MD & DO Interview travel - suit care

[Giovanotto]

Anyone have any troubles flying with mainstream domestic airlines and giving the flight attendants your garment bag? Going on my first other coast interview tomorrow and trying to cover my bases here.

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[KiddCo]

Anyone have any troubles flying with mainstream domestic airlines and giving the flight attendants your garment bag? Going on my first other coast interview tomorrow and trying to cover my bases here.

Has been hit or miss for me. Usually no issue if you are on a larger plane from a major airport. I fly out of a much smaller airport where sometimes planes have a cabinet and sometimes they don't.

What you can do is call the airline and ask. They will know based off your flight number.

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[ciestar]

Southwest didnt have anything when we flew them last week.

 

[Giovanotto]

Does the garment bag count as a personal carry on item? Because I'm already bringing a small carry on and a backpack. I'm assuming I can't be bringing a carry on, backpack, AND garment bag?

Flying out a major airport.

Edit: Only 2 items with my ticket. So looks like I'm doing carry on plus garment bag. Le sigh.

 

[Kakoy]

Does the garment bag count as a personal carry on item? Because I'm already bringing a small carry on and a backpack. I'm assuming I can't be bringing a carry on, backpack, AND garment bag?

Flying out a major airport.

it's a personal item! Just put your garment bag into the small suitcase. When you get to the hotel, take out your suit and hang it up in the bathroom, turn the shower on hot, and close the door. Winkles melt away!

 

[DO2015CA]

Does the garment bag count as a personal carry on item? Because I'm already bringing a small carry on and a backpack. I'm assuming I can't be bringing a carry on, backpack, AND garment bag?

Flying out a major airport.

Edit: Only 2 items with my ticket. So looks like I'm doing carry on plus garment bag. Le sigh.

you would be correct about that. It would count as your personal item

 

[Giovanotto]

it's a personal item! Just put your garment bag into the small suitcase. When you get to the hotel, take out your suit and hang it up in the bathroom, turn the shower on hot, and close the door. Winkles melt away!

How long do you do that for? What about ironing the suit? I'm staying at an airbnb.

 

[jurassicpark]

Yeah, was a hit and a miss even back in my days when we had to cross the ocean by the titanic in terms of airline accommodations.

If you get in early enough, absolutely ironing is the best route.
My wife does the whole steaming thing with the bathroom if she brings a dress she needs to wear.. freakin bathrooms turns into saunas.

The worst is when your flight arrives a few hours before the interview and you fly out same day.. you just gotta hope for the best.

 

[Kakoy]

How long do you do that for? What about ironing the suit? I'm staying at an airbnb.

I had a bad experience when I was interview for med school with the iron, so I been using the steaming for rest of med school interviews, residency, fellowship and jobs. I usually does it for 30 minutes or so, check on it to make sure the wrinkles fall out!

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Ironing a suit is easy. Make sure there is water in the iron and put the selector on the setting for the material the suit is made of (will be on the tag). Don’t let it just sit on the fabric for too long and just iron out the wrinkles. It’s literally that easy.

 

[Giovanotto]

Ironing a suit is easy. Make sure there is water in the iron and put the selector on the setting for the material the suit is made of (will be on the tag). Don’t let it just sit on the fabric for too long and just iron out the wrinkles. It’s literally that easy.

Works ok for 100% wool suits? Are you using shirts in between as a buffer?
And, does the steaming trick work for suit pants and button up shirts as well?

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Works ok for 100% wool suits? Are you using shirts in between as a buffer?
And, does the steaming trick work for suit pants and button up shirts as well?

My dress blues have all been wool, and I iron them just fine. I don’t put anything between as a buffer. I’m just gentle and use the iron appropriately (ie, I don’t act like I’m making grilled cheese).

I don’t use the steam trick, so I don’t know if it works on pants or shirts. I just iron them. Takes me 20 - 30 minutes to iron the jacket, pants, shirt, belt (dress blues belt is fabric), and an undershirt, and that’s if I take my time and listen to a podcast while I’m doing it.

edit: some people will put two ironing board covers on to make a thicker pad. It helps but I don’t do it and my stuff always looks fine.

 

[mistafab]

You can just wear the suit. At your seat, you can take the jacket off, pop the shoulders turned inside-out, and lay it on your lap. No wrinkles, no steaming or ironing.

