PACK EFFICIENTLY
How many times have you stayed up
too late with last-minute packing, and
then spent the entire trip exhausted
and frustrated from having forgotten
something? Instead of packing the day
before (especially for longer conferences like NSA’s annual convention),
start thinking about your trip several
days in advance.
Find an out-of-the-way spot to leave
an open suitcase and drop things in as
you think of them. When it’s time to
get ready to go, you’ll be practically
done. Keep your obligatory one-quart
Ziploc bag packed with duplicate items
of everything in leak-proof containers,
so you only have to pack outfits.
Rebecca Morgan, CSP, CMC, photographs her assembled outfits—shoes,
jewelry, purse, etc.—so she can quickly
pull together what she needs at the
hotel. She packs the clothing items in
outfit groupings (skirt, blouse, jacket),
and then puts a dry cleaning bag over
that outfit with a tag identifying the
day to wear it.
As long as you don’t see the same
people over and over again, you don’t
have to wear something different
each trip. Keep favorite outfits in one
location together, so you don’t have
to search. I have a rotating set of six
outfits—including jewelry and accessories—that I wear for traveling and
speeches. I generally wear St. John knits
on the platform, because they look
great, pack easily, don’t wrinkle, require
no ironing, and are as comfortable as
pajamas. When I’m flying, I wear the
Travelers line by Chicos. Again, no
ironing, no wrinkling, and machine
wash/dry. Guys, keep your ties, belts,
shoes, etc., together in your closet, and
wrap your dry-cleaned shirts in the
plastic bags they come in, which will
help with wrinkling.
Always bring a clean copy of any
important documents or a thumb drive
in case your laptop crashes. Bring an
empty water bottle to fill when you
get past security. Take your trusty GPS
to avoid stress when driving in unfamiliar places (built in app on most
Smartphones).
ARRIVE EARLY
One of my speaker buddies works right
up until the last minute he can possibly
leave and still expect to catch his flight…
IF…there’s no traffic, he doesn’t need to
check bags, he can find a parking spot,
there’s no line at the security counter,
etc. It’s no wonder he’s always the one
desperately running down the terminal,
bursting on to the plane, pouring sweat,
and sometimes watching as his plane
pulls away without him. Sure, the air-
lines tell you to arrive 60 minutes ahead
of flight time if you don’t have baggage
to check, but give yourself more cushion
than that. Check in before leaving and
print your boarding pass (or send it to
your phone). By giving yourself plenty
of time, you won’t be stressed even
when there is a long line at security.
DON’T CHECK YOUR BRIEFCASE OR LAPTOP
Carry on your luggage if at all possible.
I can carry on for several days but have
to surrender and check for a week-long conference. But always carry your
essential business information. Stuff
happens. Bags disappear—usually not
permanently—but for long enough to
make you wish you had them. While
there’s not a whole lot you can do if
this happens, you can at least be confident your computer and other work
essentials are close at hand. Don’t be
tempted to tuck a stack of folders in
with your suitcase. If there’s a baggage
mishap, you can probably handle business in yesterday’s clothes, but not
without your materials. My mentor,
Dianna Booher, CSP, CPAE, told me to
always wear business attire when checking a bag, so that I could speak in those
clothes, if necessary.
HAVE A PLAN BEFORE YOUR TRIP
You’ll usually have a pretty good idea
of how much downtime you’ll have
during your trip, so set some goals for
your travel time before you leave. How
long is the flight each way? How long
will you be alone in your hotel room
in the evening? Know what you want
to accomplish during various parts of
your trip. When you sit down in your
