Having any kind of social life can be tricky for cabin crew. Frequent absences from home and irregular schedules don’t make it easy to plan dates or family dinners – but there are some upsides as well.
In this blog, our industry partner, Cabin Crew Wings, share their thoughts on how cabin crew can maintain relationships with friends, family and partners while they’re away working.
A Different Kind of Social Life
A cabin crew career is often seen as the gateway to a jet-set lifestyle, travelling the globe and gaining exciting new experiences. Yes, it involves a lot of hard work, and sacrifices have to be made, but this profession does offer you a whole new type of social life.
Instead of a quick drink with colleagues after leaving the office, you and your fellow cabin crew could be sipping cocktails on a beach or seeing the sights in exotic, far-flung locations during overnight layovers.
Often, the friendships you form as cabin crew will be extra special because you’ll have a mutual understanding of each other’s lifestyle. This can be a comfort, especially when loved ones at home struggle to imagine your daily reality.
Dealing With Homesickness
It’s normal to feel homesick, especially at the beginning of your cabin crew journey. Unusual sleeping patterns, jetlag and adjusting to this new way of life can take its toll.
Remember to take little reminders of home with you when you leave; download some tunes that remind you of the people you love, pack a few photos of your friends or your favourite scented candle for your hotel room if you’re travelling long-haul.
People at home don’t always know where you are or when you’re working; make the extra effort to contact people when you’re on the ground. Squeeze in those phone calls when you can, and fire off a few texts if the time difference doesn’t work out.
It can also help if you’re able to live close to the airport where you’re based. When you’ve been missing home and want to get back to see people, the last thing you want is a long commute or to get stuck in traffic on the final leg of your journey.
Missing Important Events
Working as cabin crew, it’s inevitable that you’ll miss things. Your roster may mean you have to work over Christmas or miss birthdays and other special occasions.
This can be one of the toughest aspects of being cabin crew. Hopefully, your friends and relatives will understand and just be glad to have you when you’re there. Skype and FaceTime are great to keep you feeling in the loop if you can’t make it to an event.
Sometimes, you’re bound to feel left out. To combat this, be proactive when you’re at home – reach out to people you want to spend time with, make sure they know you’re around! Carve out time to see the ones who are most important to you.
Keep the Romance Alive
Long-distance relationships can throw up another set of challenges – especially when you’re in different time zones or uncontactable because you’re in the air.
Communication is key. Keeping in touch with each other will help you feel connected. A short, sweet message between flights or before you go to sleep will let the other person know you’re thinking about them.
When you’re together, make sure you have quality time. Take a day trip just the two of you, or cook a special dinner at home if you’re on a budget. Share anecdotes from your time apart, but don’t let work take up the whole conversation.
While it may not be ideal to be separated from a partner, look at the positives. The excitement of a reunion may help keep that spark alive! As the cliché goes, absence really does make the heart grow fonder.
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