How do you travelers do it?
I’m telling you, traveling just kicks my butt. There wasn’t enough napping in the world to take care of me yesterday. I’m still tired today.
I know there are a lot of you out there–including Deborah, Patrick, and Jen–who travel all the time. Weekly, in some cases. And you people are still standing, right?
I know part of it for me–beyond the long hours in a car or plane–is that once I arrive I’m often meeting people and talking nonstop for the entire day and night. Friday I had meetings with booksellers and librarians from 11:00 until 6:30, then a booksigning from 7:00 to 9:00. Then that card game that lasted until 1:30 in the morning. All of it made for a fun, invigorating day, but when you’re used to spending all day in the quiet company of a sleeping dog, it’s amazing how much all that human interaction takes out of you. It probably would have helped if I had built in more than that 20-minute break I had in the hotel, but that’s not always possible.
So the helpline (the Help Me line) is now open: what do all you road warriors, and more generally you swirling whirls of endless energy, have to offer by way of suggestions? As I mentioned before, I’ll be traveling part of every single week from now until almost Thanksgiving, so this is no hypothetical discussion.
[UPDATE: Check out Patrick's response to this, The Art of Short-Term Traveling.]
Technorati Tags: Travel Tips, Easy Traveling, Book Tours, Author Tours
September 9th, 2007 at 10:20 am
I don’t do a whole lot of sustained traveling, but I do a lot of traveling in general, and this stuff has helped me.
Sleep in transit as much as you possibly can. I know, it’s hard: you’re all spun up and raring to go. Get over it and sleep ahead.
Eat lots of green stuff and drink LOTS AND LOTS of water. Hydration is key. I’ve done the whole traveling-dehydrated thing. Not fun. Not fun at all.
Best of luck to you, Robin!
September 9th, 2007 at 10:48 am
All the traveling I do is cross-country, so sleeping on the plane helps a lot. From takeoff to touchdown I’m out like a light, which makes staying up the rest of the day much easier. The only drawback is one side of my hair is generally much flatter than the other upon landing due to being smushed against the window for 5 hours.
Also, staying hydrated. I don’t care how much the cabin is pressurized - flying messes with your physiology, and the more you can do to keep your electrolytes in balance, the better.
September 9th, 2007 at 1:34 pm
Glaceau Smart Water. (Electrolyte enhanced water.)
I’m rooting for you, Robin. You can do it.
September 9th, 2007 at 1:57 pm
Noise-canceling headphones. Invest in them.
And may I be tough with you? 20 minutes does not cut it. You deserve better. No one will GIVE you this time (certainly not your excited fans or those extroverted schedulers who get revved up by “human interaction”) so you had better learn to TAKE it for yourself. Fake a sprained ankle or a seizure if you have to.
September 9th, 2007 at 2:26 pm
I’m still a bit jet-lagged; the best thing I’ve done for feeling wonky and sick from traveling is to get out and walk. (Helps that I *have to* as we’re not having a car here in the UK…) I am not looking forward to the traveling next Spring - but I’m totally counting on you to do this beautifully and show me how. Go BFF, go!
September 9th, 2007 at 4:35 pm
Sara, I have to laugh at your comment, because the culprit behind that crazy schedule was . . . me. I thought, “Well, I’m going up to Phoenix anyway, so I might as well pack it in.” Maybe I’ve learned my lesson.
TadMack, you’re in Scotland!! YAY! Such an exotic life you lead. I envy you the green and the accents and the movie-like atmosphere there. I’ve always wanted to go, and now there you are. Please enjoy it not only on your behalf, but on mine.
Heather, thank you! For the encouragement and the water tip. You make me feel so good knowing you’re in my corner.
Lizzie and Miri, ditto to you. Thanks for the hydration suggestions–I believe you’re absolutely right. I’m always trying to balance drinking enough with peeing too much. But I’m sure you’re right and the peeing is just the price to pay for keeping my little cells all perky and watered.
As for sleep–that must be an acquired skill. Of course I can’t do it on the driving tours, but I also don’t need to stay up so far past my bedtime on those nights, either.
I think sleep, in general, needs to get more of my time than it is right now.
Thanks for all the tips, guys. Keep ‘em coming!
September 9th, 2007 at 6:40 pm
Ha! Thought so, Robin. I was just calling you out. I’m pretty sure that there’s an extrovert and an introvert duking it out inside your head. Tip: let the introvert win. She plays hardball when she loses.
September 9th, 2007 at 7:19 pm
Robin, I’ve been doing this travel thing for several years now, and I still haven’t conquered it. I’m not able to sleep on the plane, and that really hurts me. I do agree with TadMack about getting out and walking if you can. That helps after long trips. And I agree with Sara, too. If you want to get through the next few months (sane), you need to build in time for yourself to recharge. I know the temptation of “but I’m going to be away anyway, so I might as well squeeze in this other thing.” But you have to resist, and give your inner introvert some peace.
