Work Travel Tips & Tricks

I recently started a new job, and I'm traveling at least a week per month. I'm sure others on here travel for work, and I'm just wondering if anyone has general tips/tricks to improve/simplify the experience.

I do know that I need a new suitcase, so if anyone has suggestions on good brands I'm open to suggestions. A former coworker suggested Travel Pro, but I haven't really looked into them yet.

 

For 7 years I traveled 2 weeks of every month and I learned a lot. In no particular order, here are my top tips:

1. Patience - bring lots of it.
   
2. Be nice to the people behind the counter. I once had a problem with a ticket. The guy in front of me totally lost it on the agent. When it was my turn I just said "man that guy was out of line." The agent took care of my problem and when it came time to board he had upgraded me to first class on a 12 hour flight.
   
3. There are two kinds of luggage, carry on and lost. Smart travelers NEVER check luggage.
4. Until you reach medallion status, book seats at the back of the plane. You get on first and there is always space in the overhead bins.
5. Book direct flights when ever possible
6. Fly in the morning when ever possible
7. It always takes longer than planned to get to the airport. Leave plenty of time. If things go right I can spend the extra time answering email. If there's a crash on the freeway it means I still get on the plane.
   
8. Avoid O'hare like the plague in the winter
9. Always book 2 hour layovers, unless you like sleeping in strange cities. My secretary was so helpful booking me a 30 minute layover, said no traveler ever. (I nicely took the task of booking my travel away from mine after she did that to me and I got to spend the night in Cincinnati, twice.)
   
10. Pay attention to the weather along your route. More than once I booked a room before I took off because I knew that the layover city was going to be a mess. It's nicer sleeping in a bed than in the airport.
11. Buy inexpensive, but sturdy luggage. It is going to get beat up.
12. Try to eat healthy. It's close to impossible, but try.
13. TSA precheck goes without saying
14. If you get stuck going through security avoid getting inline behind families, vacationers and old people.
    
15. Choose the "smaller" airport when there is a choice ie John Wayne vs LAX, Fort Lauderdale vs Miami
16. On-time departure means nothing if you sit on the ramp for an hour, you only care about on-time arrival and no airline tells you how well they do that.

I came to view travel like riding a roller coaster. Once you get in your car, taxi, uber going to the airport the ride has begun and there is very little you can control. Except, plan ahead as best as possible, go with the flow, be nice when you don't feel like it, and reduce stress as much as possible. I was flying between Newark, JFK, LaGuardia, Miami, Los Angeles, Chicago, Salt Lake, Atlanta and San Juan Puerto Rico and you are absolutely guaranteed to have issues with all of those cities. Patience is your best friend. Traffic will suck, planes will be late, delayed, re-routed, rental cars will have problems, agents will screw things up and be grumpy doing it, your fellow travelers will drive you crazy and there is NOTHING you can do about any of it. When I first started the travel gig I'd get to the destination totally pissed off, stressed out and tired. As I figured out my tips things got better. But mostly it was me that changed, I learned that my mood was my choice and I eventually learned to get there tired and nothing else.

It was hard on me and my family traveling that much, but I also have some great war stories.

 

Thanks for the comments. I fly out of Little Rock, so unfortunately direct flights aren't really an option. I got a chuckle from #3. All my flights out of LR have been on smaller jets, so they end up checking roller bags.

 

LOL I got stuck on the puddle jumper planes many a time. I carried two bags, the roller and a shoulder bag for my laptop. The laptop bag wouldn't leave my control and I kept the truly critical things in there. I never lost a bag, but buying new clothes was always a possibility. On one trip a coworker checked her bag, and of course it was lost. She was particular about how she looked and the only store open at 10 PM was a Walmart. I did feel a tiny bit bad for her, but she eventually got her bag, on the afternoon of the last day of the trip.

 

I usually buy breakfast items at a nearby grocery store when I travel. Lunch and dinner are usually working / social for me, but breakfast I can control. Helps manage portions and can open up your menu a bit. Plus you can eat it in your PJs instead of having to go look decent in the lobby.

Things like Hertz gold and other membership programs are pretty nice. Every once in a while you get an upgrade, but really, skipping the paperwork at the counter is a nice touch and gets you out of airport-land quicker. Just try to stay in one brand / chain so you can actually accumulate perks.

Arcade belts are a nice piece of travel attire. Come in a variety of wild to mild colors, and don't trigger metal detectors.

I usually travel with a small 45L Patagonia duffel bag. Those things are burly AF and hold up to the worst of the bag throwers abuse. They can squeeze in the overhead much better than hard sided luggage too. If possible, get your carry on up there too. Take advantage of ALL the legroom they deem you worthy of.

And lastly, don't leave anything in your baggage that vibrates or buzzes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jx41zAud_Uo

 

I spent 200+ days a year on the road the last 2 years so if you've got specific questions let me know.

Sign up for all the travel rewards programs (hotels, airlines, rental cars, etc)

Try to travel with one chain consistently. Loyalty and rewards add up quickly. When things go sideways (which they will sooner or later) it makes a huge difference. I travel with IHG and AA almost exclusively.

