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Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Travels

Ohhh-the life of a road warrior.


I just started a new job. Many moons ago, I worked as a national sales rep for a small cookie company. This required me to travel the entire country. Then, I moved to a large food company. I still had to travel, but most of that travel was driving. I was not required to take many flights. I have now come full circle-I now have a job that requires both. Many flights, much driving.


And, there are many things that you learn while out and about. For instance, today, I am in North Carolina. Here, the speed limit varies from 70 mph to 55 mph on interstates 77 and 40. What was so weird was that most people actually went the speed limit. No one cut me off, or rode my rear, or gave me a dirty look, or whipped around me and then in front of me to make a point. People actually slow down to let others merge-it is quite a different world here from Nashville.


I have also learned that travel has changed since my last days of airport life. When you travel quite a bit, you learn that carrying on your luggage is the way to go. That is how I used to travel. Then 911 happened, and the carry on rules changed. Since then, I usually check my luggage for a few reasons.



1. I am now officially middle age according to my father, and consolidating a carry on with my travel entertainment, laptop, purse, and suitcase into 2 pieces small enough to qualify as carry on luggage is a challenge. Carrying these bags through the airport, down the jet way, down the plane aisle without knocking out an already seated passenger is yet a greater challenge. And then there is the whole fit the bag under the seat in front of you and fit another in the overhead compartment. This is not only a work out comparable to the spanx workout, but it is not attractive. Then I fall into my seat sweating and wondering how in the heck someone thought that the puff of air out of the nozzle over your head is enough to keep you from passing out.



2. I carry a lot of liquids. As I mentioned I am apparently farting dust, so I have to carry lots of moisturizers, lotions, hair products and other essentials to try and hide my age and fatigue from getting all of these bags to the gate in the first place, to the rental car shuttle, into the rental car office, to the rental car, loaded into the car, loaded out of the car at the hotel, hauled to my hotel room...do you see why liquids are a necessity??



So-my current coworkers convinced me that carrying on your baggage is the way to go. I was hesitant. My new boss and I were in the security line 2 weeks ago - me relatively bagless and looking like an easy traveler, he carrying his bags (and making it look relatively easy, for the record). Boss man pulls out a baggie with his toiletries and liquids in it. He is bald-he does not need many products. He and another co-worker keep telling me to just get some travel size products and the empty 3 ounce containers they sell now to fill up with my products. Makes life so much easier, they say.


After waiting 30 minutes for my luggage, I decided that they might be on to something.


I went to Target and spent $100 on every travel size I could find. I bought travel size products, empty bottles to fill, empty spray bottles, and even bought the special glad Ziploc baggies that say "flight approved." I was not taking any chances. The day before my trip, I spent an hour repacking my toiletry bag. I filled empty bottles with my shampoo, my lotion, my body sprays. I got out my label maker and made sure I had each bottle labeled. I put them all into a special place in my suitcase so I could pull it out quickly at security.


Off I head to the airport. I went to the expert traveler line - I am an expert. I mean-look at the baggie organization. So I begin the security process-I took off my shoes, my coat, took out my laptop, and - drum roll - took out my baggies. I proceeded through the detector and over to the conveyor to get my baggies and carry on's and begin redressing and repacking.


This security officer peaks over the conveyor and asks, "Ma'am, is this yours?" He is pointing to my pristine baggie assortment. "Why yes, it is," I reply, beaming. He looks at me and says, "You can only have ONE baggie." I look at my baggie collection- four baggies to be exact. I could only blankly stare. ONE???? Who on God's green earth can fit everything into ONE QUART SIZE BAGGIE. Absolutely ridiculous.


He let me through-but told me that I would have to consolidate for next time.


I do not know if it is worth it, but I know that there are certain things that I cannot live without both in my beauty regime and in my travel regime. In fact, I think my next posting is going to be on my travel necessities.


Anyhoo-lesson learned. Apparently you cannot bring unlimited amounts of liquids onto a plane if you divide them among 40, 3 ounce containers. So, I sit here in a NC hotel room, and I am off to repackage my liquids....again.

2 comments:

  1. Did you really say "farting dust"?

    ReplyDelete
  2. As God is my witness when I was employed and traveling I had every one of those experiences. You let me know if you figure out a better way to handle things.

    ReplyDelete