As I attend a convention or conference as an instructor and as a representative of a vendor, it means a lot of preparation and hard work as much as it does social and learning opportunities, but each and every year I gain a great deal from my attendance. I put faces to names I've read online; I meet new friends that I'm likely to keep for years to come.
As I've got a bit of experience with business travel, I thought I'd pass on a few tips that may help to make your trip to the NCRA Convention or a conference a bit less stressful and more enjoyable.
PACKING/PREPARATION TIPS
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Make a check list, especially for any business equipment you're bringing with you, especially if you're attending a class with your equipment and/or planning to bring your equipment to Exhibit Hall to show something to a vendor. When you're quickly packing and then re-packing in an unusual environment, especially if there's any distraction or commotion going on around you it's very easy to forget something!
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Label your business equipment. Anything you're bringing with you, whether it's a computer, writer, power supply, power strip, extension cord, microphone case -- make sure it's got your name on it! That way you make sure to take your stuff and not the stuff of the person sitting/standing next to you, and helps prevent them from accidentally packing up your stuff.
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If you're flying with your writer, pack the tripod, charger and other supplies in your checked luggage and just bring the writer. Some TSA reps don't know how to cope with a tripod and it's simply easier not to give them something to worry about!
AIRPORT SECURITY TRAVEL TIPS
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Do online check-in the day before! Most major airlines will let you check in online and print your own boarding pass. If you're not checking bags, you just go straight to security and eliminate one long line! If you are checking bags, use can use curb-side check in and/or there may be a special (usually shorter!) line for those who have pre-printed boarding passes and only need to check bags.
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Curb-side check in, handing your bags to a "skycap" may cost a fee as well as a tip these days. For example, United charges $2 per bag and then you should tip the baggage handler as well. Depending on the length of the line at curbside and how many bags I've got, I've found this to be much faster and easier than saving myself a couple dollars and going inside, standing in line and checking in there! (BTW, I'm always friendly to the skycap and tip generously and knock wood, I've never had a bag lost, mislaid, delayed or damaged yet!)
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Get there at least 30-45 minutes BEFORE they tell you to and bring something to do! If I'll be traveling from any major airport, I arrive a minimum of two hours before my scheduled departure time. As much as I'd rather not hang out an airport, I've found that the trip is far less stressful if I wind up sitting in the waiting area for an hour or so, reading, having a beverage and a snack or browsing through the available shopping before getting on a flight than it is to stand in a long check-in and/or security line and worry about whether or not I'm going to make my flight. Long lines are far less irritating if you know you have plenty of time.
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Empty your pockets BEFORE you get to the front of the security line. Put those loose items (change, money clips, cell phones, etc.) into a side pocket of your carry-on bag either before you get into line or while you're standing in line but before you get to the point where you need to start putting things into trays. It's a LOT faster for everyone.
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Wear shoes that are both comfortable for walking, and are easy to slip on/off. You're going to have to take off your shoes and put them in a tray to go through the X-ray; the faster you can do that, the happier you will be and the happier the people behind you will be! Special tip for ladies: bras with metal hooks or underwires can set off sensitive detectors -- think about an athletic bra for traveling! Also, avoid barrettes, hair clips, pinned on costume jewelery. The less metal you wear, the less chance you have of being delayed or having to be patted down. You'll also avoid incurring the wrath of everyone standing behind you, waiting for you to remove all those items and have them go through the X-ray!
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If you're wearing an outer layer that can be removed (jacket, sweater, blouse) they're going to make you take it off before you go through the scanner. Save yourself from having to be told, and go ahead and put that in the tray with your shoes.
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Take out your notebook/laptop computer and put it in a separate tray than your shoes/jacket. Go ahead and take our your writer and put that in a separate tray as well. If I'm traveling with my computer projector, I put that in a separate tray. It's faster and easier to assume they want it in a separate tray than it is to leave it in a bag and see if they care.
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Don't bring beverages into the security line. They're not going to let you through with those items, you may not be able to find a trash can before you reach the front of the line, and TSA reps tend to get annoyed if you want them to be your personal trash collectors. Click HERE for detailed information regarding bringing along any liquids.
AIRPLANE COMFORT
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Bring travel food in your carry on bag! If you're traveling coach/economy, many airlines no longer provide food, even on long, cross-country flights. Some will offer food for purchase, but the "snack boxes" they offer may not have contents that appeal to you. Don't take a chance - pick up snack food to get you through the flight before you leave --that way you're not stuck with whatever you can buy from the limited and typically over-priced selections available at the airport!
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Watching a movie shown on an airplane is typically not an enjoyable experience. Your ability to see the screen will vary depending on your seat location and the location of the screen, whether not folks in around you in window seats are kind enough to lower their shades and/or the size of that screen. Your ability to hear the movie will depend on whether you've been given headphones, and whether they work -- given the wear and tear, it's not surprising when they don't. The movie you watch will be an edited version -- you'll typically get all the violence but none of the language or "adult situations." And, you may not get the whole movie - you never know when the captain will cut in to the audio to give you tour-guide information about your flight and what you happen to be passing over at the moment. Therefore, if you want to enjoy watching a movie while on a flight, I recommend that you bring your own and bring your own player. I have an extra 12-cell battery for my computer which will let me run my computer without a plug-in source for up to 6 hours. I bring my latest Netflix selection and personal headphones and can remain in control of the presentation. Plus, I can pause it if I need to get up and use the facilities, and not miss anything.
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You may not get a pillow or blanket -- not all flights supply them anymore, or supply enough for everyone on the plane. Even if wherever you're traveling to/from is very warm, remember that it can get very cool in the cabin of the plane, so bring a light sweater or jacket to use as a blanket! If you have a back problem, bring your own support method (the aforementioned jacket and/or those inflatable/deflatable back support cushions are fantastic).
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