If you charge expenses and get reimbursed, a rewards credit card (or a few) is a must have. The multipliers and other benefits are worth many times the annual fees. Depending on the travel you do, the one that makes the most sense for you will vary. I use the IHG premier card, but also had the AA Advantage card for 2 years to rack up a whole bunch of miles. Sign on bonuses are usually significant.

You can travel with way less than you think. I've done both extremes and lately I'm more towards less is better. Traveling constantly I took more stuff and usually stayed at extended stay hotels with a kitchen. Its less frequent now, so I usually have a 40 or 65 liter osprey transporter, laptop bag and sometimes a yeti soft sided cooler.

Spend the money on a good bag. Cheap ones will fall apart almost immediately. Checked bags, soft sided bags last way longer. Roller bags get destroyed fairly quickly. Pelican cases are good options as well and will take a beating. If it ever does break, Pelican will replace it forever.

Organization is key. Knowing exactly where things are saves you a huge amount of time and also ensures you havent left anything. Packing cubes are an essential part of my travels as I can separate work clothes, other clothes, socks, underwear yet still have them contained. If I need to dig through my bag or empty it (like going through security) it makes life SO much easier. The bags I use lately only have a couple pockets that I use for misc things or chargers, etc.

Smart phone apps save you a huge amount of time waiting in line to check in, change reservations, etc.

 

Oh, and pro tip: Airplane bottles aren't illegal to take through TSA. You just have to *promise* not to open them on the airplane which is against the rules. And can help ease the stress of an unplanned layover.

 

oh that reminds me. empty water bottle - I use a 48 oz Nalgene. a lot of airports are finally getting around to having filtered water spread around or right past security. saves you $4 or more a bottle.

 

Check your company policy on this one. We had that charge scheme at my last job, but they put the crack down on it since we were issued a company card. Just no one actually required you to use it for anything but airfare. Right until the auditors found out that was...

 

Oh for sure! My 50oz Nalgene goes with me everywhere. Saves you some coin AND encourages you to drink water.

Add a good set of noise cancelling headphones to turn off the screaming child in 23D and you're good to go.

 

we aren't issued company cards

but yes some places require you to use them and use them for everything. I'm not a fan and got screwed by that in the past... long story.

 

I didn't get the shaft, but I was REAPING the cash back rewards for a while. 40+ weeks on the road my first year basically doubled my salary.

 

I cried a bit when I bought my Bose QC35 but I dont travel without them. They are fantastic and the battery lasts forever in those things. Also work good for sitting in offices or data centers.

 

Open office floor plans are the spawn of Satan. Thank god we don't have too many of them at my current company.

 

for sure. I flew to Europe last fall for $100 using airline miles, way better than $1500-2000 the ticket normally costs. I also rarely pay for hotels these days.

 

Oh, on that note: Figure out how it works with billing and don't be afraid to tack on a weekend stay if you get sent somewhere (or adjacent to) cool. Airfare is usually the most expensive part of travel, and since that's already covered, you can stay for the weekend for the cost of 2 hotel nights and the car.

Every time I go back east to the Boston area for work I go see my folks since it is cheaper to fly back to UT on a Sunday via DCA than direct on Friday night, I hit up Pisgah for mountain biking every time I go to Charlotte, etc.

 

x2 on the Patagonia bag. I've got a black hole 90 that is usually my checked bag if I take one. Still looks like new after all the trips its taken.

Bags with backpack straps are much preferred over wheels personally. That way I can easily run if needed or when the hotel elevator is out of order, makes it easy to climb the stairs... or to just take the stairs because people are slow.

Plus if you plan on carrying it, you tend to take less unnecessary junk

 

Anytime I fly I always book extra time. The flight change fees are painful, so theres usually not much push back on making sure you have plenty of time.

 

I've been meaning to get a 90. I have a 45 and the 120! That 120 really does define "black hole". You pack a weeks worth of stuff in there and it fills maybe half.

My GoRuck GR1 has made a killer travel carry on though.

And bring a book. Can occupy your time and doesn't run out of batteries. Might I recommend the below.

$30 We Will Be Free: Overlanding In Africa and Around South America

https://www.amazon.com/We-Will-Be-F...+will+be+free&qid=1564421248&s=gateway&sr=8-1

 

The guys above covered it pretty good. But I would add it depends a lot on what type of work you do..? Are you an office guy going to client meetings and dinners, or are you more along the lines of an on-site tech who has PPE, tools, equipment, spare parts and other shit to worry about?

I was more along the lines of the second, traveling to customer facilities to either install or service production lines. I would always wear some of my work clothes as well as my steel toes on the plane to save space / weight in my luggage. Wasnt the most comfortable, but it worked. (While we're on that point, if you are in that type of work a good pair of boots will go a long way. Even better, break them in before you get there and have to wear them 12-14 hrs / day) I could usually make a 2 week trip with just a laptop bag and carry on. Longer installs would require checking a large bag.. oh well.

If you got tools and shit, that will obviously need to be checked so get a good hard case, Pelican or similar.

A few other points, my passport and wallet are always on my person - obvious to some, not others haha. If traveling to a place where food and or water might be suspect, bring any OTC meds with you ahead of time, trust me