8 packing tips for your carry-on

Wired featured an article today with eight tips for better packing for your carry-on bag.

Here are two of the tips I found most useful:

Picture Me Rollin’

Stop folding your clothes. Rolling everything and slotting it vertically into your carry-on will earn you gobs of space, and it’ll keep your shirts from wrinkling too. This isn’t a lifehack; this is a must.

Do the Math

Pack everything you think you need, then get rid of half of it. If that feels extreme, try this: For every three days, bring two tops and one pair of pants. Undies and socks for every day, though.

You can find the rest of the tips here: http://www.wired.com/2016/03/how-to-pack-travel-tips/

Not the kind of first I was hoping for....

Original post:  Dec 18, 2014

After a productive trip to Boulder, I was trying to get back to Providence. While the airport is convenient, there are some drawbacks to using a smaller airport. If everything is going well, there are no issues. Today was not one of those days.

I got to the airport early. I thought it would be best to see if I could go standby on an earlier flight. While I knew that there was no earlier flight to Providence I could catch, I thought it would be better to get to Chicago so that I could avoid missing that flight. With air travel nowadays, you can never be too sure. Unfortunately for me, the airline wanted $75 to be on the standby list. Since I couldn't really justify the additional cost for the gain of only about 90 minutes to wait in Chicago, I decided to stick to my original flight.

My original flight was loaded and ready to go without any issues. We start down the runway. Just as the wheels are starting to inch off the ground, the pilot suddenly slams on the brakes. The aircraft decelerates quickly and we are still earthbound and slow to a stop about 100 yards from the end of the runway. The pilot announces that there was a microburst just ahead and he didn't want to take any chances. Sadly, he blew out the brakes and the plane would have to be towed back to the hangar.

We actually had to get off the plane onto buses back to the airport. Here is a photo:

We ended up arriving at O'Hare three and a half hours late. They put me up in a hotel for what will be about six hours before I have to catch my return back to Providence.

It's just another glorious chapter added to the wonders of modern air travel.

Travel agents, not tour guides

Original post:  Dec 3, 2013

At our meeting last night, there were a number of interesting discussions. One phrase stuck with me.

"We will be your travel agent, not your tour guide."

The speaker was discussing the importance of taking personal responsibility for our own professional development. It's an important point.

It is certainly easier to allow inertia to take over. If we are in a strange and unfamiliar land, it's definitely much easier to leave the driving and the direction to a local professional who knows where to go and what to do. But when we are talking about our own careers, it will be important for us to grab hold of the steering wheel and start making some decisions.

Perhaps that would be an excellent way to start the new fiscal year!

Pay attention to the fine print

Original post:  Oct 4, 2013

At the conclusion of the conference, I made my way to the front desk to check out of the hotel. The clerk asked me whether I wanted a physical copy of the receipt or if an e-mail would be sufficient. I normally prefer the hard copy in order to file my expense report. I am glad that I did.

I immediately noticed that I had been charged the standard rate. I asked the clerk why I did not get the conference rate. She explained that I had not made the reservation through the hotel system and tried to imply that I had made the reservation too late to make the cutoff. I replied that I am required to use our American Express agent. I thought that I had called separately to request the conference rate (but I was not sure because even if I had, I had no physical record of it with me). At that point, I realized that the clerk I was talking to was not going to make any changes.

I decided to ask who might have the power to correct this situation. I knew that they had the original record of my reservation (which had been completed well in advance of the cutoff date). The clerk finally decided to contact the person responsible for convention events. The clerk excused herself and disappeared into a back room. It felt oddly like buying a car. After a few minutes (which always seem much longer when there is a growing line of others waiting behind you), she informed me that I was lucky to get the approval because I had made my reservation early enough. I did my best not to roll my eyes but I am not sure whether or not I succeeded.

In the end, it was worth the aggravation. The conference rate ended up taking nearly $300 off the bill!

I'm just glad I didn't opt for the e-mail. I imagine I would have been far less likely to prevail if we were doing this over the phone.

Temper your temper for great service

Original post:  May 28, 2013

Travel involves a significant loss of control. Everywhere you turn, you rely on the assistance of others. In just a few short hours this morning, I interacted with a parking attendant, shuttle bus driver, TSA agents, barista, gate agent, flight attendants, and more. Each of these persons delivered some service to me and played a role in helping me get to where I am right now. 

DUring the course of any trip, it is inevitable that something will go wrong. Perhaps it might be a glitch or hiccup. It might even be something a bit more problematic. Whatever the case, it is in those critical moments when superior service can make all the difference. When we have been inconvenienced (or even wronged), it is natural to feel like we need to lash out. It is in those exact moments that we need to hold our tongues and breathe very deeply.

In this article from Forbes, Sebastian Bailey points to actual research on why this might be beneficial. When customers (particularly high status personnel who are accustomed to special treatment) get aggressive, it actually makes the target of their wrath perform worse. The stress of dealing with thiex added pressure triggers the "fight or flight" response. It forces the employees to focus on coping mechanisms and detracts from their ability to provide service.

The author notes that empathy in these difficult situations can actually ease some of the pressure and result in a better outcome.

Here is the link to the full article:  http://www.forbes.com/sites/sebastianbailey/2013/05/21/the-secret-of-great-service-dont-get-mad-if-you-want-to-get-served/

Awaiting the inevitable

Original post:  May 20, 2013

AIrline travel is always a crap shoot. On today's flight, I was in the window seat near the back of the plane. The woman next to me ordered black coffee.

There are many times when I try to avoid dark colored liquids. This flight was rather choppy, so this was one of them. As I finished my tonic water, I could only watch helplessly as she removed the lid for her drink. I watched as the rocking of the plane swirled the black, black vortex higher and higher. I could see it inching closer and closer to the rim. All the while, I am wondering what possessed her to remove the only barrier between her drink and disaster.

In my helplessness, I took the newspaper I was reading and tried to shield myself in the best way that I could. Since there were only inches between her cup and my knee, I might be able to deflect some portion and keep the dry cleaning bill in the single digits.

As the plane hurtled through space, the swirling picked up speed. Tired of its regular pace, it sloshed and finally crested the cup. Just as I had imagined, there were now several ounces of coffee on her tray. Fortunately for me, she was able to contain the damage and limit the mess to her tray. I could not believe how close I came to disaster.

Thank goodness for little blessings.