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Traveling Constants

posted on January 4, 2011

I leave for CES tomorrow and then will spend more time on the road this month than I will at home with my lovely family.

Being on the road may sound sexy to some, but it isn’t all that it is cracked up to be. Especially this time of year when the weather causes flight delays and people sneeze and cough all over you at every turn. But, I’ve found that I can keep my sanity through having some constants whenever I travel. They make easier for me to hit the road without worrying as much as I use to.

I thought I’d share them so that perhaps a few of them can help you.

Plenty of Fluids

I took tWater, OJ & Coffeehis photo in Portland, but it could be taken at any breakfast I have on the road. I always have all three of these things, every morning.

The coffee is because I love it and the warm friendly jolt is welcomed every morning. While I’m not a fan of orange juice at all, when on the road I like to think the extra Vitamin C can’t hurt. I try to get fresh squeezed whenever they have it since I find it tastes better. Finally, I always try to drink as much water as possible. This is true all the time, but on the road it is crucial. Not thirsty when asked if you want some water on the plane? Get it, because your body can use it.

Sync Everything Up

TripIt & FlightTrack Pro are what keeps my traveling life in order and I honestly don’t know what I would do without them. In addition Dropbox (affiliate link) makes sure that my files on my desktop and laptop are always the same.

But, because you never know what your Internet connection might be like on the road I always make sure to sync up everything before I leave. That way I know that it has the latest information and I won’t have to be worrying about it when I land in a new city. Plus, I know my Wifi at home is better than anywhere on the road.

Pack Smart

I’ve talked in the past how my friend Chris made me buy luggage and I’m happy to say that the Eagle Creek bag (affiliate link) is still doing a great job for me. Granted I seem to have a never ending quest for the perfect camera and travel bag, but we won’t go into this right now.

Because I travel so much I’ve learned how to pack my bag. I know where everything goes and things I don’t need ready access to always go into the carry on bag rather than my backpack or messenger bag. I want to keep that bag as light as possible so I put all chargers, chords and things I most likely won’t need during the traveling part of the trip into the bag with wheels. I can get to them if I need to, but most likely won’t since I always leave with a full charge on everything.

I also keep a little gadget bag with things like a USB cable, Mac remote, card reader and iPhone charger always in my bag. That way I never wonder if I have the needed cables with me or not. I have other ones that I use at home so that I never have to unpack this. I can’t tell you how many times this has saved me on the road.

Stock Up On Content

Since I don’t always get to fly jetBlue or Virgin America (love them both) where I get a television to make the time pass, I always make sure that I have plenty of stuff to keep me busy on the flight.

This means that I most always rent a couple of movies or television shows on my iPad. I’ll also stock up on TED Talks and other podcast content that I haven’t had time to watch in a while. I also always have a couple of magazines with me to read during those times that electronics are not allowed to be turned on. Plus, I love magazines.

Now, I also always have a copy of Content Rules with me because you never know when I might bump into someone that I’d like to have a copy of the book. Do other authors do this as well?

I probably could go on and on with this sort of topic, but will cut it off for now so that I can actually get ready to jump on a plane tomorrow.

I know there are other nomads out there, so I’d love to hear what your travel constants are that help keep you sane.

Safe travels!

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Categories: Travel
  • http://210consulting.com/ Jeremy Blanton

    CC- As 2011 starts off, I too see myself doing more traveling & speaking and this is something I am definitely going to need to get a better grasp on. The days of packing 4 extra shirts & such just isn’t going to cut it on all these travels. Either that, or I am going to get one heck of a workout!

    • http://www.cc-chapman.com/ C.C. Chapman

      Get a bag that fits as carry on and then NEVER check baggage again. It’ll force you to pack differently and you’ll be amazed at how little you can get by with.

      The first few trips will freak you out (they did me), but gradually you’ll adapt and embrace it.

  • Barbara Gavin

    The key for me is having a second (or third) set of chargers, so you don’t have to ever take them out at home.

    • http://www.cc-chapman.com/ C.C. Chapman

      Same here. I’ve got more cables, chargers and other things laying around the house then I know what to do with. Feels like Radio Shack sometimes. *grin*

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  • http://twitter.com/write4unj Nancy Passow

    I can’t deal with carry-on, not with the liquid rule (hey, I’m a girl; if I really tried, I could put everything in a plastic bag, but it’s too much of a hassle). Plus, having spent many years in the corporate world, I’m tired of schlepping. My Acer goes in my backpack along with various earbuds (for the iPod) and chargers and cords. I bring whatever books I’m in the midst of reading (Content Rules went to SF with me last month), newspapers, magazines, & crossword puzzles. My joy are my two relatively new suitcases — both with the “spinner” wheels. They are so much easier to wheel around & they stand up when you need them to.

