Tuesday’s Travel Tips

I thought I was late with today’s post, but it turns out it’s only Monday as I’m writing this.  Not Tuesday, as I thought.  (Although it is Tuesday as you are reading it.  Or possibly Wednesday.  [Still having trouble with that email feed being a day late.  Going to fix it soon, though.  I hope.])

Chalk my confusion up to an entire Sunday spent zig-zagging up and down the east coast, trying to get back from Maine, eight solid hours of which were spent just sitting in airports.

(So the first of this Tuesday’s tips is “Don’t do that.”)

And then there was a tropical storm and a late night drive home through a deluge.

I slept in this morning.

Then I had to/wanted to email everybody involved in the Northern Writes New Works Festival to thank them for all their hard work and talent and for including me and my play.

But now I am able to turn my attention to other things, and–aha!–I remember I have a blog post to do!

It seems like the best thing I can do is tell you a little bit about what I learned on my recent travels.

1. The Kia Soul is not a bad little car!  And that weird lime green means you won’t lose it in a parking lot.  (If you can find one in Maine.)  Thanks, Avis!
2. It’s kind of a good idea to bring an empty plastic water bottle to the airport. It weighs nothing, you have no problem with security, because it’s empty–and then you can fill it with water at a water fountain inside.  You stay hydrated without spending a fortune on airport beverages.
3. Speaking of airport food. . .if you happen to be at Reagan International and decide to buy a burger at Five Guys, be aware that a burger to them is actually two burgers on one bun.  If you want a normal burger, you have to order a Little Hamburger.  (Maybe it’s like that at all Five Guys.  I don’t know.  I don’t eat there much, but I ended up with more than I wanted to eat this time.)
4. My best travel accessory is my jacket with all the pockets!  So easy to slip the mp3 player in one, the Kindle in another, the ID in a third and so on.  Plus, it keeps you warm.  (See tip # 5.)  I may even bring my fishing vest next time, although that wouldn’t help with the warmth issue.
5. The row immediately behind the emergency exit row is kind of cold.  There’s a little gap and a big draft around that exit panel, and it’s freezing at 30,000 feet.
6. Row 4 on the US Airways shuttle from DC to La Guardia has extra leg room–but you’ve got to stow all your carry-on stuff (including your laptop) in the overhead bin for take-off and landing.
7. Hoot Suiteis great for keeping you connected to social media when you can’t find a free WiFi connection for your laptop.  It works well even on a tiny Blackberry!and, the most important travel tip of all…
8. Try to hang on to your sense of humor.

Anybody else got any good travel tips?  Comments welcome!