Thursday, May 31, 2012
More Travel Stuff....The packing list
I love the first 20 minutes of the movie Up in the Air. Clearly written by someone who truly understands business travel in the 21st century, the education provided by the George Clooney character in how to travel is both hilarious and right-on.
I travel something in the neighborhood of 40 weeks a year (some years more or less). It takes me less than half an hour to pack for a week... Here's how it is done.
There are 5 categories of things in my luggage:
I travel something in the neighborhood of 40 weeks a year (some years more or less). It takes me less than half an hour to pack for a week... Here's how it is done.
There are 5 categories of things in my luggage:
- Duplicate items I keep in the bag at all times. These are highlighted in yellow below. I periodically check these to make sure they don't need to be laundered/replaced.
- My camera bag-- I am an avid photographer, and frequently carry a DSLR, several lenses and other equipment with me. These are in a daypack that I add to the mix as needed. When added to the mix, my handbag and all contents goes into the daypack to keep the airlines happy. These items are highlighted in green below.
- Digital Assets--A new category: I used to carry a lot of printed material with me. Today, I have converted a great deal of this to digital format and carry it electronically on one place) Keep in mind, most of my travel is not to the outback....so I can always produce a printed copy if needed)
- Necessities in my handbag- ID, Money, Kindle, phone,etc. Stuff that goes everywhere I do. No packing necessary.
- Then there's the actual clothes and stuff I pack each week. I rotate the wardrobe in shifts, according to the ACCESSORIES and SHOES to be packed: (Why? this stuff takes up a lot of space, and can be rotated between outfits painlessly. I have a "pack bag" assembled for each of these color groups. It contains a belt, dress shoes and flats, a couple of necklaces, a couple of scarves, some earrings and whatever strikes my fancy, as long as it fits in the bag.)
- Clothes for which I need black and gray/silver accessories
- Clothes for which I need cream and taupe accessories
- Clothes for which I need fun accessories, often red or some other offbeat color
- Clothes for which I need brown and beige/bronze/gold accessories.
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Dressy jacket
4 shirts/blouses/tops
4 pairs trousers/skirts
Warm weather destination:
2 pr shorts and
2 xtra t-shirts
Cold weather destination:
Gloves, heavy
socks, warm hat
4 pairs dress socks
4 pairs undergarments
Swimsuit
Cardigan sweater
Sweatshirt
Rainwear (umbrella)
Lounge pants and t-shirt
Scarf, shawl
1 pair dress shoes
1 pair walking shoes
Flip-flops or
sandals
Belt
Costume jewelry bag
Lightweight travel pack or
shoulder bag
Camera (lenses flash extra
cards & batteries, charger, download adapter)
Insect repellent
Sunscreen
Hat
Sun glasses
Kindle (uses
same charger as phone)
Cellular telephone (charger)
Laptop (flash
drive, power cord/adapters, network cable(s))
Detergent, spot remover, fabric softener sheets
Skin Care items
LEGEND
XXX-
Duplicates always packed in my bag
XXX-
Separate bag added to larger bag as required
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Antibacterial wipes/Purell
The “Doctor Feelgood Kit”
·
Analgesic
of choice
·
Diarrhea
treatment of choice
·
Anthistamine
·
Pepto
·
Sleep
aid
·
Mucinex
·
Skin rash
cream
·
Necessary
medications
Bandages
Spare glasses
Pen(s), small notebook,
glue stick
Personal address book (stamps)
Maps, guidebooks, phrase
books, post-it®
notes, restaurant
lists, membership cards, business/calling cards, telephone access numbers
Large manila envelopes
Passport, visas,
Copies of important documents
Driver's license,
Car and health insurance
information
Travel tickets
Charge & ATM cards, cash
2 personal checks
Safety pins,
Sewing kit,
Ziploc® bags
Rubber bands
Tape
Toothbrush, paste, floss
Comb and hairbrush
Deodorant
Manicure tools
Carabiners
XXX- carried digitally on
Kindle, Phone, Laptop
XXX – the only things I pack individually for each trip
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Lifestyles of the Non-Rich and Non-Famous
I am thinking about lifestyles today.
Mine seems awful to a lot of people. Many others think it sounds vaguely glamorous.
The reality is that it is neither, and both, and many other things.
