I have written several times about how I wear bike shorts under skirts and dresses on travel days. It just makes so much sense! It alleviates worry about any unexpected TSA pat-downs, wind gusts, or, of course, chafing. For what seems like forever I have just worn normal bike shorts from Target. My problem with them, and with most typical exercise bike shorts, is that they’re just too long! With my knee-length dresses I am constantly concerned that they will show as I’m walking. Not fun at all.

On a recent Corporette post, a commenter mentioned that she uses Jockey Skimmies Slipshorts. Seriously, these seem like the answer to a prayer. They are inexpensive, come in a bunch of colors, and have different lengths. Plus the reviews are mostly very good, and report no roll-up (or down) or muffin-top. Woohoo! I am definitely going to be trying out the regular length, although there is also a shorter length. $20 at Amazon.

Readers, have you tried the Slipshorts? Do you feel comfortable wearing dresses on travel days?

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If you’re like me, you love your tablet. My iPad is great for surfing the web, using apps, and reading. But actual work? Not at all. Typing for long periods of time is too difficult on my iPad, which makes it hard to get any real work done. I’ve often thought about getting an external keyboard, but many of the ones I’ve seen have been so bulky that I might as well use my regular laptop. Then I was sent the Belkin Ultimate Keyboard Case for iPad to review, and all of my feelings have changed.

Belkin recently launched their Ultimate Keyboard Case, and so far the reviews have been excellent. After my own personal experience, I completely agree. It’s meant to stay with your iPad all the time, so it functions as both a case and a keyboard (as one might gather from the name). The back has an aluminum shell, but the connecting pieces are nice and thin. It was very simple to slip my iPad into place, and after the initial charge (I let it charge for about 20 minutes) setup took maybe 30 seconds and was incredibly easy.

The keyboard is great—obviously smaller than a full-size laptop keyboard, but certainly large enough to get the job done. I really like that there are individual, separate keys—it makes typing so much easier. Plus the keys are big enough and in the right place.  It also really protected my iPad from the various large things I carry in my purse.

I carried it around with me (everywhere) for a few days, and here are the features I love. First, it is SO thin. Hardly thicker than my iPad by itself! Also, it weighs almost nothing, so I barely notice it in my purse, and I was able to fit it into regular purses vs. my normal large work purse. It takes up so much less room than my regular laptop, which makes using it in tight spaces (like conferences and airplanes) a breeze. When I wanted it to be just a tablet, the case folded back nicely and didn’t interfere.

As a travel bonus, since it’s an iPad I didn’t have to take it out at security. Woohoo! (Hey, I’ll take any time saver there.)

Will this replace my laptop for everything? No—I had a hard time adjusting to no mouse, plus I need all of those awesome MS programs (PowerPoint anyone?). But I love the Ultimate Keyboard Case, and will definitely use it with my iPad on all trips from here on out. I recommend it to anyone who travels often or needs a super portable computer. It is compatible with iPad 2 plus Gen 3 and 4, and is available for $129.

So who wants one?? To celebrate the release, I am giving away a Belkin Ultimate Keyboard Case!! In order to enter, please leave a comment answering the following question: What is your best tip for getting through security quickly? The contest starts today and goes through Sunday, May 19, at midnight CDT. The winner will be chosen randomly, and as always only one entry per person.

My tip for getting through security quickly (besides TSA Pre-Check of course) is to have everything ready before you get to the bins. Have your liquids bag (if you take it out) easily accessible, have everything out of your pockets, and have your laptop ready to pull out. Or you could take an iPad with the Belkin Ultimate Keyboard Case, which doesn’t have to come out!

Good luck!!

How many of you have sat on a plane while the final group boards and easily finds places for all of their carryons? Now, how many of you have sat on a plane, waiting to depart, as flight attendants frantically gate check bag after bag? Frequent fliers know the second scenario is way more likely, and much more frustrating. The introduction of bag fees several years ago, plus the general increase of plane tickets, has led to a situation where no one wants to pay $50 round trip to check their bag.

