ziploc bag of appropriate size containing a mini-toothpaste and a toothbrush.

Flight socks might also be good, to help prevent DVT.

If he doesn't have them, in-ear or noise-reducing headphones. I use the Apple in-ear ones, and they are so many times better than regular headphones that I don't know how I managed. The reduction in ambient noise really helps to have a calm flight.

Finally, maybe some classical music. Might be best to give it to him beforehand so he can put it on his MP3 player. Someone recommended it to me, and it definitely helped me to stay chilled out when babies were screaming etc.
posted by djgh at 9:30 AM on July 11, 2007

Chewy candies, to help relieve the pressure in his ears when the plane lands/takes off. Lip balm and moisturizer. An eye mask. Socks. A book. A magazine with lots to read. A book with sudoku or something.
posted by Kololo at 10:29 AM on July 11, 2007

Edamame or protein bars. Airplane meals are too carby.
posted by BrotherCaine at 1:19 AM on July 12, 2007