Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Friday, October 12, 2007
Business Travel Made Tolerable
Pardon the preachy tone, but I wrote this sermon sitting in an airport terminal last week observing a few too many that could have used a nice dose of common sense.
1. Pack a snack. Everything else you can find in either the airport or the airplane will be overpriced and unsatisfying compared to your favorite treat. (Mine = Pucca. Japanese chocolate filled pretzels. Yum.)
Also, BYO drink. You can carry on any liquids purchased after passing thru security. Caribou iced tea + Pucca = 2 hours of sipping and snacking contentedly.
2. Wear shoes easy to slip on and off. They still make you walk barefoot thru security these days.
3. Leave time to relax. Give yourself an hour to get checked in and thru security. Don't cut it close to your flight time or you're inviting stress. Also, have ideas for how you'll spend your time while waiting. Whether that's work on your laptop or read a new magazine. Come prepared for the hurry up and wait.
4. Do not hassle ANYONE. Come with the mindset that air travel is public transit. Really, it's just the same as riding your local subway or mass transit bus. Other passengers may very well be annoying, smelly and/or abusive. Strive to be quiet and undemanding. Avoiding eye contact isn't a bad idea, either. (Again, like on the bus. ) Being undemanding not only will this make the airline employees grateful for (or simply not annoyed with) you, but it may endear you to your fellow travelers.
5. Do not expect anything. Do not expect a drink, a bag of peanuts, an on-time flight, an upgraded seat or even a seat without someone jabbing you in the back all the flight. If you come at the flight time with low expectations, everything you encounter that isn't negative will seem like a treat.
6. Check your big luggage, pack light for your carry on. Nothing is more annoying than some creep who thinks they're too important to wait at baggage claim who drags on a huge suitcase and attempts to cram it into an overhead it won't fit in.
7. If you haven't been upgraded by the time you or the airlines printed your boarding pass, it's really not likely to happen. Harranguing the gate attendant does not help your case. Also, trying to sneak onto the plane for early boarding when you aren't some elite status or sitting in 1st class to attempt to get on the flight ahead of everyone else to get a spot for your luggage - not cool.
And if you're not sitting in 1st class or the forward cabin do not attempt to leave your luggage in the overhead bins there thinking it'll help you make a "quick exit" having your suitcase at the front of the plane. Dude, no one is making a "quick exit" unless the plane is on fire.
8. Don't rush to get on the plane. Especially if you're in cattle class - really, there is NO rush. When they call "All Rows" and people line up - it's not a bad idea to wait for the crowds to thin out a bit. The boarding process goes on for quite a while, so no rush. Stretch your legs a bit for those last 10 minutes or so. Then walk on, claim your seat and relax - without ever having to stand in line.
9. Most people do not want a chatty Cathy sitting next to them. Pay attention to body language. If, after exchanging pleasantries or observations on the weather your seat mate(s) keep re-focusing quickly on their book, laptop or magazine they are sending you clear: "I prefer silence, thanks" signals. Take heed. Most people just want to quietly relax while on their flight, not discuss current events or your health issues.
10. Don't crowd the revolving belts in baggage return. No one knows which bags are coming out first, and if you block the way for others they can't get their bags. Everyone should just STAND BACK a few feet and wait and watch. That goes double for those who feel they are ENTITLED to their luggage faster than everyone else because they were seated in First Class. Folks, baggage handlers have a sick sense of humor. They just throw whatever comes their way up onto the belt. If your specially tagged piece o' luggage doesn't come out first - tough hop. Welcome to the human race, you're no more entitled than anyone else.
1. Pack a snack. Everything else you can find in either the airport or the airplane will be overpriced and unsatisfying compared to your favorite treat. (Mine = Pucca. Japanese chocolate filled pretzels. Yum.)
Also, BYO drink. You can carry on any liquids purchased after passing thru security. Caribou iced tea + Pucca = 2 hours of sipping and snacking contentedly.
2. Wear shoes easy to slip on and off. They still make you walk barefoot thru security these days.
3. Leave time to relax. Give yourself an hour to get checked in and thru security. Don't cut it close to your flight time or you're inviting stress. Also, have ideas for how you'll spend your time while waiting. Whether that's work on your laptop or read a new magazine. Come prepared for the hurry up and wait.