My life is screwy. I miss walking on the beach at sunrise and sunset. I often think that I would like to have someone to walk on that beach at sunrise and sunset with me.... but who would put up with me being gone 80% of the time and exhausted or preoccupied the other 20%?
Mine seems awful to a lot of people. Many others think it sounds vaguely glamorous.
The reality is that it is neither, and both, and many other things.
- I work a lot.
- I travel a lot.
- I get to go to some interesting--- and not so interesting-- places.
- I usually can find something interesting to do no matter where I am, but there have been projects in areas so devoid of charm or so unsafe that I felt unwilling to explore them on my own. They are few and far between, as I am not a sissy about most things, but a law enforcement friend of mine taught me long ago to trust my gut. If someplace really feels wrong, (even if you can't completely identify why) it's usually because there is something wrong.
- I stay in nice-enough hotels and other people cook my food and clean up after me 80% of the time. At home, a very nice lady comes by regularly to make sure that social services doesn't report me to the health department. She is part of my mental health program. I clean up before my housekeeper comes because I'm easily embarrassed by my own mess.
- I drive rental cars. My personal vehicle is 10 years old and has less than 70K miles on it. And most of that mileage was put on the car in the first three years I owned it, when I was driving back and forth from Tampa to Tallahassee every week. I lent it to a friend for a couple weeks not long ago while hers was in the shop. She put more miles on it in 2 weeks than I had in the previous 5 months. It probably felt like a thoroughbred who hadn't been exercised properly for a long time.
- I get to be creative, I get to learn new things nearly every day, and I am rarely bored.
- Life on the road isn't for sissies. I've been deathly ill alone in hotel rooms literally half a world away from home, driven three hours between appointments with a 102 degree fever, and stranded overnight in airports socked in by bad weather. You learn to cope and move forward.
- I've also seen Spring Festival in Shanghai, Mardi Gras in Baton Rouge, St. Patrick's Day in Savannah, the sun rise and sunset on both coasts, roamed the deserts in Arizona, NM, Nevada, and elsewhere, slept on Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf beaches, wet my toes in every one of the Great Lakes, explored the Mississippi from source to mouth, photographed the Grand Canyon and desert with some of the most extraordinary living photographers, danced on South Beach, walked in the footsteps of the Founding Fathers in Boston, Philadelphia and Washington DC, and on and on and on....
- I've driven through blizzards in Minnesota and New England, had hurricanes disrupt my travel on the East Coast, been evacuated from hotels in the midwest because of tornadoes, lost power for days in Atlanta due to an ice storm, and had a training facility closed because the bridge washed out in a flood.
- I've missed important events in the lives of family members due to forces beyond my control. And cried bitter tears about it when no one could see me.
- I've spent Christmas eve in the Detroit airport, New Year's Day in the Charlotte BOA business lounge, Valentine's day alone and without luggage in Spartanburg, SC, and my birthday in a hospital where none of the doctors spoke English.
- I do not have pets, indoor plants, or the time for things I would enjoy like joining a book club, doing more volunteer work, and painting seriously again. I haven't really painted since I went back to consulting. Thank you, Al Quaeda. Even if I could find the time, traveling with paints and equipment post 9/11 makes the TSA go twitchy. All those chemicals. All that liquid. All those strange implements, some with pointy ends.
- Work days are long, weekends are never long enough. Finding time for a haircut, doctor's appointment, manicure or movie takes real planning. My ophthalmologist thinks I've died. I need to get my prescription glasses adjusted, and I have made and cancelled three appointments since the first of the year.
My life is screwy. I miss walking on the beach at sunrise and sunset. I often think that I would like to have someone to walk on that beach at sunrise and sunset with me.... but who would put up with me being gone 80% of the time and exhausted or preoccupied the other 20%?
My grandson thinks I have a cool job. And I kind-of do. I usually love it more than I am frustrated by it. It works for me, most of the time. But everything has trade-offs, and there are days when the personal cost overbalances the professional satisfaction.
I think they call that life.
I think they call that life.
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
My Annual Travel Rant
Monday was Memorial Day. Schools will be letting out for the summer soon. Families will be taking vacations.
Lots of those families don't travel by air very often. Here is some advice that will improve the experience for both you and your fellow travelers.
Traveling with Young Children
Luggage
Lots of those families don't travel by air very often. Here is some advice that will improve the experience for both you and your fellow travelers.
