Do you have the Road Warrior Blues? Do you have to travel for work? If you do here are a few of my learned lessons about surviving living away from home.
I have to travel frequently to support of my job and over the years I have developed a few ways to deal with the little inconveniences of not being home. Yes blessed home... where the sofa is soft and the coffee pot is one step away!
For me, my home is my sanctuary. Where I am king of the castle. To wear what I want. Eat when I want and have access to all my stuff. I don’t know about you, but my stuff is important otherwise I would not have my stuff. So to insure when I travel I have the right stuff, that is the stuff I need to survive outside my castle I take some of it with me! More on that a little later.
First airports. Not all airports are equal. Some are modern well designed tributes to the architects who had the forethought to think about are every needs. And then there are those that, well let us say need some tender loving care out side of tearing them down and starting over. I am sure you know the ones I mean.
Most modern airports have lots of shops so you can buy all that stuff you forgot and then some. Just what you need. Unfortunately most of the these shops don’t reside inside the secure area’s of the departure terminals any more via the post 9/11 era, and even if they did a lot of the stuff you could no longer carry on to the airplanes. So the question I am always pondering is how do these shops stay in business?
Well that’s a subject for another discussion. The point is you need to plan to take just the right stuff you need that will go right through security with out a hitch so you can arrive to leave with the least amount of hassle. And as you may be aware the security rules change frequently as the government changes the perceived threat level and so you need to be prepared so that what ever you take with you will not be affected.
Most flights these days are overbooked or at best completely full and so why go to the hassle in the first place if you don’t have to! My bags include a medium backpack with a special pocket for my second laptop, a rolling computer bag and 1 of 2 sized suit cases that I switch depending on the length of the stay.
To avoid emptying my pockets I carry my paper money in my front pants and remove all coins and place them in a baggy while I walk through the people maze, along with my cell phone, and any thing else I am carrying goes in to my backpack. I DO NOT purchase water or snacks outside security!
Unless you are going for a day trip, where you need to wear a suit. I always wear my blue jeans and a baggy shirt with a light waterproof jacket and baseball cap. If its the winter I upgrade the jacket to a coat and sometimes a pullover sweatshirt. I always try to be as comfortable in the cramped space they call a seat.
As you know when you go through security they will make you remove your jacket or coat along with your shoes, etc. Strip is the new rule at the airport so if your going to strip anyway, might as well make it easy. I have a pair of slip on shoes so I don’t have to fuss around and I have changed to a velcro style belt with no metal so it does not have to be removed. Thus setting off the alarm.
All my personal hygiene stuff goes in my suit case that I check. This includes my small folding pocket knife and anything that is not allowed through security but needed at my destination. I threw the locks away as every time I persisted in locking my bag, I was red flagged and forced to be strip searched at the security check point. I figure if I am not willing to loose it now or can’t live with out it, I don’t take it with me!
In my backpack I carry 1 new pair of underwear and socks. Pressed flat inside a large baggy to remove the excess air. This is for those times when the airline persists in loosing my 1 checked bag. And by the way, United is the worst case offender for this so beware. Believe me I have logged over 2 million miles and like clock work, if I am on a Untied flight, the odds are, they are going to loose my bag. There is no rhyme or reason, it just is! So at least I have the comfort of knowing I can put on a clean pair of BVD’s the next morning.
Once I am through security, I purchase a sundry of snacks and bottle water. That goes in to my backpack so I can place it under the seat in front of me. As you may know most airlines these days are pretty cheap and I like my snacks when I fly. Munching on snacks helps me keep my ears from being plugged as the airplane changes in altitude. I don’t eat a big meal nor do I drink alcohol or beer at the airport before I fly. And I always take a heavy does of my daily vitamins before I head out.
Two additional things I carry is my iPod and a old pair of Bose noise canceling headphones I purchased about 5 years ago. I can tune out the noise both inside the terminal and on the plane once air born. Distressing is very important to survival as a road warrior. You may not realize that all the noise you must deal with during the traveling process is not healthy and raises your stress level.
Finally in my checked suitcase I carry a pair of sweats and a small light blanket similar to the ones they sometimes give you on the airplane! When I arrive at my hotel and this is assuming I have arrived on time and not too late in the evening, or if I don’t have to go straight to a meeting I always take a quick nap. I change in to my sweats and take my blanky out and unwind.
Making your self at home in your hotel is very important also and allowing your self to relax reduces the stress and makes the process bearable. This is what I do and how I manage to control my road warrior blues. If you have any thoughts on the subject, please drop a note.
Remember, Life is a Journey, Not a Destination. So make it a no hassle and comfortable Journey!
