Road Warriors - lessons learned?

[RevolverRob]

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.

When traveling for conferences, this is probably my chief complaint. It is incredibly hard to find good, fresh, food in a lot of places. With conference centers in downtown areas, there usually is not a close grocery store, which is very irritating. At times there may not be anything but fast food or mediocre chain restaurants.

I've basically learned that a well-done burger from room service, while it costs more, is probably tastier and cleaner than what you'll find in most places.

Sushi is a go-to for me when traveling to large urban areas. Look for a highly rated, clean, place that does maki rolls, for extra protection choose a protein that is actually cooked (like shrimp) or tofu. Any place where you can get steamed white rice and a protein grilled or cooked in front of you is probably better than Taco Bell. And when in doubt, Chipotle has the freshest veggies one can find.

I traveled to Vegas a few years ago and it was miserable, how hard is it to get fresh vegetables on the Vegas Strip? Apparently, all but impossible. I finally found a Chipotle buried in a strip mall, highest quality food I had on the whole trip (I was on a very tight grad student budget).

I now do not travel without protein bars. Too many nights curled up on the floors of hotels after eating bad food. I'd rather ration a Clif Bar and water than deal with shitty food followed by food poisoning, at this point.

[rob_s]

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.

This trip in particular, probably because I'm aging (i'll be 45 in a few months), those lessons are really hitting home. I can't sleep on the road, so if I'm going to wake up at 4 am anyway I might as well see if the hotel has a bike I can sit on and watch youtube instead of sitting on my hotel room bed and watching youtube.

the food is also catching up with me, along with the drinking. more aging lessons/issues, I'm assuming.

[okie john]

Excellent advice thus far. I'll add:

• Get TSA Pre-Check or the equivalent for international travel. It has saved my ass multiple times.
• Look sharp on the road. Pack clothes that look good together so you can grab any shirt/pants/shoes combination and still look good. Focus on black, grey, khaki, beige, white, and blue. Brooks Brothers is your friend.
• Having a solid blue tie in your bag is never wrong.
• Buy 10-12 identical pairs of socks to save time finding and matching. The really tall ones are called executive socks for a reason.
• Consolidate your frequent flyer and hotel miles on 1-2 companies to maximize benefits. I like the Westin because they have good gyms and restaurants.
• Develop a workout that you can execute in a shitty motel fitness center.
• Learn to find the healthy options on hotel menus. Free breakfasts are free because carbs, grease, and low-quality protein are cheap. Pay a bit more for a hotel with decent chow. You can eat from a grocery store if you have to.
• Update your expense report on the plane headed home and submit immediately upon arrival. Having a reputation for flawless expense reports that arrive early goes a lot farther than you’d think.
• Make sure to catch up on sleep when you get home, especially if you leave again the following week.
• Fly direct.
• If you can't fly direct, then schedule layovers for someplace about halfway to your destination so you get a full-sized jet for both legs of the trip. Minimizing time in little airliners maximizes quality of life.
• Avoid layovers shorter than about 90 minutes. Arriving even slightly late can cause you to miss your connection.
• Depart as early as you can. Everything about late afternoon flights is a clusterfuck. If you miss a connection and the flight is full when you arrive, then the airline will stick you in in a shitty hotel overnight to keep from booking you with a competitor.
• Bring your own wireless capability. Hotel wifi has more bugs than a $3 hooker.

Finally, I rarely if ever drink on the road--I have enough on my plate as it is.


Okie John

[Moylan]

The main lesson I learned in my years of traveling was--don't do it.

[ST911]

So much depends on destination and mode of travel, but here's my short list...

• For clothes, use wools, polys, tech fabrics when possible. How you need to dress may help or make it harder. Many of these are easier to wash on the fly.
• Change of task-critical clothes in your carry-on. If fun/vacay travel, just a change of stinkys.
  