So I’m going to go out on a limb here. When you check in, take a look at your boarding pass. If you are in the final boarding group, check your bag. It will make things way less stressful for you (and everyone else on the plane!) if when you board you just sit down in your seat, as opposed to getting on the plane, fighting your way to the back for the last spot in the overhead bin, realizing it’s full, then fighting your way back to the front so the flight attendant can check it.

If you’re concerned about cost (which is the main reason non- frequent fliers don’t check their bags), there are a few ways to check your bag for reduced cost or free. Most (if not all) of the legacy carriers have a credit card that allows one free checked bag. Often if you pay online, prior to arriving at the airport, you can get a reduced rate. And of course, one option is to fly carriers (like Southwest) that don’t charge for checked bags. (Seriously—if you are a non-frequent flier on Southwest, CHECK YOUR BAG!! There is NO reason not to.)

I know what you’re going to say. “Road Warriorette doesn’t understand! She gets to board first and never has trouble finding room for her bags!” But I get it, I do! Checking your bag will just make things way easier for you if you are in the final boarding group. And if everyone does it, it will be way easier for the whole plane.

For those of you on a budget, who are never going to check your bag unless it’s free, please, PLEASE make sure that it fits in the overhead bin space! Also, as a commenter mentioned below, make sure you put your smaller carry-on under the seat in front of you. If everyone did that it would also save a TON of room.

Readers, what do you think? Should people in the last boarding group pre-emptively check their bags?

I have brought loved ones on business trips several times, as have almost all other business travelers I know. As long as they pay their own way, I’ve never thought there was anything wrong with bringing someone along. After all, it’s not costing your company anything extra for someone to share your hotel room or rental car! But a recent discussion on a message board made me realize that not everyone agrees with me.

According to some opinions, if a company sends you somewhere and you don’t spend all of your time working, you are stealing from the company. Another comment was that it may not be unethical, but if having family on a trip distracts you from doing your job then it’s wrong. While I still don’t think bringing family or another loved one on a business trip is unethical, I do see the point that if it’s going to take your energy from the task at hand it’s not a great idea.

So, Readers, what do you think?

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Over the past couple of years, I have made an effort to introduce more patterns into my wardrobe. Of course, shirts are the easiest place to add interest. Thanks to the inspiration of blogs like Corporette my upper-body wardrobe has slowly been evolving. However, I’ve decided it’s time to move to the next level in patterns: skirts. All of my work skirts are solid gray and black. The cover of a recent Anthropologie showed me the ultimate goal, a fabulous bright orange and white skirt. But someone like me, who has lived in a world of gray and black for so long, can’t just jump into bright orange. Steps must be taken to ease me into this new, colorful place.

The first step was surprisingly easy. I was at Old Navy during their recent dress sale and found this adorable turquoise and white striped dress. Topped with a red cardigan and skinny belt, it is my new favorite outfit for work. I wore it to a recent conference, was incredibly comfortable, and got tons of compliments.

I now feel like I’m ready to buy the spectacular Anthropologie skirt (or this very similar one from Boden). But I struggle with what to wear with it. The Anthro picture shows it with a light purple blouse, and that would work really well. But I think I like it with a mint tee better. It seems like the trick is to keep the top slightly contrasting but close to neutral. Add nude flats for comfort, plus a cream colored cardigan in case the plane gets cold, and you’ve got a lovely summer business casual travel outfit!

If you’re not quite ready for bright orange, I also really like this black and white chevron skirt from Ann Taylor.

Hooray patterns!

Readers, do you wear patterns during business travel? What are your favorite items?

This contest is closed.

If you’ve read my blog for a while, you know that I recommend compression socks for anyone who takes long flights. (That goes double for pregnant people!) They really do help keep my ankles and feet from swelling, not to mention reducing the threat of DVT. Even though I own several pairs myself, I am always on the lookout for a new pair, as long as it’s CUTE. Before, I’ve only been able to find black, boring, ugly compression socks. Until now!

