A greener way to drink your vitamins

The combination of dry winter air, dry, pressurized, airplane air and general fatigue caused by lack of sleep, stress and the sometimes overwhelming aggravation of travel can create a powerful thirst. While it’s strictly forbidden to carry a full water bottle through airport security, once you’re clear you’ve got a couple of options to quench that thirst: you can pop into one of those “last chance” shops or kiosks and pick up a ridiculously overpriced, disposable, plastic bottle or you can refill an empty bottle brought from home. I like the second choice. I’ve had other travel water bottles in the past but, for one reason or another, I was never completely hooked on one until recently. My new best travel buddy is the Kangaroo bottle by Contigo. Like many other bottles on the market it is BPA-free. And that’s important to me. It seals tightly with no leaks and there is no straw to trap bacteria. Another plus. There’s even a carabiner at the top to clip it to my carry-on bag. But what I like most about the indestructible blue bottle is that it has a secret compartment. A hard sleeve fits over the lip of the bottle and is secured by the top. That little compartment is just big enough for a few dollars or coins or a gym locker key. I make use of it in an entirely different way. Before I leave home I slip a couple of those powdered vitamin packets - Emergen-C and Airborne are two well-known brands - that I like to think help me combat nasty traveling germs. I fill the bottle before takeoff (the top is wide enough to add ice) and all I need from the flight attendant is a cup. I pop open the compartment, pull out a packet, mix with water from the Kangaroo and drink it all down. When I get home it goes in the dishwasher and back in my gear, ready for the next trip. I’ve left a trail of lost water bottles all over the world and never really missed any of them. Not this one. I keep it close at hand, filled with a vitamin boost and plenty of cool, cool, water.