Air Travel with a coffee maker

[Anonymous]

Via- it's fine for a cup. I like coffee strong, and it is that.

I am generally up before dawn so I'll make a cup or two in the hotel before it is light enough to go find a coffee shop or everyone is awake. I pack via, a 2 cup electric kettle and coffee mate liquid packets. When it is more than a few days I instead bring a stainless steel personal sized french press (buy coffee and half and half at the location, and still the electric kettle). With the french press and kettle, it's probably a shoe box worth of space.

I know this seems high maintenance, but I'm otherwise not (I don't bring 6 pairs of shoes, optional outfits, etc) - so it isn't a big deal - but people do like to make fun of me for it, which I get.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Coffee people -- is starbucks via worth it? I will be traveling to a non-coffee area of the world soon, and am debating french press vs. via. Hot water will be freely available.

It's pricey for instant coffee, but not bad. I actually prefer the taste to buying a cup of coffee at Starbucks.

[Anonymous]

I think all the comments ran the OP off from here.

This has to be in the top ten of dumbest posts to ever be created on here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I take a little metal stove top espresso maker with me because I hate filter coffee. It doesn't take up much room and isn't breakable.

Taking a 12 cup machine on the plane is something else!

What do you heat it on in a hotel room?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is this for real? You are so picky about coffee that you bring your coffee maker with you but it's a DRIP COFFEE MAKER? No serious coffee snob would touch coffee from such a machine.

Anyhow, get a metal French press that's small and can't be broken in your luggage, bring your own coffee (make sure it's ground for French press) and boil the water in the in room maker.

I want to say problem solved but I..won't. But I will say you must have a lot of quirks - this is definitely an odd one.

THIS! A coffee snob, you are not.

[Anonymous]

OP here.

My trip is now long over. The reaction to this thread is really surprising to me.

1) Regarding being "picky" about my coffee. I never said I was a "coffee snob" nor a coffee elitist. I used the term "picky"--I know a lot of people use the word "picky" to describe kids who only eat chicken nuggets and mac and cheese--I don't necessarily equate "picky" with "high standards." That being said, I say that I am picky because I like my coffee extremely strong. I probably use nearly twice the amount of grounds that most people would.

2) No, I couldn't just stay in another hotel with a standard coffee maker. #1, I am finding that most hotels are switching to some type of pod/keurig type machine now. #2 as I said in subsequent posts, I was there for a Disney race---when you stay at a Disney hotel they provide the transportation. I wasn't renting a car so this was very important. Also, now that the race is over, I am SO glad I did not try to stay off site and rent a car...it was a point to point course and from all accounts, the shuttle back to the parking area (for people who drove in) was over 1.5 hours wait.

3) No, the food court at the hotel was NOT open that early. Buses started picking up to transport to the race at 2:30 am. The food court opened at normal time, 6:30.

4) Regarding being "princessy" to bring a full size coffee maker---no I didn't NEED a full size one (vs. a smaller 5 cup one.) But I actually was thinking it would be "princessy" of me to buy a new coffee maker when I had a perfectly fine, functioning one.

5) Via. I've never tried it--but you need hot water? The only hot water I would have had access to would be from the tub faucet. No thank you.


I ended up buying a new smaller coffee maker--5 cup with a metal carafe instead of glass. It worked out great.

[Anonymous]

Re the above, you are not limited to tub water if you want to make a cup using Via packets (and I agree with others that Via coffee is pretty great). If the hotel has a microwave, you can use it to heat water to the temperature you like. Failing that, you just run water through the coffee machine to heat it, same as you would for a cup of tea.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Re the above, you are not limited to tub water if you want to make a cup using Via packets (and I agree with others that Via coffee is pretty great). If the hotel has a microwave, you can use it to heat water to the temperature you like. Failing that, you just run water through the coffee machine to heat it, same as you would for a cup of tea.

Thanks! Yes, no microwave but that is good to know about being able to heat water in the disc style coffee maker. I didn't know that.

