TheMapPinJunkie

TheMapPinJunkie

Friday, June 26, 2015

Business Travel - How to Get More With Less

 














I am lucky to travel for business which helps facilitate my pleasure travel, so when I come across something that helps both go a bit more smoothly, I am all about sharing.  

Today's gem comes from the Road Warriorette, who writes a blog full of interesting and useful business (mostly) travel advice. Check out her blog here and read on.

Peace, love, and travel!

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Dealing with the business travel “squeeze”
June 25, 2015

Squeeze.  It’s a common theme in business travel.  Ever since the economy tanked in 2008 I’ve really seen an uptick in businesses trying to squeeze as much as they can out of everything they can possibly think of. Air carriers are moving seats as close as they possibly can get together to add more rows to planes. Planes constantly need to be worked on which I can only guess is because the airlines are pushing them to their limits (for example, Duct tape story 1 & Duct tape story 2) .  Loyalty programs are becoming less generous so that more points can get squeezed out of your account. Despite record profits and lower oil costs airfares are going up in price which is squeezing money out of your pockets. Hotels are guilty of the squeeze too by doing things like charging ridiculous rates for Wi-Fi (just look at what Marriott got caught doing) and making reward stays more expensive. Even companies that business travelers work for are squeezing more by micromanaging expenses. To help with all this, here my tips for dealing with the squeeze.

Change airlines. I haven’t made the switch yet to Delta, but I’m really considering it. After a pretty bad streak of delays due to maintenance (not to mention some really awful customer service) with American and Southwest I went looking for answers. I researched the Air Travel Consumer Report released by the DOT and I noticed that overall Delta is consistently performing better than American and Southwest in on time performance, as well as delays caused by the carrier (which includes maintenance delays). These results are giving me incentive to making a change. My loyalty only goes so far.
Don’t hoard miles. Over the years of traveling I built up a decent amount of airline miles through different airlines. I used to.......<<read the full article here>>

Wednesday, June 24, 2015

The 16-piece Minimalist Travel Wardrobe

The question I get most often about travel is about how to put together a travel wardrobe. This can be a challenge, especially when that wardrobe has to serve a variety of activities, locations, and climates. Add on to that the desire to be comfortable and blend into the local landscape and it can make your eyes cross.

As a dyed-in-the-wool minimalist, I make it a habit to pack light. I don't like to carry heavy things and after having my luggage lost several times, I avoid checking it at all costs. This compounds the challenge of packing light so I thought I'd share my travel wardrobe from my latest adventure. 


First, let's get some details out of the way:
1. This is what I like to wear and my personal style leans toward structured silhouettes with classic pieces and only a little bit of trend. Your preferences may differ but do pay attention to what works in the destination. For example, what you'd wear in Rio de Janeiro is different from what you'd wear in Paris. Also remember, it is possible to be comfortable, stylish and smartly dressed all at the same time. Flip flops and sweat shorts have no place on your body, outside the house. :)
2. I wear all of these pieces in my regular life and do not buy items solely for travel (one exception - quick dry pants).
3. My color palette may be boring to some, but again, it is what I prefer.
4. I use varied packing methods, utilizing the rolling technique and packing cubes.

This wardrobe was assembled for 25 days abroad in Australia and New Zealand and had to work in cosmopolitan settings, backwoods locales, and temperature swings from 45F to 90F.  It also HAD to fit into my Lucas Under-The-Seat cabin bag (my only suitcase). No small feat but do-able with some planning. 

To maximize space, I used packing cubes for little items (underwear, socks, etc) and rolled everything else. The boots and flat sandals went first with packing cubes filling the gaps, then the day bag (The Sak, shown below) went in, laid flat. After that, rolled items went in (outwear, bottoms, tops) and finally, folded scarves. The Converse slipped into the exterior side pockets.

The Le Pliage tote bag held no clothes, except a Ziploc bag with 2 pairs of underwear and a fresh tank top (always nice after a 17-hour flight).

Okay, onto the clothes!
I always select basic pieces that can be layered and accessorized accordingly. Each piece, except one, can be machine washed and most of the pieces can be hand-washed in a hotel sink. This wardrobe is a total of 16 pieces, not including underwear, pyjamas, swim suit, scarves, hats, fingerless gloves, shoes or bags. NOTE: I have provided links to specific pieces that I recommend. All other pieces can be found at your favorite store or online retailer. Again, it is all about what works for you.

