So, at a recent conference, a few of us were talking about business travel and discovered that we all have “traditions” or habits or idiosyncrasies when traveling.  For example:

When checking in at a hotel, I put the paper key holder with the room number and my room key (always ask for 2 keys) in my right rear pocket.  It always goes in my right rear pocket and I always keep the paper key holder with it, because it contains my room number.  At the recent conference, a co-worker asked if he could have the paper container as it had the wifi password and he wasn’t staying there.  I said, absolutely not, I wouldn’t know my room number without it.  I refused to give it to him because I always keep it with the key in my right rear pocket.  So he took a picture of the wifi password on the key holder.  When telling a friend, she said, first thing she does is take a picture of her room number and then throws the paper key holder away – for personal security reasons.  She also takes a picture of where she parks in the parking garage (very smart).

Another thing I do is ask for a hotel room between floors 2 and 7.  Does anyone know why?

On the plane, I prefer aisle seat and if I can’t get exit row, I get a seat within 5 rows of an exit row.  Same reason as above.

I know someone who always goes for a window seat and always on the left side of the plane, because she finds it easier to sleep leaning against the wall with her left shoulder.

As tradition, I also always (if you don’t always do it, it can’t be a tradition is my belief) get a beer at the airport on the flight home.  Okay, sometimes they say “a tall beer for a $1 more?” and I say, “of course” and sometimes they also say, “add a shot for only $2 more?” and I say, “of course”.  It’s always good to take the bargain.  One time, while traveling home from a trip, I did the usual, stopped in the airport bar, ordered the beer, then agreed to the tall beer and the shot.  So I got a tall beer and a shot of tequila and posted a picture of them onto Facebook with the comment: “what is it about airport bars that I like so much?”.  I was rather shocked when a friend responded: “because you can drink at 10:30 in the morning”.  He was right, it was only 10:30 in the morning!  But a tradition is a tradition.