[Anonymous]

How to heat water in a hotel room:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000VK0DRY?ref_=sr_1_1&qid=1461418077&sr=8-1&keywords=water%20heating%20element&pldnSite=1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This may be the most high-maintenance behavior I've ever heard. Truly.

Wow. I'm honestly shocked people on dcum, where parents can not fathom sleeping in the same room as their own kids on vacation, think it's high maintenance to want a cup of coffee? Bizarre.

I don't know how you can compare wanting privacy on VACATION and this coffee pot situation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here.

My trip is now long over. The reaction to this thread is really surprising to me.

1) Regarding being "picky" about my coffee. I never said I was a "coffee snob" nor a coffee elitist. I used the term "picky"--I know a lot of people use the word "picky" to describe kids who only eat chicken nuggets and mac and cheese--I don't necessarily equate "picky" with "high standards." That being said, I say that I am picky because I like my coffee extremely strong. I probably use nearly twice the amount of grounds that most people would.

2) No, I couldn't just stay in another hotel with a standard coffee maker. #1, I am finding that most hotels are switching to some type of pod/keurig type machine now. #2 as I said in subsequent posts, I was there for a Disney race---when you stay at a Disney hotel they provide the transportation. I wasn't renting a car so this was very important. Also, now that the race is over, I am SO glad I did not try to stay off site and rent a car...it was a point to point course and from all accounts, the shuttle back to the parking area (for people who drove in) was over 1.5 hours wait.

3) No, the food court at the hotel was NOT open that early. Buses started picking up to transport to the race at 2:30 am. The food court opened at normal time, 6:30.

4) Regarding being "princessy" to bring a full size coffee maker---no I didn't NEED a full size one (vs. a smaller 5 cup one.) But I actually was thinking it would be "princessy" of me to buy a new coffee maker when I had a perfectly fine, functioning one.

5) Via. I've never tried it--but you need hot water? The only hot water I would have had access to would be from the tub faucet. No thank you.


I ended up buying a new smaller coffee maker--5 cup with a metal carafe instead of glass. It worked out great.

OP, don't kid yourself: you are princessy and high maintenance. Your solution is still more effort than you needed. Plus, who needs a drip coffee maker in order to make strong coffee. Do you really not know that you can heat water in any kind of coffee maker the hotel provides whether drip or pod. The concept is the same. I'm actually irritated by the fact that you lack such normal logical reasoning skills.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow -- I applaud your non-support for Starbucks, but you seriously lug a full-size Mr. Coffee on the plane with you? Even when most hotels have coffee makers in the room? Why not just bring coffee and filters?

I agree -- put it in the original box. Buy a new one if you need the box, they're only about $30.

Get an aeropress. best coffee ever and you won't have these issues.

[Anonymous]

OP, we travel with a five cup coffee pot. And a small canister of folgers, and our own sugar and creamer. And filters and a metal spoon. And coffee mugs.

We do it because:

1. I hate spending 15 minutes opening all those little plastic packets of stuff in the hotel room.
2. I want my folgers classic coffee. Nothing else will do.
3. Sometimes they have those one cup coffee makers in the hotel room. Spouse and I both drink a lot of coffee. We don't want to make one cup at a time, over and over and over.
4. The hotel room often doesn't stock enough coffee / sugar / creamer in the room. Then I have to go on a field trip to go beg for more.

[Anonymous]

Leave OP alone. It's not y'all's business, geez. Either make a kind suggestion or go away.

OP, you can try a camping coffee maker at REI for future trips. They have different models.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, we travel with a five cup coffee pot. And a small canister of folgers, and our own sugar and creamer. And filters and a metal spoon. And coffee mugs.

We do it because:

1. I hate spending 15 minutes opening all those little plastic packets of stuff in the hotel room.
2. I want my folgers classic coffee. Nothing else will do.
3. Sometimes they have those one cup coffee makers in the hotel room. Spouse and I both drink a lot of coffee. We don't want to make one cup at a time, over and over and over.
4. The hotel room often doesn't stock enough coffee / sugar / creamer in the room. Then I have to go on a field trip to go beg for more.

All of this to drink Folgers? Do yourself a favor and get some real coffee.