4. Do not hassle ANYONE. Come with the mindset that air travel is public transit. Really, it's just the same as riding your local subway or mass transit bus. Other passengers may very well be annoying, smelly and/or abusive. Strive to be quiet and undemanding. Avoiding eye contact isn't a bad idea, either. (Again, like on the bus. ) Being undemanding not only will this make the airline employees grateful for (or simply not annoyed with) you, but it may endear you to your fellow travelers.
5. Do not expect anything. Do not expect a drink, a bag of peanuts, an on-time flight, an upgraded seat or even a seat without someone jabbing you in the back all the flight. If you come at the flight time with low expectations, everything you encounter that isn't negative will seem like a treat.
6. Check your big luggage, pack light for your carry on. Nothing is more annoying than some creep who thinks they're too important to wait at baggage claim who drags on a huge suitcase and attempts to cram it into an overhead it won't fit in.
7. If you haven't been upgraded by the time you or the airlines printed your boarding pass, it's really not likely to happen. Harranguing the gate attendant does not help your case. Also, trying to sneak onto the plane for early boarding when you aren't some elite status or sitting in 1st class to attempt to get on the flight ahead of everyone else to get a spot for your luggage - not cool.
And if you're not sitting in 1st class or the forward cabin do not attempt to leave your luggage in the overhead bins there thinking it'll help you make a "quick exit" having your suitcase at the front of the plane. Dude, no one is making a "quick exit" unless the plane is on fire.
8. Don't rush to get on the plane. Especially if you're in cattle class - really, there is NO rush. When they call "All Rows" and people line up - it's not a bad idea to wait for the crowds to thin out a bit. The boarding process goes on for quite a while, so no rush. Stretch your legs a bit for those last 10 minutes or so. Then walk on, claim your seat and relax - without ever having to stand in line.
9. Most people do not want a chatty Cathy sitting next to them. Pay attention to body language. If, after exchanging pleasantries or observations on the weather your seat mate(s) keep re-focusing quickly on their book, laptop or magazine they are sending you clear: "I prefer silence, thanks" signals. Take heed. Most people just want to quietly relax while on their flight, not discuss current events or your health issues.
10. Don't crowd the revolving belts in baggage return. No one knows which bags are coming out first, and if you block the way for others they can't get their bags. Everyone should just STAND BACK a few feet and wait and watch. That goes double for those who feel they are ENTITLED to their luggage faster than everyone else because they were seated in First Class. Folks, baggage handlers have a sick sense of humor. They just throw whatever comes their way up onto the belt. If your specially tagged piece o' luggage doesn't come out first - tough hop. Welcome to the human race, you're no more entitled than anyone else.
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
It's been a while since Mama's been on a business trip
The kids are not used to mommy traveling - it's been very infrequent over the past year. I called on my first night away from home this week and was being missed - esp. by our youngest.
Mr Man: Mommy. Come to our house. Come here.
Me: Honey, I'm in Texas. I'll be home in a few days. I'll bring you a little motorcycle, ok?
MM: No, come to here. I neeeeed you.
After that he dissolved into tears. It was hard to listen to - nothing much I can do to comfort him from so far away... but also it was not as gut-wrenchingly painful as I remember from trips when he was younger. Also, I knew it was also because he was overtired. (It was near his bedtime when I called.)
However, today hubby told me the conversation they'd had this morning.
Mr. Man: Daddy, you go to Texas and mommy come back here.
Jeff explained to him that it wasn't like we could trade places - but Mr. Man was adamant. Daddy should go to Texas in my stead and I should come home. That cracks me up - he's a smart little monkey trying to come up with a deal like that.
Maybe it's true what they say about mama's boys and daddy's girls -- because I think that Mr Man misses mommy the most.
Mr Man: Mommy. Come to our house. Come here.
Me: Honey, I'm in Texas. I'll be home in a few days. I'll bring you a little motorcycle, ok?
MM: No, come to here. I neeeeed you.
After that he dissolved into tears. It was hard to listen to - nothing much I can do to comfort him from so far away... but also it was not as gut-wrenchingly painful as I remember from trips when he was younger. Also, I knew it was also because he was overtired. (It was near his bedtime when I called.)
However, today hubby told me the conversation they'd had this morning.
Mr. Man: Daddy, you go to Texas and mommy come back here.
Jeff explained to him that it wasn't like we could trade places - but Mr. Man was adamant. Daddy should go to Texas in my stead and I should come home. That cracks me up - he's a smart little monkey trying to come up with a deal like that.
Maybe it's true what they say about mama's boys and daddy's girls -- because I think that Mr Man misses mommy the most.
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