 

[Giovanotto]

You can just wear the suit. At your seat, you can take the jacket off, pop the shoulders turned inside-out, and lay it on your lap. No wrinkles, no steaming or ironing.

I'm not about that life my friend. You can catch me wearing athletic clothing on my flights. I'm way too clumsy to risk it.

 

[GoSpursGo]

It really is not that hard to iron your suit and shirt...

 

[doyouhaveaflag]

Another vote for pack it in the suitcase. Just remember to carry it on and never check your bag! Programs are understanding about lost luggage if you show up in jeans, but it must still be awkward to be that guy.

My suit is wool (does they come in other material?) and the bathroom trick did wonders. However, some hotels have fans that turn on automatically and you can never generate enough steam. I had to iron about 25% of the time. Wasn't any issue.

 

[Schwifty]

Only time I ever had a problem with my garment bag was when flying on spirit, no closet up front so I had to lay my garment bag in the overhead bin. Also, spirit kind sucks in general, so I try to avoid them if I can lol

 

[mehc012]

Does the garment bag count as a personal carry on item? Because I'm already bringing a small carry on and a backpack. I'm assuming I can't be bringing a carry on, backpack, AND garment bag?

Flying out a major airport.

Edit: Only 2 items with my ticket. So looks like I'm doing carry on plus garment bag. Le sigh.

I literally folded my garment bag to the width of my backpack while waiting at the gate and stuck it in the elastics on the outside. Nobody ever gave me any guff about it, and as soon as I was on the jetbridge I'd pull the garment bag back out, see if I could hand it to the flight attendant while boarding, and if not just lay it flat in the carryon compartment.

Even Spirit didn't hassle me about my 2 items turning into 1 with a few bungees.

 

[Epilepsy365]

Don't fly Jetblue or Spirit. Don't risk it. Always carry-on these suits. My tips after almost missing an interview or possibly show up to one in sweat pant and shirt.

 

[NVO]

Portable steamer is life changing

 

[MerYangBey]

I second the steamer option. I bought a 20 dollar steamer from amazon. I fold my suit. Put it in my carry on. Then I steam it when I get to the hotel. Literally takes 5 minutes. Also if you fold the suit well it doesn’t wrinkle that much. My suit is a wool blend.

 

[Tenk]

PSA: BEFORE YOU IRON A SUIT WITH SOMEONE ELSES IRON OR A HOTEL IRON ALWAYS TEST IT OUT ON A WHITE TOWEL.

You will be amazed/disgusted with the stuff that sometimes comes out.

 

[Giovanotto]

PSA: BEFORE YOU IRON A SUIT WITH SOMEONE ELSES IRON OR A HOTEL IRON ALWAYS TEST IT OUT ON A WHITE TOWEL.

You will be amazed/disgusted with the stuff that sometimes comes out.

Just learned this the hard way -_-

 

[Oedipa Maas]

I bought a garment bag that rolls up into a duffel bag that has worked out pretty well so far (also has a zipped compartment for shoes). I also brought my portable hand-held steamer which has come in clutch.

 

[ciestar]

I literally took my suit off after my interview yesterday and just threw it onto the back seat of the car. So im doing well

 

[kb1900]

PSA: BEFORE YOU IRON A SUIT WITH SOMEONE ELSES IRON OR A HOTEL IRON ALWAYS TEST IT OUT ON A WHITE TOWEL.

You will be amazed/disgusted with the stuff that sometimes comes out.

Learned this the hard way after a 7 hour flight to a conference

rip favorite white shirt

 

[IsleyOfTheNorth]

You can just wear the suit. At your seat, you can take the jacket off, pop the shoulders turned inside-out, and lay it on your lap. No wrinkles, no steaming or ironing.

+1 for this. It's much easier IMHO, you just have to be careful. Also, the airline can't lose the suit you're wearing!

 

[Epilepsy365]

+1 for this. It's much easier IMHO, you just have to be careful. Also, the airline can't lose the suit you're wearing!

Or watch sure to book your flight using a credit card like Sapphire Reserve in order to get that $500 check per day of delay for personal use, up to 4-5 days of delay.

 

[Cornfed101]

You can pack the suit folding it like this:

then you can get a portable steamer. Amazon has ones for $15-30 that do wonders and easily fit in a backpack.