Traveling with Young Children
- Rule #1 - Your kids are your responsibility. Pay attention to what they are doing on planes, in airports, in restaurants, stores, etc . for their safety as well as the comfort of others. It is not safe for them to be running up and down the aisles of planes or unsupervised in waiting areas.
- It is also your responsibility to teach them manners. In Hartsfield a couple of weeks ago, I watched a kid of about 12 run on to the train and plant his butt in a seat labeled "Reserved for Disabled and Seniors." An older gentleman with a cane subsequently boarded. He was very unsteady on his feet. Meanwhile, the Mom with the Dior sunglasses and Coach tote was too busy to suggest her son get up and relinquish the seat. After waiting in vain, **I** got up and offered the man my seat. I have my own AARP card, but I was taught manners.
- Know the current TSA rules. Kids under 12 don't have to remove their shoes any more. Medications, baby formula, and breast milk are allowed in reasonable quantities exceeding three ounces and are not required to be in the zip-top bag. But they must be taken out and declared for inspection at the TSA checkpoint. Pack your carry-on so you can do this quickly, and allow enough time to get your party through check in and security. If you are traveling before 10 AM or after 4PM, it will take longer than you might think, especially this time of year.
- Explain to your child in advance they they will not be able to read their Kindle, play video games or watch DVD's during takeoff and landing. I have been subjected to the sounds of more temper tantrums on this score than I want to think about. It is stupid, but it is the rule.
- Even if the flight is less than 2 hours, remember to take your kid to the restroom before boarding. Airline restrooms are tiny. On a recent flight, a very large Dad with a young child determined that they could not both be in there together. Dad stood in the companionway with the door open while son used the facility. Not pleasant for the fellow travelers.
- Book and confirm your seats well in advance....but even then, the airlines will not guarantee you will be seated together. Deal with it. But be realistic... the business travelers on your plane are under no obligation to give up **their** confirmed seats just so that all six of you can be seated together.
- Kids under 15 (with or without parents), the disabled, anyone requiring a seatbelt extension or portable oxygen equipment, or anyone traveling with a pet in the cabin MAY NOT BE SEATED IN THE EXIT ROW. No one is being mean to you. Those are FAA rules.
- The empty seat beside you is not the right place to change a diaper. Nor is the seat back pocket the appropriate place to discard a used one. Carry a couple of plastic bags in your diaper bag and dispose properly. Cabin crew will help you if you need them.
- I'm a mom and grandmother. If you know how to do so discreetly, IMO there's nothing wrong with nursing on a plane....but it may make folks around you uncomfortable if you haven't mastered the discreet blanket or sling techniques. They aren't being unreasonable. Practice in advance. Wear the right clothes. The enforced intimacy with strangers on airplanes is tough enough without forcing a complete stranger to bury his/her head in Skymall to avoid your TaTas.
Food and Drink
- Fluid restrictions are a pain, and the end result is $3 bottles of water in airports. Clip an empty water bottle to your carry-on and fill it from the drinking fountain --- they have nifty ones with Brita filters in them that even make the water taste decent.
- Granola bars and trail mix (preferably the kinds without chocolate) raisins and Goldfish crackers make great travel snacks. (Small, non-messy, resistant to crushing.) Anything melty, sticky, smelly, drippy or complicated does not work well. And that includes the Cinnabons the size of a roast chicken sold with extra dipping icing in the airport.
- Airport food is getting better-- but that means that most of it is a lot like the food court at your local mall. Too fried, too greasy, too few veggies. There are actual restaurants in larger airports, but the selections are limited. Know this in advance and plan accordingly.
- Know your airline's policy for size and weight of carry-ons. In the US, most airlines permit one piece of luggage and one small personal item (handbag, small daypack, camera case, briefcase) on board, but there are limits. Roll-aboard bags larger than 22" and 25# will typically not fit in the overhead or under the seat. Some rolling briefcases are too "thick" to be stored on small commuter planes. Suck it up and check your bag if you need more stuff.
- You are probably packing way too much stuff.
- Visit http://www.onebag.com/ and take as much of the advice there as possible.
Kids Traveling Alone
- Know the score in advance.
- Obey all the rules.
- Don't expect the airline to make "special allowances" for you.
- http://www.delta.com/planning_reservations/special_travel_needs/services_for_children/children_traveling_alone/index.jsp
