Seven tips about travellingt's

It's been a while since I've blogged and I have a good reason for it, as I was busy doing some travelling, which brings me to the topic I want to write about.While not a business topic per se, I wanted to give some insight about the whole travelling experience of flying from city to city in our beloved airlines.

The first thing I would like to share is my set of three rules I use when flying:

1. It's a day you have lost in your life: doesn't matter where are you flying, why or what time. The day when you fly is normally a day you can't get much done and unless you are scheduled for a very early and short flight, it's a day in which your energy is drained to the point that the maximum amount of worthy hours can be about three, maybe four. Basically, set your hopes low about running errands on the day you fly, because it's a lost day.

2. Prepare yourself mentally for anything: there are dozens of unexpected events that can happen to you when flying. Lost luggage, late luggage, being searched by customs, missing items in your bags, broken locks, delayed flights and so on. The list is so big that almost every time I fly I add a new item to it. Just this recent time, I was on my seat and there was this 30 something woman about two rows behind me who apparently had never flown before on a plane. No offense, but she looked like one of the "Beverly Hillbillies", because as the plane started to move she started yelling and coughing and eventually threw up out of her nerves. She kept asking questions about the noises and anything. One of the stewardess sat down with her and got her to calm down.

3. Be patient, extremely patient: flying from town to town means going through a lot of painful experiences, beginning with all the lines. Although some airports are quicker than others, lines can be really demanding both physically and mentally. However depending on the nature of your trip, doing these lines can be a bit more relaxing and easy going. I believe that with a bit of common sense and travelling education, there would be a lot of improvement in interacting with all these tough assignments.

So having that said, here are my 10 key tips for travelling:

1. Travel light on carry on, heavy on checked bags.

The more comfortable you are with your carry on, the smoother your day will go. Keep in mind you have to walk long distances in the airport, to catch your plane, to go to the bathroom, to go eat, to catch the new gate of your flight after there was a gate change, and so on. Also, it is quicker to go pass the security checkpoints, not only for you but for the people behind you. Place everything you can in the bags you intend to check in, and leave only light items on your carry on. By the way, try... try REAL HARD to have just one carry on. 

2. Buy smart bags.

The process of placing your luggage on a scale to see if they meet the 50 pound (or whatever) allowed per bag, especially when you fly to do some shopping and want to bring clothes, shoes and anything you bought back to your home. The trick here lies in the bag, not the shopping. Years ago I bought myself one of these extra large tennis bags, which I consider the best investment I've done when we talk about flying. It's a huge bag that has lots of room, and more importantly the bag itself weights less than 3 pounds. The problem with excess weight is that people buy bags that are heavy by themselves. Any regular sized bag can weight around 15 pounds, meaning that it takes close to 30% of the weight you have. So next time you plan to buy something, do yourself a favor and buy a huge large bag.

3. Pack wisely.

The #1 mistake people make when travelling is buying (or bringing) inappropriate stuff, not because of their nature but because how dysfunctional they are for shipping. Try as hard as you can not to carry: jeans, lotions, creams, metal objects, books, and any combination of high density low volume. This will create leverage when your bag is weighted, preventing more efficient things to be in your bags.

4. Do not underestimate the power of being organized.

That is, FOLD. Don't just throw in you clothes, take your time and fold them nicely and properly. The reward will be breathtaking. You will have lots of free space for those extra items you didn't believe were possible to fit in your bag. Also, help yourself taking full advantage of the size of your luggage. If you're carrying something delicate, then use your clothes to protect it from the corners and borders.

5. Take your time to exit the plane.

This is something I have never understood. Why do people get up and get their carry ons as soon as the plane is parked (sometimes I've even see people do it as quick as soon as the plane landed!!!). What is the rush? There is no reason anyone can state to perform this "hurry up or we'll be late" routine. Once you leave the plane you have to go pick your luggage, and if it's international you have to go through immigration and then through customs. This one time, a lady sitting next to me asked if I could help her get her carry on because she was "late for an appointment". I laughed on the spot: exiting the plane quicker than anyone will hardly make a difference. I have seen countless times, people who leave the plane first, but pick their bags last.

6. Light shoes, sweatpants and sweaters.

Unless an extreme formality, like your company VP is picking you up at the airport, I don't see any reason why anyone want to travel so flamboyant... except for well, people who want to meet/hit on someone at the airport or during the flight. Personally I dislike to fly with complex shoes, or wear a belt or cufflinks, earings, anything that can become a hassle during the security checkpoints. Besides, it's so comfortable to travel in a nice warm sweater that even serves as a pajamas in case you want to take a nap.

7.  Be nice and have empathy.

Flying is stressful for a lot of people. Some people enjoy it, some people don't, and some people don't really care. Regardless of the background, you don't normally know what's in the mind of the person next to you (or behind or in-front of you). I'm very relaxed when flying and I try to make the best out of it on any occasion. I am very laid back and proactive towards anything that can make the day better for me and those around me. However, this one time I was flying and I already had taken my seat, placed my carry on and buckled my seat belt, when this lady like three rows behind me asked if I wanted to switch seats with her because she wanted to sit next to her daughter, who was at my right. Under normal circumstances I would have accepted, but that day I had just came from an 11 hour connecting flight, had almost no sleep and I was a bit tired. She practically woke me up when she requested the favor. I politely declined, citing that I was indeed tired. She went berserk and got mad at me as if I was the IRS. I remember thinking something like: "so, I was supposed to say YES? Can't I exercise my right of saying NO?" I felt like I was nice to her, but she didn't have empathy for me.

Anyway, details like this make up for a very pleasant travelling day. I hope you liked my suggestions and let me know if you have more!