Introducing Nabee Socks: compression socks for men and women, backed by science, with adorable designs. It is a brand new company, with the founder Brian Park getting funding through Kickstarter. (If you have a minute, check out their Kickstarter video—I love it.) Nabee Socks use graduated compression that improves blood circulation, provides additional leg support, and prevents conditions like Deep Vein Thrombosis. They sent me some socks to review, and here are my thoughts.

First, the four designs are fabulous. I had a hard time choosing my favorite, but finally picked the pink argyle Frou. (Although it was really a toss-up between Frou and the striped Waldough.) While I really liked looking at them, I kind of dreaded putting them on—I have muscular calves, and it is a struggle to get most compression socks on. These, however, were much easier than any pair I’ve ever dealt with before. I was actually able to get them on my feet and all the way up my calves!  A very exciting moment. Once they were on, I certainly felt compressed, but in no way uncomfortable.  I also really like the seaming around the toe—it’s very comfortable and doesn’t irritate. I’ve worn them on several flights now, and the swelling is significantly less than without them. Also, I wore them a couple of times when I had long days with lots of standing, and my feet hurt way less than normal. In addition to being a great product, I really like the philosophy of the company—upbeat, positive, backed by science, with a 100% money-back guarantee. There are four designs available for women, and one design (for now—more are coming!) for men, and they are all $35.

I am super excited to partner with Nabee Socks for a contest! The winner will win one pair of Nabee Socks of their choice. In order to enter, please leave a comment answering the following question: What is the longest flight you have ever taken, and where did you go? The contest starts today and goes until midnight on Monday, May 6, with the winner picked randomly. As always, only one entry per person.

My answer to this question is easy: the longest flight I’ve ever been on is definitely the one from DFW to Tokyo—14 hours total. It’s just one of three flights that get me from home to Manila for a total travel time of 25 hours. Of course, I’m lucky because every time I’ve taken that flight I’ve been upgraded. The flight that seemed the longest (even though it wasn’t) was the time I flew the reverse, from Tokyo to DFW, an 11 hour flight that I spent in coach.

Good luck!!

If you listen to the news, you have probably heard about the mandatory federal budget cuts that have been happening over the last few months. I kept hearing dire warnings about the FAA cuts and flight delays, but it never seemed like anything was happening. Until now. Starting in April, TSA instituted a hiring freeze and ban on overtime, and the FAA furloughed thousands of employees.

A few weeks ago when I flew to Canada my flights were slightly delayed, but nothing crazy. But this past week when I went to Vegas, it was insane. At home, the security lines were much longer than normal, and moving much more slowly than normal. And coming home? A freaking madhouse. Not only did the check-in line literally wrap around the airport, but the flight was delayed and then we sat on the tarmac for over an hour waiting to take off. Now I know this is not the worst it can be, and I have seen worse personally on occasion. What makes me nervous is that on top we are coming up on the busiest travel season of the year. A friend of mine who is a flight attendant summed it up this way:

Summer storms are worse than snowstorms, and that means flights get delayed and canceled. It’s the busiest months of the year, the most people travelling, and airlines are at their max. Add in TSA and FAA furloughs that started in April….

So flight crews/pilots and airline personnel are going to start their summers early. What does that mean for passengers? April-August is a LONG time for employees to be maxed out (flying too many hours for that many months). Crews have short layovers now, and the layovers get shorter because of flight delays. Crews get exhausted and call in sick. This holds true for most airlines, so even if you think your favorite doesn’t have these problems, you just got lucky when you flew last time!

While supposedly Congress gave the FAA some budget flexibility to deal with the furloughs, I will still assume there will be delays until I see otherwise.

Between my personal experience and the suggestions from my flight attendant friend, I have a list of recommendations for dealing with the possibility of extreme delays:

Sign up for notifications. When you purchase your ticket, you can sign up for text notifications about flight delays. I highly recommend doing this because you can find out earlier about any issues. When I got a notification that my flight to DFW was delayed (and I would therefore miss my connection) I had enough notice to get moved to an earlier flight.

