Mary was close to losing her temper.
She had trouble just getting her airline boarding pass, since she’d forgotten to bring her driver’s license and didn’t have a photo ID with her. This wasn’t the first time she had traveled – it was just that with so many things to remember, this one got overlooked.
Fortunately, Mary – who was a real estate broker – had a brainstorm. She bought the local paper, complete with an ad with her name and photo, and the check-in agent accepted this as a photo ID. In the back of her mind, she could hear her friend Ann reminding her about the fully detailed travel checklist that she always reviewed before leaving the house.
Mary had not gotten much beyond the check-in before an announcement was made to the effect that the plane would be late and passengers should not leave the area. She was starving, out of reading material and slowly losing her mind due to the incessant Game Boy beeps coming from a few seats away. Not that she was all that anxious to get into her (ugh!) center seat on a filled-beyond-capacity airplane.
Ann, on the other hand, had arrived half an hour earlier than Mary and also learned of the delay. Rather than accepting the airline’s “Don’t worry, it’ll be here soon” explanation, she asked what other airlines were leaving around the same time.
Confronted with a passenger who actually asked about another airline’s seating availability, the agent got Ann on a competitor’s flight leaving in 30 minutes. The competitor was willing to take Ann’s ticket, since it was a full-fare, refundable ticket – not one bought at a discount with numerous restrictions.
During check-in at the new airline, Ann asked for an aisle seat in the center of the plane. She knew that most people wanted to either be in the back or the front of the plane and, if there was any chance at all that she would get an empty seat next to her, it was in the center. She also requested an emergency row seat.
Slipping into her seat, she took out a water bottle and a banana, assuring herself that she wouldn’t be thirsty or hungry – regardless of whether the flight served food (something more and more airlines don’t do on shorter flights). The child across the way started crying, but Ann just popped on her earphones and started listening to her favorite music. A lightweight paperback completed her insulation and she sat back in her relatively roomy emergency row seat, ready for takeoff.
One reason Ann could pull off this last-minute maneuver was that she almost never checked her luggage. Even with the tighter size measurements, she had learned to pack up to 10 days worth of garments in one wheelable carry-on, plus a computer bag that also carried her health and beauty products. The secret? The new wrinkle-free, washable fabrics…and, thankfully, a universally relaxed dress code.
Ann coordinated everything around one basic color – usually black for its ability to absorb spills and other misfortunes. She also brought washable wardrobe-changers (shirts, blouses, scarves) and quick-dry underwear. She included one extra pair of shoes, jammed with socks and hosiery, and coordinated her outfits with an eye toward lots of thin, warm (think washable silk) layers. And she never packed wrinkle disasters such as linen or space stealers like heavy wools. Jewelry, limited to just a few pieces, was small, simple and interchangeable with most outfit combinations.
To get the health and beauty stuff to fit into the computer bag, Ann used travel-size everything: Hotel shampoo acted as lingerie soap, toothpaste and a spare brush cleaned jewelry, hotel shower caps with rubber bands covered shoes and anything that might leak. Vitamins and medications were presorted by day into sandwich bags.
Meanwhile, back at the gate, Mary’s long-awaited plane finally arrived.
Because Mary didn’t belong to any frequent flyer clubs, had not accumulated points and was not flying first class, she was one of the last passengers to board the plane. By the time she reached her seat, every inch of available overhead space was long gone. She tried pushing her luggage under the seat, but alas, it simply would not fit. This meant she would have to check it.
Dragging her bag back up to the front of the plane was no picnic, but then neither was her tiny middle seat. She was still famished and the plane was two hours late. Take-off went smoothly and the noise of the engines almost drowned out the kid with the Game Boy who, as luck would have it, was in the row behind her, kicking the back of her seat every time he scored. The “food” cart came through with sodas and one itty-bitty pretzel bag per person. After asking for a second bag, Mary was told they’d been shorted by the caterer and there was just enough for one per person.
What seemed like two days later, a very hungry Mary deplaned and headed off to find her luggage. Her sense that a great deal of time had passed wasn’t just due to the inconvenience of the delayed flight. Mary hadn’t realized ahead of time that the plane would be landing in a different time zone, so she believed she arrived two hours later than planned.
And because she’d been in back of the plane, by the time she got to the luggage claim she couldn’t get anywhere near the ramp. Mary had no special identifying tags, luggage belts or ties on her bag, so she kept having to move people out of the way, grab what she thought was her suitcase, and only have to put it back when she discovered it just looked like hers. Finally, a miracle: Her luggage arrived. Now, if she could only remember what hotel she was supposed to go to…
Following her written itinerary, Ann arrived at her hotel early, requested and received a room with a non-connecting door (it’s quieter). She placed a call to herself to make sure the hotel had entered her registration, and decided where she’d leave her key while in her room. This was always basically the same place, so there was little chance she’d leave the room without it.
Taking a quick hike around the block, Ann found a deli that had better food than the hotel’s room service – at a fraction of the price. She also checked their early morning hours so she could stop there for breakfast if she chose.
Mary arrived hours later, sans hotel confirmation, and she soon learned there was no record of her reservation. The hotel found her something close by, of course, but close by turned out to be an expensive cab ride away from where most of her meetings were to be held.
She was now many hours late and tried to call those she had planned to meet for dinner. Unfortunately, due to her heavy cell phone use while waiting for the plane, the phone was dead and she had forgotten to pack the charger. This meant an entire trip without the efficiency of a cell phone.
Mary rushed to the room to unpack and then found, to her horror, that the side pocket in her hurriedly checked luggage was empty. This compartment held her prescriptions and passport.
A bell went off in her head. Again she remembered something Ann had told her: Always keep a copy of your prescriptions and passport, as well as important documents, such as your plane ticket, in your wallet. Don’t check them under any circumstances!
Well, she would learn. After all, she remembered to bring her alarm clock, so she’d be on time tomorrow even if the hotel forgot her wake-up call. (Ah, but Mary forgot to reset the clock…which was running two hours behind.)
Bottom line? Have a checklist and listen to every travel war story you can so you’ll know what not to do when you’re on the road.
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