I was sitting in the Air Canada lounge in Calgary, (AC lounge at YYC for short), and was using a little bottle of hand cream, tucked inside an airport security approved clear plastic baggie. I think the little bottle was born at the Westin hotel in Malta. Adopted by me during a stay in October last year. Looking at the little bottle and thinking about the travels it has made, let alone me, got me thinking about what we chose to bring on these journies.

In the lounge, people are waiting to go to so many different locations. This lounge services both domestic and International travelers. Some people are getting ready for a long haul to Europe and some are like me, delayed for a quick jump over the Rockies, heading home. And yet, we all have our little travel bottles in common.

For me, it is almost like carrying a piece of “comfort” around. A familiar scent, a welcome tube of toothpaste or a soothing lotion. It is like a little army of personal spa helpers traveling alongside me. Like a whole bunch of job specific, tiny, bottle sized, little Dobbies. (Harry Potter reference).

It is a comfort. I don’t know why, but it tethers me to home and my regular life there. And I need as many of those kind of feelings as I can get, when I’m on the road.