Although Flight 001 has stores in three cities, I’ve only visited the San Francisco site which is located in hip Hayes Valley, the Bay Area’s answer to Soho. This compact emporium looks like the inside of a plane, which is appropriate as it sells everything for the globetrotter, from major items like luggage and a portable DVD player ($350) to minutiae like tiny travel-sized toothpaste and earplugs. Other fun and funky finds include florescent-hued rubber luggage tags, travel wallets decorated with Chinese characters, and an emergency ration tin housing survival basics like a whistle and fish hooks—for those really hairy detours off the map. Flight 001 also offers other standard supplies like guidebooks, compasses, and travel alarms.

I was endeared to this shop before I ever set foot in it, because some friends of mine had bought me a slough of items for my Grande Tour of Europe as bon voyage gifts. I admit that at the time I sighed inwardly and thought, “geez, more stuff to pack!” However, this trepidation switched to admiration once I was abroad and learned how handy these items were, e.g. the herbal antiseptic wipes were invaluable when picnicking on the train (and in those scary restroom situations). The Aromapharmacy candle, which comes in a glass bottle with a screw-on lid resembling a prescription drug bottle, provided mood lighting and welcome fragrance in bland hotel rooms. And the small Evian mister may have literally saved my life during the record-breaking Paris heat wave, when I sat in front of a fan dousing myself with cooling spray. Sometimes it’s the tiniest things you take along that can make the biggest difference in your comfort and enjoyment of the trip.

Flight 001
525 Hayes Street
San Francisco, CA
(415) 487-1001
www.flight001.com