Before the day of your journey,make a detailed packing list, check it prior to each trip, and revise it after each trip. My just-published guide to 1-bag travel is full of recommendations, some of which will change the way you travel forever, and some of which are absolutely wrong for you. But even the best recommendations are worthless if the right items don’t make it into your bag, or if you try to work from memory rather than a packing list and end up over packing.
The injunction to “take half as much clothing and twice as much money” is a common bit of packing wisdom, and likely good advice for those who are working from a carefully prepared packing list. But you’re not one of those.
Some wise travelers type or write their list on paper,
and pack it in their bag in a Ziploc bag. My packing list is in Evernote,
accessible from my phone or laptop. Choose a packing list method that’s
convenient for you, and follow-through.
Charge It
Charge everything the night before. If you’re following
the recommendations in this book, that “everything” will be limited to your
smart phone and a backup battery. Additional electronics in the “maybe”
category include an ultrathin laptop or tablet or an e-reader. At this writing,
it is still the rare airport that has sufficient outlets for passengers needing
to charge up at the last minute. And that whole last minute charging experience
is stressful and rarely fully successful. In my experience, by the time I find
an outlet and start charging up, they announce my zone is boarding. If you are
to be prepared for an entertaining and efficient trip (hopefully you’ll have
some fun and get some work done on
the flight), make sure your work- and music- and movie-device is at the ready,
in advance.
Plan your work and work your plan
A day or so before your flight, review your travel
details and take note of how long you’ll be in the air. Identify projects
appropriate for that length of time. An hour-long shuttle, for example, might
be long enough to catch up on some professional reading that’s been stacking up
on your desk. A three-hour flight might be long enough to rework a set of
PowerPoint slides or write a couple of blog posts. Longer international flights
may allow several projects punctuated by entertainment which you have selected
and planned in advance. You’re not at the mercy of limited in-flight movies or
music - you can load up your smart phone or tablet in advance according to your
reading and listening and viewing tastes and goals. One of the most important
activities on any flight – for your energy and mental and physical health upon
arrival – sleeping. So build that into your schedule as well. If it’s true (and
I believe it is) that time is our most precious resource, let’s not waste any
of it by wishing that we were somewhere else. That includes wishing that our
flight was over, and dreading the minutes and hours of travel. Because that’s
literally wishing a tiny piece of my life away. Book yourself solid with
relevant or important or supremely entertaining activities, for the whole
flight. And do this in advance. On my most recent arrival into Sydney, I was
wrapping up a project that I was really excited about. And as we were instructed to put our laptop trays
and seats back into their full upright position, I actually wished I had a few
more minutes to work on the project!
Check out more tips for the minimalist traveler in my
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