 25-day Travel Wardrobe:

25 Days in NZ and AUS 


Outerwear:
1. Black all-season tailored wool blazer
2. Grey boyfriend blazer
3. Anorak-style windbreaker/rain jacket

Tops:
4. White button-front long-sleeved shirt
5. Black/white cotton peasant (boho) blouse
6. Black modal-blend tee shirt
7. Grey modal-blend tee shirt
8. Pink linen tee shirt
9. Black racerback tank top
10. White racerback tank top
11. Grey lightweight wool v-neck sweater
12. Black rayon-blend open-front cardigan

Bottoms:
13. Dark wash skinny jeans
14. Black ponte skinny ankle pants
15. Black board shorts (cut is so good, they can be worn outside the water, too!)

Dress:
16. Black jersey tank dress

Shoes:
- Black leather lace-up boots 
- Black Converse trainers/sneakers
- Grey suede oxfords
- Black sandals

Accessories:
- Black 2-piece tank style swim suit
- Pink gauze scarf
- Leopard print 
- Black/white floral oversized scarf (can be used as a pareo, too)
- Black belt (medium width to work as cinch or as belt)
- 2 pairs of socks (one fluffy, one thin, both knee high length)
- 6 pairs of underwear
- 2 bras (one black, one nude)
- Pyjamas (black tank, black capri length leggings, fluffy short socks)
- Black crush-able sun hat
- Grey knit watch cap
- Grey knit fingerless gloves
- Swatch double wrap wristwatch
- Silver drop earrings with french hook
- Silver hoop earrings

Bags:
- Longchamps Le Pliage large (do yourself a favor and buy a rigid insert like this as it makes the bag SO much easier to carry and seems to maximize space)
- The Sak Ventura convertible leather bag (can be worn as a crossbody bag or backpack; used as day bag; packed in suitcase during transit)

That's it! In hindsight, I wouldn't change much, except maybe:
1. To have left the Converse at home. I wore them a few times but could have just as easily worn the sandals or the oxfords. 
2. Skipped the tank dress. I could have easily left it behind. I only wore it twice and could have easily worn pants or shorts those two occasions. 
We did sink laundry ever other day and hit up a laundromat twice during the trip. 

A little planning (okay, who am I kidding? It was a lot of planning) and I was able to have a travel wardrobe to got me from fancy brunch in Melbourne to chasing the elusive cassowary in the Daintree rainforest. I even had enough room to pack the beach dress from Australia and the two alpaca wraps from New Zealand and still only had 2 small pieces of luggage. It kept me (us) nimble, quick, and organized. 

NOTE: I was 3 kilos overweight for a Virgin Australia flight and had to pay baggage fees and check the bag, but 1 flight out of 6 was not a big deal (and I think it was the heavy Converse that pushed me over the edge!).
 
What tips do you swear by when packing for a trip? Are there any must-haves for packing light? Let me know with a comment!
Peace, love, and travel!

Saturday, June 13, 2015

The 5 Essential Items You Didn't Know You Needed In Your Carry-on Bag

I am one of those people who believe in being prepared for as many situations as possible and this slight obsession escalates when I travel. To that end, here are the top 5 items I always toss in my carry-on tote. 

Let's break it down, we have (clockwise from left) mini rolls of duct tape, gallon zip top freezer bags, wooden clothes pins, a spork, and 4 mini bungee cords. Each one of these is multi-purpose and takes up very little room in a carry-on or small suitcase. All the uses below have been tested personally, except where noted.

