Posted on by Caridad

Thoughtful Thursday – A Reluctant Road Warrior

cartoon_car.gifCounting down the minutes until it’s time to hit the road for not only the RT Convention, but a legal convention right afterward. So, my mind is filled with thoughts about becoming a Reluctant Road Warrior and I decided to offer some helpful and humorous advice.

  • Make sure you know what the latest TSA screening process requires to avoid being detained in the security line. Click here to link to the guidelines.
      Now they have got to be kidding when they say to avoid underwire bras! How do they expect us to keep our gravity-challenged D-cups from total collapse?
  • Make a list of the things you absolutely cannot forget.
      You left your husband at the house? The more important question is, “Do you have the tickets”? Good, then just send him a postcard when you get there! JK! Actually, I’m crazed making just this kind of list right now since I’ve got to run from one conference to another and both require totally different things! HELP!
  • Lay out the clothes you plan to where at least a few days before.
      Then go out and buy some new things when you realize what you planned to wear doesn’t fit anymore. The diet is obviously not going well.
  • Make sure to pack your business cards.
      Even more important, make sure you don’t hand the business card that says “SEX AND THE SOUTH BEACH CHICAS” to the head of a Fortune 100 company looking for legal representation.

      Actually a lot of people ask if my clients and colleagues know about my dual life. Most do and most think it’s great.

  • Check the weather in the city where you are heading.
      Given the current trend in global warming, this will accomplish nothing, but at least you can say you had a reason for why you packed a parka for Houston, TX.
  • Make sure you’ve got transportation to and from the airport.
      More importantly, when you get into a taxi in Detroit and ask to go the General Motors building and the cabbie doesn’t know who they are, GET OUT OF THE CAR! (This actually happened to me on one business trip!)
  • Once you get wherever you’re going, work up the courage to meet someone new.
      Cool new places are lots of fun, but it’s even more fun to meet new people. I love this at conferences, but I must confess that it took me quite some time to work past my shyness (Yes, I hear all the laughter from my friends, but I was terribly shy at one time. Now I force that away and am thankful that I do since I meet so many nice people that way.)
  • Roll those clothes that you can, like t-shirts, knit tops, etc.
      Rolling helps save space and avoid wrinkles. That helpful tip is from my totally absent Fashion Friday consultant Sammie. What can I say? It’s senior year.

    • Hope these tips helped a little. Maybe you have some of your own to contribute.

    4 Replies to “Thoughtful Thursday – A Reluctant Road Warrior”

    1. Good hint about the socks and shoes. Those stops are such a pain in the butt, but understandable.

      LOL on the card to the CEO. Maybe he would get a kick out of it!

    2. I’m with you, Caridad. I always get stopped as well. If I’m traveling and have cool weather clothes, I use the large plastic bags that you push all the air out to save space.

      Oh, make sure you wear loafers or shoes easy to take on and off. And no socks or stockings with holes since you have to take your shoes off. Once, we were rushing and I coudln’t find the mate to my socks. So when the screener insisted I take off my shoes, I had on mismatched socks. I acted as cool as Naomi on her way to work at the sanitation department.

      I say go ahead and hand the head of the Fortune 500 company a SEX AND THE SOUTH BEACH CHICAS business card. He, or his wife, or his latest chippie of the moment, will probably thank you for it. LOL. (Sounds like something that would happen on Boston Legal).

    3. LOL! I love that Wand comment. Will have to keep it in mind for next time.

      Makes me think of when I was frisked. Too bad I didn’t have a fun come back for that.

      I always get stopped, FYI. Don’t know why, but I do.

      Great tip about the zip lock bags. I do that as well and it has avoided many a mess. I use a bunch of them — some for computer gear, others for cosmetics. Computer gear bag is fuller!

      They are easy to use because they are clear as well.

    4. Always put anything liquid in ziplock bags. I don’t know how many times I’ve had weird sticky soapy clothes when I got where I was going. I always organize my belongings in ziploc bags when possible. Particularly in my carryon so that they can look at them without having to risk tampons rolling all over the floor at airport screening. I had a guy pick up a small ziploc with tampons in it one time and ask me what they were. He was a young guy and I was delighted to tell him with a straight face and quite loudly. “They’re Tampons”. That put an end to the questions.

      Fun thing to ask the security guy with the wand – “Can you turn me into a princess with that thing?”

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