Road Warriors - lessons learned?

[rob_s]

As I sit in a hotel room, eating cold eggs, preparing for the last day of a conference, I find myself filling up my Amazon shopping cart with "gotta haves" for the next time I travel (replacing my single-use wet ones, getting that wireless HDMI adapter for connecting my laptop to hotel TVs, etc). I, like a lot of you too I suspect, do enjoy "hacking" my activities with products and practices that make them more enjoyable, or productive, or just less painful. I also believe we have a fair number of you that also travel for work or who's work *is* travel.

All of that to say, I'm curious to know your business travel "hacks". Whether they be practices, or products. If products, links are appreciated.

(I actually thought we already had a thread on this but didn't find one in a search. If you want to link to the previous thread by all means please do)

[RevolverRob]

Single-use flushable wipes - I have a Dollar Shave Club subscription and use their "One Wipe Charlies" - I keep a few in my shoulder bag and a handful in my dopp kit.

DSC's deodorant/antiperspirant wipes are also good for traveling light - not having to carry a cylinder of deodorant is useful, plus I keep a few in my shoulder bag, in-case I get stuck someplace without my duffel/suitcase.

In the same vein, in addition to wet-ones/wet-wipes, I like to carry compressed towels - https://www.amazon.com/s?k=compresse...b_sb_ss_i_2_17 - Which you can use to give yourself a sponge bath with in a sink, without getting that wet-wipe residue all over you. Also good to serve as a warm or cold compress if you're not feeling great. Once wetted they expand to the size of a standard washcloth, you can let them dry to damp and then use them to wipe off and clean guns.

Beyond that my biggest things to pack - medications - Immodium, Pepto, Benadryl (for motion sickness or allergies), and Sudafed (be careful not legal in some countries). I know some folks pack antibiotics, particularly when traveling internationally, I do not. Instead, I opt for a proactive dose of Pepto (1 or 2 tablets) after a questionable meal or drink. Bismuth subsalicylate has antibacterial properties and when placed on top of questionable things can help prevent food poisoning and/or traveler's sickness. You can take the max daily dose of Pepto for 4-6 weeks without a major issue, but it wouldn't be recommended. The Pepto is a proactive treatment before or just as it starts, Immodium is for when you're deep in it.

I would say the one problem for travel I haven't solved adequately yet - footwear, both shoes and socks.

I've never found the right pairs of dress shoes, nor have I found any dress socks that adequately wick away sweat. I have very sweaty feet in general and often the first thing I do when I get someplace is strip off my socks and let me feet dry. I guess what I really need is several pairs of very comfortable and supportive dress shoes and about three-dozen pairs of moisture wicking dress socks and shoes that also breath enough to let the sweat out (another problem with dress shoes). - Anyone have recommendations?

I get kind of frustrated when I have to pack 2-4 pairs of shoes for a conference. I really need pairs of shoes that are as at home climbing mountains in cargo pants as they are walking the halls of a Fortune 500 company in dress slacks. I'm not being facetious, most of my conferences also have geology/paleontology field trips that involve a lot of outdoor climbing and fossil hunting.

[OlongJohnson]

Your carry-on always includes enough clothes to get through the first day after the travel day if your checked bag doesn't make it to the destination when you do. And toiletries.

Never plug your phone into the USB port of a rental car. We know they collect your data, but we don't know how much they collect or what they do with it. Get a lighter to USB adapter. (I even follow this rule on cars I own.)

Pelican makes cases specifically targeted for max carry-on dimensions and max non-oversize checked dimensions. Not the lightest or most elegant, but they are hell for durable and the no-questions-asked forever parts warranty and serviceability is hard to beat.

[Seven_Sicks_Two]

I'm off the road now, but some things i used to do:

Bring a couple portable battery chargers - one big enough to power a laptop and another small enough to pocket carry and juice your phone.

I tried to stick to a carry-on as often as possible if flying - having an airline lose your luggage before a multi-day show suuuuuuucks. TSA Pre-check made my life a lot easier... particularly if life wasn't going on schedule.

The business I worked in had a trade show "season" - 6-8 weeks of near constant travel and days spent standing in a booth. Being proactive with the hand sanitizer was a must. Getting sick in week 2 or 3 would make your life harder than it had to be.

I tried to always be at least moderately well-dressed when traveling. Think oxford/sport coat/chinos... delays in connecting flights might mean having to show up to something in the clothes you traveled in. Also, you never know who you'll run into at the airport or on the plane.

Pepto, Benadryl, Claritin, and Advil... lots of Advil.

I spent a good chunk of my time traveling around my territory in a pick-up. A healthy selection of podcasts on a variety of subjects help pass the time. A wide selection of books for my kindle/app made sitting in airports/on planes/in hotels more pleasant.

Kinda unique to my situation as I sold knives/ammo/guns/fishing stuff... triple checking ALL your bags/pockets for contraband before leaving for the airport is a must. On second thought, this would probably apply to lots of you guys as well.

Wool socks in professional colors are nice to have. Packing an extra pair or two is a good idea. If you're going to be on your feet a lot, spend money on good shoes.

[RoyGBiv]

Bring a couple portable battery chargers - one big enough to power a laptop and another small enough to pocket carry and juice your phone

I assume this means portable external "batteries" and not "chargers".

