I keep my phone on UTC time always - crewing and my roster use UTC, and I change only my watch to local.
Work out your wake-up time in UTC and local time, and set both alarms accordingly. Two chances to get it right. Two devices. Two batteries. Give yourself plenty of time to get up, shower, pack and pay at reception. I give myself an hour, so there is no rush and I have time to pre-brief myself on the flight and weather, and time also for emergencies and mishaps as you are getting ready, such as a broken shoelace etc.
Crews often pay their hotel bills just before they go to sleep, so no risk of having to queue at reception when you get up.
I set two alarms, one on my watch and one on my phone to wake up for the next duty. Put them out of reach and out of sight when you sleep. No danger of you hitting snooze if you can't reach the alarm. If you can't sleep, it does not help knowing that you have 7....6.....5.....4 hour's left before you have to get up.
Do not accept a hotel room with an internal door to the next room. Whatever the hotel might say, they are never completely soundproof. Ditto, if there are any concerns about noise, insist on a room change - it is extremely important that you can sleep before your next duty.
There used to be red "do not disturb: aircrew" notices for your door, which are different to the normal hotel ones, so they stand out, I still have one somewhere.
If there is noise, white noise from the aircon or a ceiling fan can help drown it out and help you sleep.
No alcohol the day before you fly - except a modest glass of red to get you off to sleep if required, no closer than 8 hours before departure.
Put your phone on airplane mode when you sleep - the alarm will still work but you will not be disturbed by texts etc.
Pack a spare uniform shirt. If you spill coffee or cut yourself shaving while you are getting ready, trust me; you will be very grateful that you have a spare clean shirt ! Do your own ironing in your room the night before departure - (iron both main and spare shirts), so no worries about waiting for housekeeping.
Good advice on the thread already about safety and security of passport, wallet etc.
A little box containing paracetamol-codeine, plasters, immodium, sun block etc.
A pair of soft boat shoes with thick soles if stingrays are around - trust me you do NOT want to tread on a stingray. They sit motionless on the bottom camouflaged in the shallows, and my Captain trod on one. The pain was indescribable, and it wasn't even happening to me. If your Cap is incapacitated, you are 2nd in command. You will need to liaise with operations and your No. 1 etc.
Buy a phone contract from a decent company giving you reliable service wherever you fly to in the World. You are a professional and you should not be relying on hotel or local Wi-Fi, (which are not secure anyway).
Get a set of travel adaptor plugs for your phone charger - Apple do a very good kit.
Remember that you are a professional crew and act accordingly. Don't boast or brag or throw your weight around. Be pleasant and polite to ground staff, airport staff, security staff, and hotel staff. Don't get drunk and make a spectacle of yourself in the bar.
Down route you will probably need to be more pro-active with ground staff - don't necessarily wait for things to happen; you sometimes need to drive them along a bit. But be professional and nice about it. Don't be a d*ckhead
Help your crew and be alert to any problems your crew might have. Help them if they do. This might involve going to hospital with them.
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Last edited by Uplinker; 8th May 2022 at 12:26.