Ten Travel Tips for Tourists and…Employees…

Aw man, our alliteration fell down…

We both recently started traveling a lot for work. Luckily we both like to travel, or it would be kind of terrible – because traveling is a lot of work. We’ve learned a lot about travel in general, and especially work travel, mostly via stumbling across pro tips.

Also…we really think that if you do a thing a lot, you should try to get good at it. You’ll have a lot more room to enjoy the fun parts that way.

If you do a thing a lot, get good at it. You’ll have a lot more room to enjoy the fun parts that way.

We kept saying we should write up a blog about travel tips, so hey we finally did it! Here are our favorite tips, the ones that have helped us the most – we share this with the hope that it helps you. Most of these are focused on work travel, although a lot of it will work for fun travel too. If you know tips we don’t, please drop us some wisdom in the comments, because honestly we’re still learning a lot…

For All Travel Methods

Join Some Loyalty Programs

Pick an airline, and a hotel chain, and use their loyalty programs. Points add up fast! We both like Delta and Marriott, but Laine travels to more places and also has accounts with United and Hilton (we don’t get anything if you click on those links, Laine checked…).

Match Up Your Credit Card Rewards

If you’ll be charging your travel expenses and being reimbursed, it can help to have those expenses on a different credit card than your normal expenses. If you go this route, pick a credit card with good rewards, because chances are good you’ll get to keep those (see above, re: airline and hotel rewards programs!).

Buy Some Grown Up Luggage

You’ll need good, well-made luggage. Luggage is one of those things where you really do get what you pay for. Laine likes Samsonite (which is often on sale at Kohl’s, but Google as you will) soft shell (and therefore expandable) cases in as bright of colors as humanly possible, Josh has a hard-shell case that looks like it could probably withstand an apocalypse or two. Get two different sizes – one that you’ll check when you fly/for longer trips, and one that will fit in the overhead bin and can be a carry-on (more on that in a minute…).

Get a Frickin’ Bluetooth Headset Thing Already

(Amazing Josh rant ahead!)

This is a pet peeve of mine. If I have to walk by another speakerphone conversation while I’m walking, and listen to them yell at their phone and then try to hear over the ambient noise…

…or even worse, holding their phone in their hand and trying to talk on speaker while they’re driving…

…I’m gonna yell at them, and their phone.

(…end, Josh rant.)

It’s much, much easier on your brain to have a headset and talk hands-free. It lets you think less about your hands and more on what you’re supposed to be working on. Most important, it’s kinder on the person you’re talking to, because they don’t get echos of themselves plus all the background noise. A good headset will automatically filter out background and wind noise, so it’ll always sound like you’re sitting in an office, instead of driving or walking outside.

We love the Plantronics Voyager Legend, which, again, we get bupkis if you click on that link (unless you’re from Plantronics/Poly, in which case will work for extra headsets. :D)

Make Duplicates

Packing and re-packing means you’re probably going to forget stuff. One way to avoid this is to have duplicates of the things you can – the coolest example of this was Josh’s coworker who recommended multiple full cosmetic bags. Like…buy an extra toothbrush/toothpaste/face stuff/etc, and keep it in a cosmetic bag that just lives in your suitcase. We extended this pro tip to two cosmetic bags – one for short trips/the carry-on, because you’ll be limited to one clear quart-size ziploc bag of liquids that are each less than 3oz, and one for the big/checked suitcase that has all the things you might need. Think about stuff like nail clippers and tweezers here too!

Sometimes hotel shampoo/conditioner/soap/lotion is good enough, and sometimes it’s not.

Josh: I depend on hotel stuff and keep a little bit of liquor in my quart bag.

Laine: I use hotel shampoo and conditioner, but have stupid sensitive skin and prefer not to chance it with things like lotion/face stuff.

Other things you can and should duplicate between luggage:

• medication – luggage can get lost, and you will NOT want to mess around with trying to get an emergency refill in a new city – especially if you take any kind of controlled substance
• cords/plugs/batteries – you’ll need to charge your phone, laptop, headset, Kindle, etc…USB hubs or combination cables are great for this

Pack Extra Clothes

Josh: If I check a bag, I always pack one extra pair of clothes: jacket, shoes, pants, socks, shirt, underpants. Just in case.

Laine: I always pack an extra of everything, because I am messy and I tend to spill stuff on myself. I typically pack multiple extra, especially of shirts, because my sensory issues are such that I never know exactly what my brain will refuse to wear on a given day. Being comfortable with traveling is super important.

There are Probably Stores Where You’re Going

Don’t worry too much about packing exactly the right thing. That can make travel stressful and stupid.

There are stores for travelers for almost everything, and you’ll figure it out. Things obviously cost money in stores, and that’s a valid concern – but just like anything else, there’s a threshold of money vs worry and if the worry is too high of a cost, assume that money will help.

Just don’t forget the same thing multiple times or you’ll end up with like six USB-C cables by your luggage at home…

How are You Going to Get There? (drive vs fly and the 4-ish hour rule)

Of the time you spend away from home (away from Netflix or Reddit or blogging or playing Unturned with your kid(s)…), the time actually moving from place to place is the biggest potential waste. So…plan how to minimize it.