Also, if you have trouble sleeping when you travel (I mean, not because you stay up playing cards, but because you can’t sleep in a hotel room), sleeping pills can be a big help. Get the prescription one, and your doctor should nag you sufficiently about not taking them too often.
I just invested in noise-canceling headphones, after resisting having something else to carry. I finally sat next to one too many loud couples, such that I couldn’t concentrate to read, and my headset is on order.
Hope that helps!! I know that you can do it.
September 10th, 2007 at 6:02 am
I tried to put it all in this post.
September 10th, 2007 at 6:43 am
I don’t have anything to offer, Robin, except to try sleeping pills before you go, if you think you might use them. I have had some bad reactions to a couple prescriptions, including being groggy until noon to a bad reaction relating to a health concern.
Anyway, am glad you did this today…I will use much of the advice TOMORROW on my very long flight to Germany. Especially the hydration part…good thing to remember.
September 10th, 2007 at 8:06 am
I used to travel before kids…I agree with everyone that says hydration is key. Drink your water and bring moisturizer for your face. Nothing worse than feeling like your skin is going to peel off your face.
Put an colorful identifying tag, label, ribbons, or whatever you think looks okay on your luggage so you can see it quickly…especially if you have the standard black or dark blue luggage everyone else has. No need for someone else to grab your bag and leave with it by mistake. That would truly bite.
Squeeze in clothes, underwear and other important essentials you may need in your carry on bag. Just in case your luggage is lost.
Confirm your seat ahead of time. Board the plane after everyone else does, so you don’t have to sit around forever. Order a custom meal, if possible, it will most likely be better than the standard fare.
The thing I’ve never been able to perfect though is the person who keeps kicking the back of my chair or squishes me in by reclining their chair.
Good luck!
September 10th, 2007 at 8:11 am
I forgot to mention eyedrops, if your eyes tend to get dry.
September 10th, 2007 at 8:14 am
Sara, you’re so right about the battle between introvert and extrovert. Total split personality here.
Jen, thank you for those ideas! I know you’re out there flying around all the time. I’m amazed at all you get done despite being on the road so much.
Patrick, that post is excellent. You’ll see I’ve updated my own post to link to it. Thanks a lot for putting it all in writing.
Judy, good luck in Germany! Those international flights are so not friendly to the body. Hope you get/got some sleep!
Vivian, great idea about ordering the custom meal. I’ll try that. But boy, I wish you did have the solution to the person kicking your seat. Grrrr. . .
September 10th, 2007 at 8:42 am
See, I would disagree with Vivian.
I board first and I never check luggage. If you board first, you have no problems getting overhead bins. This may depend on how much contraband expensive toiletries you need, but if you are gone for more than a day or two, buy new ones at your destination and check your luggage on the way home.
And Deborah and I talked - she sits in the closest seat to the front, regardless of whether it is middle or not - which is why she flies Southwest. I would never do that.
September 10th, 2007 at 10:29 am
Patrick is right about me - I just want to get the H*** off that plane as fast as possible. It’s one of the times I really lose my patience with traveling-I hate waiting for people to get all their stuff together and exit and I am willing to sit in the middle to avoid it.
The ability to ‘zone out’ in a crowded and sometimes chaotic place is what helps me with all the travel. I adopt an air of invisibility in the airport and I just sit and people watch (one of my favorite things to do and very helpful for my line of work). My brain is on automatic and I roboticly move through the boarding line, take the first available seat, eat my peanuts, slurp my seltzer water with lemon, and avoid interacting with anybody by placing a magazine or book very close to my face and sometimes even reading it. If things get tough and I have trouble zoning out, I mentally add up all my airline miles/hotel points and plan for the time when I can do this for fun (?!?).
A few other tips-most hotels have toiletries either in the room or at the front desk, so don’t pack a lot of that. Drink gallons of water. Always ask for a free room upgrade. Carry extra napkins in your briefcase or handbag-the airline attendants are never fast enough if there is a spill. Additional tip: if there is any child sitting next to you always suggest to flight atttendant that they put a top on their beverage! If you have to make a flight change at the airport, don’t go to the ticket counter-call on your cell instead for faster service. DO NOT stress about any of it, soon you will be used to it and you will get that totally blank look on your face that all of us frequent travelers have.
September 10th, 2007 at 11:11 am
I just want to second Patrick on boarding first, and not checking bags. After back to back bad lost luggage experiences (long and tedious stories both), I never check bags. I’m quite happy to buy extra toiletries there if it’s a longer trip. Sometimes for a long personal trip, like over Christmas, I might have to check one bag, but I’ll still carry one on with my most important stuff. But never for a business trip.
Also, although I don’t usually ask for an upgraded hotel room, my ideal room is top floor, away from elevator, away from ice/vending machines, and not connecting. Obviously you can’t always achieve that, but it’s the ideal.
For long flights, I prefer to sit further back, because it’s usually less crowded, and there’s a better chance of not having someone right next to you. I require an aisle seat (all that drinking of water…).