Worth noting that these are no longer allowed in CHECKED bags as they are a fire hazard.
If they catch fire on board, the flight attendants can drop it in a pouch designed to handle it.
If they catch fire in a checked bag, very, very bad things can happen.

[Seven_Sicks_Two]

I assume this means portable external "batteries" and not "chargers".

Worth noting that these are no longer allowed in CHECKED bags as they are a fire hazard.
If they catch fire on board, the flight attendants can drop it in a pouch designed to handle it.
If they catch fire in a checked bag, very, very bad things can happen.

Yeah, portable batteries. I always carried them (and my phone, tablet, and laptop) on.

[RoyGBiv]

+1 on hand sanitizer. I also have a small pack of Clorox wipes that I use to sanitize armrests, tray tables, toilet seats, etc. Do not use these on your butt.

VPN subscription. I don't use airport or hotel WiFi without turning on my VPN.
In some countries (China), a VPN is needed to reach through national censoring. Google (gmail), YouTube, etc are not available behind the Great Firewall.

If you tend to stay at one brand of hotel, and are allowed to use your own CC to pay the bill (vs a company card), you might consider a hotel branded CC. The points and bennies can be nice if you are doing a lot of business with one particular chain.

If you fly American Airlines a lot, consider their co-branded Citibank Mastercard. It's expensive at $450/year, but, every authorized cardholder over 18 gets their own access to the Admirals Club. My wife flys a lot but her company doesn't pay for clubs. She's very happy that my company does. So are my kids. If you are interested in this, check the web for sign up deals. Back when I signed up (6-7 years ago) I got 100,000 bonus miles (worth $1,000). AMEX and Chase have similar lounge access cards that may work better if you don't fly AA.

If you fly a lot, sign up for TSA Precheck. The precheck lines are not much shorter these days, but, it's nice to not have to take out my laptop or get half undressed to go through security. If you travel OCONUS at all (once per year or more), Global Entry signup is a must-have. CBP is definitely stepping up their game when it comes to US arrivals, but GE is just awesome. Also... lots of CC companies are reimbursing the fee ($100) for GE as a statement credit. Nice perk.

If your international business travels are to Asia or Aust/NZ, sign up for the APEC card. The US is not a full participant in this, so you don't get the automatic visas that other countries get, but you do get to cut the passport line in all participating countries. This has saved me hours of standing in line. Sign up for this when you sign up for Global Entry. IIRC, it was an option on the GE website.

Check the availability of Uber/Lyft/Rideshare where you are heading. If it's a big city, rideshare is often easier/cheaper than car rental. Not having to find parking, or hail a cab in Manhattan or Boston is awesome. Internationally, Uber can get me where I need to go, even if I don't speak the local language. Some countries (China) have their own service that requires a separate app. Best to download and set up an account before you leave CONUS, if possible.

Specifically for China travel (maybe other places too), mobile phone payments are slowly taking the place of cash and credit cards. If you travel to China, be sure to have AliPay. On your phone.

Getting into the weeds now..... Financial protection...

Assuming the world is moving away from CC and cash, being replaced by Apple and PP and AliPay... I keep a separate checking account that I allow to be linked to such services. I keep enough $$ in that account to cover expected expenses and I can easily transfer more money using my mobile phone (via VPN) if needed. If my PP, Venmo or AliPay account are ever hacked (I also pay the kids college bills this way instead of writing a check or paying a crazy vig for using a cc), I may be out some money, but my primary checking account is still secure.

[mmc45414]

Not really a hack, but I used to poo-poo the notion of exercising while traveling. Now I realize there is nothing much to do when I am out and instead of finding a bar I dry out and hit the treadmill. Bluetooth headphones make it easy to watch or listen to something streaming on my phone, and then finish watching on the laptop when I am done.

Also now, instead of eating too much of something bad in a bar, I hit a nicer grocery and make a salad. Many of them have at least some chicken on the salad bar, that and a couple of liters of water and I am good.

I spent a good chunk of my time traveling around my territory in a pick-up. A healthy selection of podcasts on a variety of subjects help pass the time. A wide selection of books for my kindle/app made sitting in airports/on planes/in hotels more pleasant.

I also mostly drive, and I have really been doing this and enjoying it a great deal. Also the availability of unabridged audiobooks (I use Audible) makes what was marginally feasible on old media like cassettes and CDs (carbon dating myself there...) a breeze on MP3.

Also, you never know who you'll run into at the airport or on the plane.

Yeah, this sorta occurred to me one time a little late one morning when we were packing up to leave Las Vegas. When we woke up the room service bucket of beer still had ice in it and when I was most of the way through my third one I realized probably not everybody else leaving the meeting would be loaded...

[RevolverRob]

RE: Cash. Always travel with some. Not too much, but always some. I usually take around a hundred bucks in 20s and then another 10-20 in small bills and coins (in particular $1 coins are useful for mass transit).

I made the mistake of not double checking that I had cash on a recent trip and there I was trying to get the damn light rail ticket machine to work properly with my card and it wouldn't. I had to walk back to the airport and find an ATM.

Be smarter than me.

[OlongJohnson]

Not really a hack, but I used to poo-poo the notion of exercising while traveling. Now I realize there is nothing much to do when I am out and instead of finding a bar I dry out and hit the treadmill.

More than once, I've been the crazy American going for a run along some German country road, around the city, or hitting the stairs in the tunnels of the old fort/park in Graz.