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.
I am obsessed with hydration and have a strong aversion to the taste of chlorine in my water. As a result, I have started traveling with my Under Armor Water Bottle (although any water bottle will work) complete with a carabiner hook in the handle. It turns out that TSA will let you through security as long as the bottle is empty. I have heard that it is even ok to keep ice in the bottle as it passes through the x-ray machine. I have always sent it through empty.
Once I get inside the terminal I fill the bottle from the drinking fountain or buy a bottle of water and pour it in. If I buy water, I also ask for a bit of ice for the bottle.
When I get on the plane, the carabiner makes it possible to hang the water bottle on the seat pocket in front of me. This is infinitely better than placing the bottle inside the seat pocket as that forces the whole pocket to expand and take away precious leg room. Hanging by the carabiner, the bottle dangles unobtrusively off to one side.
The real payoff comes when I get to the hotel. Pretty much every hotel these days has an exercise room. And every exercise room has a water dispenser with non-chlorinated water. That’s where you will find me filling up my bottle.
Bottoms up … and safe travels.
Heather