Hi, hot stuff. (And a special hello to those of you referred by Jay.)
Last week I spent 26 extra hours at the Dallas airport, ran out of clean clothes to wear, got food poisoning from a bad fish taco, and anyway how is your week going...?
I was trying to get home to Boston. The event I spoke at in Dallas was GREAT. (Shoutout to 1000Watt friends!) But the getting home...? Oof.
I spend half my year
on the road, traveling and speaking. Dallas was my last trip for a while. And I guess someone or something (JetBlue? Texas? The whitefish itself?) wanted to be extra sure I'd remember it.
Not fondly. But
I would remember it.
So today: something different and lighthearted—inspired by the holiday week in the US. And travel delays. And stomach that is still very pissed off at the taco.
Instead of the usual writing and marketing advice (that'll return to your screen next time), here are...
Hand-Rolled, Artisanal Travel Tips
1. When you're traveling alone, get a double room: A bed for sleeping and a bed for takeout.
2. Use the shower cap to cover leftovers in the hotel fridge.
3. Use compression packing cubes, organized
by outfit of the day—not clothing type. You'll save space. But also, you'll be sure you have the right kind of socks to go with the right kind of shoes. (I like these cubes.)
4. Create a packing checklist. Print. Keep it in your suitcase. (Thanks, Ahava Leibtag.)
5. Carry a survival bag of lightweight but favorite and/or emergency snacks. I buy almonds, RXBAR protein bars, and That's It fruit bars in bulk; replenish as needed.
My survival snacks saved me just
last week when the BOS > DAL leg unexpectedly had nothing on board except PopChips and my hunger was about to rip someone's face off.
6. Go to your gate as soon as
you get through security, just to be sure it exists. :) (You can't do this in every country, but at least in the U.S.)
7. Suss out the best airport food options
before you get to the airport. I've tried various apps that claim to do this. But they lie. I always go back to Eater.
8. Carry an extra travel outfit JUST IN CASE. I know I know... I should've reviewed this list more closely before Texas.
9. Pack laundry detergent sheets, also just in case you didn't do #8 and you have to turn your hotel room into Edna Turnblad's Laundry Service. Sheets are easier to carry than small detergent bottles; I suggest these.
10. Close the gap in hotel curtains with a pants clip hanger from the closet. Unfamiliar surrounding
already makes sleep less sound; blocking out any sliver of daylight or bright city lights helps.
11. Visit a local library. I used to fly-in, fly-out...
experiencing only the inside of the Uber and the hotel ballroom. But that's no way to live, is it.
Now I make a point to get outside and experience something local. Even a brief hour wandering the halls
of a library will give you a perspective on a community.
A museum works, too. But I like the vibe of local libraries, which are usually... well, local. And always free.
12. Download games you can play offline only during those times when there's unreliable Wi-Fi and you need something to distract you from boredom/turbulence/your too-chatty neighbor.
(My latest is mindless yet oddly compelling.)
13. Invent silly airport games to amuse yourself during too-long waits in the terminal:
> GateMatch (One point for each couple
traveling together who are twinning; bonus points for entire families)
> Siblings or Dating (Is that couple related? Or in love?)
> Smile Game (Catch the eye of passers-by and smile; one point for each person who smiles back). (Boston is a very friendly city full of smile-reciprocators. Detroit not so much.)
14. Carry a notebook to write down any odd things or behaviors you see (and you will see people at their oddest). These might become the start of a story. Or not. Either way, the
practice tunes you into your world.
15. Walk between terminals, if you are able. You're about to sit/just sat in a chair, 30,000 feet in the air. Take the
moment to move your body.
Unless you've had bad fish tacos.
* * *
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