Dr. Leonardo Tondo is a psychiatrist who studies mood disorders at both the University of Cagliari in Italy, where he is an associate professor, and at Harvard Medical School in Boston.
How much flying do you actually have to do?
I don't count the trips I take within Italy, but I do fly once a month from Rome to Boston and back. I also go to Buenos Aires up to five times a year. I spend a lot of time in airports and used to be quite impatient, but I have just resigned myself to waiting around.
You must have some routines to stay comfortable on long flights.
I have a lot of upgrades so I fly pretty comfortably most of the time, but when I don't get upgraded, I try to get a seat in the very last row. That row is usually sold last so often it's empty and I have it all to myself. I also have an anti-noise headset, a sleep mask and earplugs. The best thing is that I read a lot. Other than flying, I never have a stretch of seven to eight hours just to read. I only read novels and it is a real gift to have that time.
What about packing - do you have it down to a science?
Yes. I don't carry any clothes - I just have a different set in Boston. I do carry food with me to Boston. I bring special pasta, cheese, some very special tomato sauce and some good capers. I sometimes bring olive oil, which I have to ship because of the regulations about liquids. The last time I flew to Boston, my mother made gnocchi with sauce, which I brought. It was beautiful!
Do you meet people on flights?
I don't talk. I'm not social at all, but about four times there were emergencies on the plane so I got involved. Once there was really nothing to do at all. Another time someone was having a cardiac problem. I'm a psychiatrist and not that useful, so I was pretty lucky that there was also a cardiologist there.
Recently they paged for a doctor and someone was having an allergic reaction to something. I just said, "That looks like an allergic reaction. See your doctor when you get back." I got a bottle of wine from the airline for that.
But one time there was a guy who was having a panic attack. Unbelievable, but he turned out to be an old patient of mine.
Do you have favourite airports
and airlines?
I think they are all pretty much the same, with some exceptions. I like Alitalia, but surprisingly the food isn't that good and the audio and films don't really seem to work all the time. I like it because the crew members are always so nice.
Usually in airports I am in the airline elite lounge. I just read, eat and drink wine. I will say that I hate Heathrow, though.
Sounds like not much bothers you about flying.
One thing does: I hate taking off my shoes at security and walking in my socks. In Italy, they give you fake plastic shoes. Good idea, no?