Duct tape can be used to:
- repair bags
- tack a hem
- brace a twisted ankle
- secure your bag (after security) by taping down zipper pulls
- mend a ripped tent
- bandage a wound (after its clean, but always have cloth or gauze between the wound and tape and seek medical help Immediately)
- secure valuables to your body (it helps to tape the bag of valuables to a hairless area to avoid the prior use of duct tape 😁)
- remove lint
- baby proof a hotel room (haven't personally tried this)

Gallon zip top bags are useful to:
- store wet bathing suits 
- keep passports, maps, and papers dry
- segment socks/underwear
- contain smaller items so they aren't rolling loose around a bag
- use as an air sickness/motion sickness bag (thankfully, I haven't had to test this but my traveling companion did when our catamaran decided to bounce across the water instead of float)
- cushion souvenirs (blow some air into one bag as you're sealing it and then, place that in another bag)
- separate jewelry (use smaller bags, suck the air out to avoid necklaces tangling, put in the larger size)
- act as a tiny washing machine for your underwear (fill it up a little less than halfway, add soap and garment, close it tightly and shake)
- protect your camera from mist or rain

Wooden hinge-style clothes pins are great to:
- close pesky hotel curtains that always seem to have a gap
- corral a mosquito net when not in use
- secure electronic cords
- raise a toothbrush off the sink
- weigh down the edge of a shower curtain
- seal up non-resealable bags (chips/crisps, loose tea leaves, etc)
- hang clothes up to dry (obviously 😉)

While not as multi-purpose as the other tools on this list, a Spork can be used to:
- eat anything for which you'd need a spoon or fork
- stir beverages or soups 
- comb/fluff your hair
- cut soft fruit
-retrieve small items from a pail of water of indeterminate quality (just be sure to sanitize the spork afterward)

Mini bungee cords are handy to:
- serve as an emergency belt
- stretch across a doorway as clothesline
- keep an auto-closing sliding door open
- add extra layer of security to a bag/backpack in crowded areas
- bundle things in a towel (sunblock, cover-up, book, etc go in a beach towel then, fold it up and secure it with a bungee cord)
- secure your door from the inside (sort of like a sliding chain lock)

There you have it, the 5 most useful travel items I take with me. I hope this list helps you prepare for your trip. I'd love to hear some other uses for these items or what items you find essential, so leave a comment below. 

Peace, love, and travel!

Monday, June 8, 2015

National Pet Appreciation Week!

As much as I love to travel, I love to spend time relaxing at home with the dogs. If you have a cherished pet, you may understand what I mean. To that end, I was tickled to find that this week is National Pet Appreciation Week.

Now, my dogs are appreciated on a daily basis but I think they are still smarting from my recent absence (gallivanting around the Antipodes). Despite the frequent trips made to McD's for plain hamburgers I don't know if they've forgiven me yet.

No matter. We had plenty of fun this weekend waiting for the pool to refill after a thorough draining and cleaning. So, in honor of National Pet Appreciation Week and my furry companions that add so much joy to our lives, here are some photos of their inherent Boxer-ness.

What plans do you have to celebrate your furry, scaly, feathery or leathery best friend?

Peace, love, and travel!


PS - as a disclaimer, when I travel and can't take the dogs they always have a live-in sitter who attends to their every need. They are never left unattended and I am thankful I have the means to spoil them as I do. Be sure to make appropriate arrangements for your pets when you travel.


Roman ready to play!


He won't be denied his evening swim, even if the pool isn't completely full.
The boys and their backsides.
Diego coming in for a kiss.

Thursday, June 4, 2015

Travel Tip - Food In-transit or How to Avoid Succumbing to the Hungry Monster During Travel


Creating and collecting travel tips is a hobby of mine. I talk to other travelers to find out what they do to make the journey or destination the best it can be. Any tip I post here will be one that I've tried and vetted. Real-word experience is the only way it gets posted.

Today's travel tip centers around food (maybe because I'm hungry) and whether you are a picky eater (like me) or will consume anything, it's always a good idea to take your own snacks on the plane. It's less of a cost thing and more of a convenience and preference thing for me.

Personally selected snacks mean that I will always have something available if my vegetarian meal doesn't get to me on the plane, if I find myself rattling through the jungle with nothing but goat jerky available, or if I arrive at my destination so late that nothing is open except a kebab stand.

For healthy options, I take almonds, dried fruit, Quest bars & a refillable water bottle.
Travel tip - Take your own snacks on the plane. For healthy options, I take Quest bars, almonds, dried fruit & a refillable water bottle.
My water bottle of choice is the Platypus (shown below in red). Collapsible, BPA-free, and durable it looks slightly like an IV bag if you get it in clear instead of a color which makes it quite the conversation starter. It is a lot tougher than it looks and has survived lots of trips being shoved at the bottom of a bag, overfilled, and run over (only once).  Check it out, here.



