Check status before you leave the airport. I know we all say we are going to do this, but sometimes when rushing around preparing for a trip the simple things slip your mind. This summer, definitely check flight status before heading to the airport.

Give yourself lots of time. Business travelers generally hate to get to the airport any earlier than they absolutely have to, but right now I recommend giving yourself a lot of time. There were many people who missed the flight home from Vegas because they were stuck in line. Right now I would recommend getting there an hour than you would normally—so three hours early for the super busy airports and two hours for the smaller ones.

Call the airline. Finally, if you’re really unsure about your flight status, call. According to my friend, a lot of times (although not all the time) the customer service line will be honest if you ask questions like, will the pilots, crew, and aircraft be there in time?

I hope this time of crazy delays passes quickly!

Readers, what are your strategies for dealing with long lines and flight delays?

Every year, Embassy Suites surveys hundreds of business travelers to see what their feelings are and what is most important to them during their trips. Some of the results, specifically around social media, were not surprising to me at all. However, the final paragraph baffles me. Read on for the results and my commentary.

• Nearly 80% of survey respondents report that the economic climate changed the way they traveled for business over the past five years. including an increase in teleconferencing (33%), more pressure to book accommodations that offer great value (29%) and only flying coach (25%). Many reported stricter travel rules, with approximately one-third of respondents reporting that their company’s business travel policies became more austere over the past five years.

I can totally relate to everything in this section. My company has definitely tightened the screws with regards to travel! At this time, every trip is scrutinized and alerts are sent to managers if any red flags are raised.

• Nearly 50% of survey respondents said a great value is most important when booking a hotel for business travel in 2013. Almost half (47%) of respondents said their biggest business travel “pet peeve” over the past five years is new fees for previously free items or amenities.

“Value” isn’t the only thing that is considered under my company’s travel guidelines, but I definitely don’t stay in the most expensive hotels anymore. Any fees (such as wi-fi) are covered, so those don’t really annoy me, but I can see how that would be really aggravating for others.

• An overwhelming 85 percent of survey respondents said they would follow a travel brand on social media in order to learn about travel deals (61%) learn about other travelers’ experiences with that brand (29%) or stay updated on the brand’s latest news (28%). And 2/3 of younger travelers (21-29) are more likely to deal with a customer service issue through social media (although half of the respondents said they would call a customer service line).

I’m not surprised by this at all. Social media is taking over everything, especially for younger generations. At 32, I have both called in and used social media to deal with a service issue.

• 85% of survey respondents said they find business travel to be more enjoyable now compared to five years ago.

This was the most surprising to me. Travel is being downsized and squeezed from all angles, less money is being spent, hotels are taking away previously free services and it’s harder to get an airline upgrade. Yet people are enjoying business travel more than ever? Good for them, but I’m not sure I am in that 85%.

Readers, what are your thoughts? Do you use social media or 800 numbers to deal with customer service issues? Is your company spending way less on travel? Are you enjoying your work trips more than five years ago?

(Click here for the full press release.)

For most of the country, spring is in the air! That means warmer temperatures, longer days, pretty flowers….and the beginning of Conference Season for Road Warriorette. There’s no two-week behemoth like last year (and thank goodness for it!) but I do have three conferences in three months. To make things tricky, all three are with very different audiences. And to make it even trickier, they’re in three very different climates! So I have to figure out how to stay true to what I know are the core conference clothing strategies, but tailor each wardrobe for the specific conference. Hmmmmm, a packing challenge? I accept! (Pictured: What will make you a conference-packing hero? A surge protector!!)

Core conference strategies:

• Comfort. A typical conference lasts from morning until night, therefore everything I wear has to be incredibly comfortable. Soft and stretchy is the name of the game—nothing too tight, with zippers or buttons that dig.
• Layers. Conferences are notorious for being either freezing cold or blazing hot. Wearing layers means I am prepared for any temperature! In the case that I have to lose my top layer, I have to make sure my underneath layer is appropriate and doesn’t show too much skin. On the other end of the spectrum, I keep a pashmina in my bag to use as a shawl or blanket if the conference hall is freezing.
• Shoes I can walk in. All of the conferences I’m attending are either in large hotels or conference centers, so I can count on tons of walking. Only my most comfortable shoes will do! (Although I may slip a pair of flip-flops into my purse for some of the longer hikes.)