    While in SF last month I made a great breakfast discovery — rather than paying for the high priced breakfast at the hotel, I went across the street to Starbucks and got their oatmeal (w/ brown sugar, nuts, and dried fruit) and a skim chai latte. Way cheaper — and I could either eat there and use their wifi or take it back to my room. Looking forward to doing the same in a few weeks in Seattle.

    • http://www.cc-chapman.com/ C.C. Chapman

      I almost never eat at the hotel. I LOVE finding little local shops and my rule when I travel is to never eat somewhere I could at home. Sure, I’ll run into a Dunkin Donuts to get a coffee if I have to, but I prefer to find a local shop instead.

  • http://twitter.com/RW3_RWelch Ray Welch

    C.C.- Business travel is an art form. I’ve been traveling for business for well over a decade. I agree with you 100%…never check a bag.

    I failed to follow my own advice one time last year. I thought I would be okay since it was a direct flight, on a regional jet, and I was at the airport in plenty of time. I flew out on the last flight of the evening so I could spend extra time in my office. I was scheduled to be in a meeting at 9am the next morning, and back on a flight home that afternoon. My flight left and arrived on time. I went to baggage claim and waited…and waited. No bag. No suit. No toothbrush. It was 11pm and the only thing open was a 24-hour Walmart. Needless to say, my trip was miserable. My bag was finally found and delivered to me (at my office) four days later, but the damage had already been done.

    As far as constants, I love my iPad. I upload shows, movies and books regularly so no matter what kind of mood I’m in, I’ve got a distraction. I also carry a “traditional” book, typically a social media or business management type book. I do this for two reasons…one, I like the feel of a “real” book; and two, I keep hoping I will end up sitting next to the author who can sign it for me.

    I also sync my desktop files onto a jump drive before every trip. This way I have the most current version of everything. For my contacts and calendar, I use MobileMe. I love this application. My phone, iPad, desktop and laptop all have the same information, no matter on what device I make changes.

    We use Dropbox for large file sharing, but I will look at utilizing it instead of the jump drive.

    Good luck on your trips. Safe travels.

    • http://www.cc-chapman.com/ C.C. Chapman

      You’ll love Dropbox for that. My laptop and desktop are always in sync and then if I need a file for some reason I can get to it from any web browser or the ipad/iphone app which means I can get to it from anywhere.

      Can’t believe I forgot to say that I also always have my iPad loaded up with books. The Amazon Kindle app is my most used app. Always reading something.

  • Elizabeth Rizzo

    Love these tips, C.C. thank you! As a remote worker, I’ve been traveling much more lately. Few other tips (probably most useful for your female readers!) I always throw in a pair of socks into my carry on – this is most important in the summertime during sandal weather when the AC is crankin’. I also have extra small containers of the liquid items I use all the time. Store them in the FDA-approved quart sized zip lock so I don’t have to pack these things each time and don’t accidentally forget any of them (mini toothpastes, Visine, moisturizers, etc). For anyone in PR, a tip a colleague passed on long ago – stock up on magazines you don’t typically read – niche pubs or pubs you don’t read on a regular basis and wouldn’t just pick up for pleasure reading. Plane rides are the perfect time to catch up on what’s new/important in a variety of industries or with different groups of consumers – you will always find something that will apply to projects you are working on (sometimes surprisingly!) and you’ll probably stumble on something interesting to share at your client dinner or next networking event.

    • http://www.cc-chapman.com/ C.C. Chapman

      Awesome tip!

      Thanks for sharing.

  • http://www.bestparking.com/logan-airport-parking/ John at BOS

    Me too, my morning is not complete with a coffee. Juice, not really a fan, but if it’s a fresh, I will. And water? You’re right about, I have read before that you should not wait to feel thirsty before drinking….

    I am an organize person, but when it comes to packing my things, man! I mess up!

  • http://russelldavison.com Russell Davison

    The one item that I miss being able to carry everywhere with me is my Swiss army knife. I could easily change the foreign hotel plug, tighten the screw on my sunglasses, coax a CD drawer open, open a tin of canned fruit from a foreign street store, etc. I even repaired the rear toilet door on a Swissair flight from Geneva to Manchester and I wonder when the CAA will allow me to carry one again?