Josh: Here’s my thinking: if the total drive time from door to door is less than four hours, I should just drive it. Even with TSA Pre-Check (see below), driving to an airport that has good direct flight options (…see more below) is a 90 minute drive. Add in parking, how much I hate security checkpoints, needing to be early for the flight, the stress of maybe missing flights, limited airport meal choices, and sitting close to 100 other people…then after landing, getting my bags, finding transportation, and being limited to Uber/Lyft + my own two feet if I don’t want to bother with a rental… I should just drive it. It’ll be faster. And less annoying.

Plus flights are expensive and driving is often cheaper – and if you get reimbursed for mileage, you get paid rather than the airports.

Laine: I hate driving, especially alone. ADHD things. It’s boring, and my mind wanders, and I have to sit still the entire time. My phone giving me directions is better than the days of printed-out MapQuest, but… ughhh. Josh is right that the question really starts around 3.5-4 hours, though – I recently went to the same airport two weeks in a row. The first time, it took 4.5 hours to fly when it would have taken 3.5 to drive. The second time, it took 3 hours to fly when it would have taken 4 to drive. This science was also with a very close airport and a direct flight – anything else, driving probably is better.

…also, that first flight was delayed for 4.5 hours, so I guess it really took 9 hours to fly it? Time math is hard.

Flying

TSA Pre-Check

If you fly, get TSA Pre-Check or Global Entry or CLEAR. This post does a great job at explaining the difference, but the basic idea is that these programs allow you to trade money and some personal information for a) faster security lines, and b) not needing to do all of the complicated security things. Pre-Check (domestic) and Global Entry (international, includes Pre-Check benefits) are run by the TSA itself, and CLEAR is run by a private company backed by Homeland Security. CLEAR can also be used at some stadiums/large venues.

Laine was sold on Pre-Check when she realized she didn’t have to take off her shoes or wrestle electronics out of carry-on luggage. We mentioned it was work travel, right? Do you know how many electronics nerds carry for work travel? More than zero. It was only after we tried it a few times that we realized how much faster it is to get through security.

TSA Pre-check is quick to get (we had our known traveler numbers [KTN’s] within 3 business days of the in-person part), costs $85, and lasts 5 years. So worth it for skipping lines if you fly more than once or twice a year.

Pre-Check also lets you bring children under 12 with you through the fast lane, although the other two require every traveler to register.

Fly Direct

Don’t bother with transfers. Transfers are stupid and annoying and risky. Fly direct. It’s faster, it’s often cheaper, and it’s always easier on your tired brain not to need to worry about missing a connecting flight, or to bolt through an airport at the last minute.

To Check a Bag or NOT to Check a Bag – That is the Question

If you’re flying, think about if you need to check a bag or not. Most airlines allow you to have one “carry-on” and one “personal item” – which can be like…a backpack, or a large purse – without needing to check a bag.

Reasons to check a bag:

• You can bring more cool stuff, like alcohol, guitars, and spare shoes.
• More room for spares for stuff. Or loot.
• You can pack your full-size cosmetic stuff/liquids.

Reasons to not check a bag:

• Most airlines charge a fee per checked bag.
• It takes more time before and after your flight.
• You gotta lug more stuff around.

Josh: My rule is 2 days. I can pack for 2 overnights in a carry-on bag, and I don’t keep a big one.

Laine: I can do 3 days, but I really hate the time suck that is checking a bag and would rather pack lighter.

Driving

Get an EZPass or equivalent

If you’ll be driving through states that have toll roads, it turns out that stopping to pay for tolls is dumb. Take a second and get yourself whatever the variant is of a pre-paid pass for the state(s) you’ll be driving in. You can find a list here. We know the most about the E-Z Pass, which works in most of the states in the Midwest.

Don’t Try to Drive + Work for More than About 10 Hours/Day

Josh: If I have meetings with my team(s) and/or my customers, and a drive time that adds up to more than ten hours, I get exhausted. Get a hotel and rest. Not crashing in a car wreck is more important than getting somewhere rapidly.

Stop. Pee. Get Coffee. Be Early!

On the way to somewhere, take breaks, at about 3 hours intervals or whatever works best for your brain.

Leave early so you have time to take these breaks and still arrive early – both because spending four hours worried that you’re going to be late is a lot of stress, and also so that you can do what you need to do to wind down before you have to actually work. Leave yourself enough time for a walk, or a smoke break, or to call someone who helps your brain.

Spending four hours worried that you’re going to be late is a lot of stress. Leave early so you’ll be early.

Conclusions

Like we always say: take care of your brain. You need it to do your job well, and to live your life well. Traveling is a blast, but it’s also definitely work – learn what makes it easier on you, and plan for that. Some of our tips will probably sound ridiculous, and that’s totally fine – the point is actually more that it’s really important to pay attention to how you function best.

These tips, however, are what we’ve found work best for us! Again, if we missed anything, please let us know!