• Tide pen, if stains matter.
• Portable battery chargers, 5-8000mah minimum. Goal Zero or Anker, mostly.
• Med pack with antibiotic and any OTCs you commonly use. Ditch the packaging.
• Drink mix packets, licky/chewey/suckies, power bar.
• Make a quick reference vocab and currency conversion card for foreign travel. Not e-format, physical palm-sized card. Front and back.
• Own your own luggage scale for flying. There's no meaningful difference between those I've used, and they are +/- 2lbs to the airline
• $200 cash.
• A Visa gift card or dedicated travel card not linked to the rest of your finances.
• Epic wipes for a quick clean-up, if active outdoors, or austere travel. They can also be used for surface or gear cleaning. https://www.amazon.com/10-pack-massi.../dp/B01NB09UJI
• Flushable wipes (baby/toddler).
• SASE in case you forgot about any prohibited items in a carry on.
• Tide pods in sauce cups with lids, won’t leak. https://www.amazon.com/100-Sets-Plas.../dp/B01N7W9BUX
• Door wedge, cord, bubble wrap (door security stuff). Expandable rod for the window. Stay on the 2^nd floor when possible.
• Hand sanitizer of choice.
• Small sewing kit.
• Melatonin.
• USB chargeable light.
• I ditched my laptop for my Ipad and keyboard unless I have presentations or need dated/redundant tech.
• Be neatly dressed, neatly groomed, speak well. Treat everyone well, especially those that are used to being abused by customers/passengers.

[mmc45414]

or hitting the stairs in the tunnels of the old fort/park in Graz.

Years ago I was in an industry where we would exhibit in Chicago at IMTS, a manufacturing show that lasts like eight days and I frequently did the duration, and sometimes even an extra day or two for setup and teardown. I was younger and had become good friends with many of my colleagues, had fairly liberal expense guidelines, and all that adds up to partying like crazy pretty much every night for the whole trip. One day the weather was harsh so my buddy and I decide we would go up and down the stairs in the Palmer House (30+ floors) a few times for exercise. Then we get showers and go eat and drink like rock stars.

The next morning I woke up because I needed to take a leak (soon...), hopped up out of bed and BOTH of my dehydrated calf muscles knotted up like they had ice picks stuck in them, while I tried to make it to the can without making a mess and knead my cramps at the same time. These days I am the first guy that wants to go back to the room

[mmc45414]

RE: Cash. Always travel with some.

My cousin died suddenly and the service was Memorial Day weekend and I drove from Ohio to Florida and back with $5. I meant to get money before I left, I guess when you do it all the time you can get complacent. I used to keep $100 and a spare credit card stashed in the trunk, one time I forgot my wallet and it saved my trip.

Here is another tip: When you pack your bag put it in the car. A couple of years ago I was on my way to Wisconsin and had been thinking that I was starting to get back in the groove after not traveling much for a number of years. When I was pretty much dead nuts half way the phone rings and my wife says "this luggage in the bedroom, did you mean to take that with you?" The lady at FedEx said they ship a lotta luggage...

[RevolverRob]

Yoga can be done anywhere in the world, in pretty much any clothes. A basic yoga routine stored on your phone or following a Youtube video, or whatever. 20-minutes of Yoga in the airport or in your hotel after being crammed into an airplane - is very relaxing and gives you a nice little workout. A friend of mine whom I travel with quite frequently got me into this as a practice and it helps.

Flights - I usually fly Southwest and on crammed/full flights, I'm not afraid to spring for a boarding upgrade. Jumping up in boarding, gives you the pick of the seats on the plane. Best seat on Southwests 737s - second exit row, window seat - there is no seat in front of it. Room to stretch out (which me, being 5'7", pisses off the 6'8" dude that was too cheap to spring for the upgrade) and it's over the wing, so it's the most stable spot on the plane if you get motion sickness. Downside, no underseat storage, everything in the bin up top. But I usually only have my phone and headphones.

If you're like me and you get motion sickness regularly on airplanes - Seabands, Benadryl, and ginger candies (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...d_i=7514604011) all help. Unfortunately, I've found it getting worse on planes lately, I'm hoping my sinus surgery will help reduce my constant congestion making things a little better. It's bad enough I may have to get a prescription anti-emetic.

[OlongJohnson]

The lady at FedEx said they ship a lotta luggage...

If you plan ahead and/or have large/heavy items to travel with you (technical or sporting equipment, for example), that can be a lot cheaper than checking it, and it doesn't suck to have it waiting for you at the hotel when you get there. Sometimes, FedEx and UPS have drop-off points at or adjacent to the airport, so you can drive up to it with your rental and drop it, rather than dealing with heavy loads through airport shuttles. Makes it nice.

[Joe in PNG]

I usually take along a single use, pre loaded toothbrush and a couple of plaquers for long flights.
That way I can keep my teeth clean without having to leave my seat.