Individual conference strategies:

Conference #1:

The first conference is in Las Vegas, where the high will be around 90 every day. This crowd is younger and trendier than the rest of my conferences, so I plan to use brighter colors and bolder accessories. An additional challenge: one night of cocktail attire.

Conference #2:

The second conference is in Colorado in May. This will likely be the most casual of the three conferences, and will also have the coolest temperatures. I will probably wear jeans or leggings with sweaters for cozy comfort.

Conference #3:

The last conference will be on the Gulf Coast of Texas in June, with for sure the hottest temperatures and most humidity. This will also be where I do the most walking outside (oh joy). I don’t know if I have a plan for this one yet….. maybe lots of dresses. And water. Lots of water.

In my goal to make someone’s first business trip easier, I am creating packing lists, with specific items and photos, of my typical items for a four-day trip. A couple of weeks ago I talked about clothes, and next in my series of packing photos: toiletries!

Toiletries create a very tricky packing situation for the new business traveler. On the one hand, you want to take all of the items you use at home. On the other hand, you want to have room in your suitcase for, like, clothes and stuff. My very first trip toiletries filled literally half of my suitcase. I got one of these hanging toiletry things (which some people swear by, but I personally hate) and filled it to the brim. As you can imagine, I didn’t use half of the stuff I brought, and my suitcase was incredibly heavy. But now (after years of constant travel) I can pack toiletries for two weeks in three little bags.

A few tips:

• Use multiple bags instead of one big bag. This way you can squeeze them in smaller spaces instead of taking up a ton of room. I have had the same toiletry bag for like 15 years (crazy right? I just think it’s so cute and it’s still perfect for my needs.). I use a Ziploc for my liquids bag, but some people prefer reusable ones like this one.
• Bring your own products, just put them in reusable containers (I use Aveda bottles, although from what I can find they are only available in the UK or stores). Don’t buy travel sized items for anything except maybe toothpaste and contact solution. Or if your skin and hair can tolerate complimentary toiletries from a hotel then use those. Strangely, almost all of my toiletries are from hotels right now. This is normally not the case!
• Contact lens cases are great, inexpensive reusable containers for liquids you only need small amounts of. I label the bottom of the one that has face wash in it (S for shower).

My toiletry packing list (everything is listed clockwise):

Liquids bag:

• Lotion (L’Occitane)
• Hair cream (Frederic Fekkai)
• Shampoo and conditioner (Aveda)
• Pumice stone (it doesn’t have to go in there, obviously)
• Body wash (Aveda)
• Face wash (Eminence)
• Eye cream (Eminence)
• Moisturizer (Aveda tinted moisturizer)
• Mouthwash (Peter Thomas Roth)

Non-liquids bag:

• Razor (Intuition)
• Deodorant
• Glasses
• Contact solution (Bio Pure)
• Toothpaste (Crest)
• Contact case
• Cotton balls, q-tips
• Rubber band and bobby pins for hair

Makeup:

• Pencil sharpener
• Tweezers
• Concealer (Yves St. Laurent)
• Lip pencil and gloss (samples from Sephora)
• Kabuki brush
• Eye shadow (Makeup Forever)
• Powder (Arbonne)
• Blush (Arbonne)
• Mascara (Tarte)
• Eyeliner (Urban Decay)
• Eyebrow pencil (Anastasia Beverly Hills)

On certain trips, like the conference I’m going to soon, I will also bring an extra eyeshadow palette (Tarte) and my brush set (similar to this one from Too Faced).

I usually pack all of my bags (along with my curling iron) in my suitcase’s larger inside pocket, but if need be I spread them out.

See? It is totally possible to bring every toiletry you need without it taking up all of your room.

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