What are your snacks of choice? Have you found anything unique that keeps well on the road? Tell me about it in the comments.

Peace, love, and travel!

Tuesday, June 2, 2015

Are We Any Safer Today?


In my daily perusal of travel-related news, I happened upon this article (http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/01/politics/tsa-failed-undercover-airport-screening-tests/) which cites a failure rate for TSA screeners as high as it was in 2007, despite an enormous amount of money being invested in new screening equipment, training, and policies.  It made me wonder "are we any safer today than anytime in the past decade or so?" Tough question, right?


The sloppiness of  TSA in the US was highlighted for me at the end of April when I departed LAX for Australia. At the time, not only did PHX airport screeners miss a tiny pair of scissors I'd forgotten at the bottom of my bag, so did the LAX screeners. My experience went like this:
Since I was traveling with a friend I opted out of the PreCheck line and went through the regular take-your-shoes-off-put-everything-in-a-bucket line in a show of solidarity. My bag was x-rayed twice in the US and I only found out about the scissors when the security screeners in Adelaide, SA informed me as they nearly tackled me (I'm kidding, of course). They were on those tiny scissors like white on rice. So, certainly shame on me for forgetting about the scissors, but what about those people who ARE trying to conceal something? They are a lot more devious than me. Are the screeners in the US up to the task?

I don't know. I feel a little better about the job they are doing compared to pre-9/11 but not super confident that they are catching all they should. What do you think? Is the TSA helping secure our safety as we take to the skies? I'd love to hear your opinion on the matter, so leave your comments below.

The world can be a terrifying place but it shouldn't stop us from exploring it and, while disheartening, the TSA gaffes won't stop me from going where I can, when I can.

Peace, love, and travel!


https://verbaliststravel.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/favorite-travel-quote-verbalisti.jpg?w=350&h=200&crop=1








Monday, June 1, 2015

What to Wear In-transit

Given that some airlines are instituting a dress code for their airport clubs (yay!) and at least one international carrier allegedly upgrades "smartly" dressed passengers to first class, I thought it would be good to post some smart but comfortable travel outfits for warm weather.

Before we get to photos, let me add that everything shown is normally what I would pack for most destinations and I don't take anything special that doesn't work with everything else in my bag. Style is just as important to me as comfort. I don't mean trends, I mean style. There is a difference and while I may buy a trendy color or item each season, the core of my wardrobe remains classic. This is how I can travel for weeks with one small bag of clothes. Of course, if I'm spending a week in European cities the list of items differs from what I take for a week in Guatemala, but only slightly and that's the take-away. Versatile pieces that work across lots of activities. Okay, now for the photos.


Above, is my basic uniform consisting of a blazer, tee, super comfortable skinny jeans, classic loafers and a scarf. This is what I wear at home; The pieces wear well, keep me comfortable, and look smart (the magic of a blazer). I'm always cold so the scarf keeps me cozy and dressed up an otherwise basic look. Simple jewelry polishes off the look which works for a variety of travel situations.
Another example of a blazer-centric look except this blazer is jersey and stretchy. Think of an elevated hoodie feel. The pants are silk joggers and fell like pajamas. The Converse work because they are (a) in style and (b) clean. I'd swap them out of they were scuffed or dirty. This is my go-to outfit for long haul flights (Tokyo, Mlebourme, London).
The jeans above are a boyfriend cut and distressed so they aren't something I'd wear flying into Shanghai or De Gaulle, but work for NYC, LA, or Sydney.

Clearly, I'm comfortable in blazers but each of these ensembles would work just as well with a long open-front cardigan that is so on trend right now, the biggest key for wardrobe planning is to wear what makes you comfortable. With some thought and planning you can be comfortable and stylish.

Check out http://unefemme.net for some alternatives to what I've shown. The blogger has great taste and while her aesthetic is similar to mine, she relaxes it with beautiful, flowing pieces that work for her. 

What's your go-to travel style? Let me know in the comments.

Peace, love, and travel!