On a recent overnight flight, a passenger became enraged that the woman in front of him wouldn’t turn off her overhead light. He went to the flight attendants and complained, and when they said she had a right to have her light on he proceeded to shout expletives. Then he threatened to kick her seat to annoy her for the rest of the flight. Wow. Read the whole story from USA Today.

Obviously this guy is not the norm. But it brings up an interesting point. Part of the deal with being in a relatively small, confined space with hundreds of other people is, well, you have to share your space. In coach, you get a rather small space to yourself, and are super close to your neighbor. So where does your space begin and someone else’s space end?

The easy answer is that you try to stay in your own physical space as much as possible, minimizing physical contact. But what about visual space? If you are in the aisle and trying to sleep, what if the person sitting in the window wants the shade open? Then there’s auditory space—a person near you is listening to their headphones at full blast, allowing you to hear every guitar riff. Or my personal fear—when someone around me has a migraine-inducing perfume on. <<shudder>>

In my opinion, part of being a grown up is just dealing with other people not always being polite. Part of being a good traveler is preparing for scenarios such as the ones I mentioned above. For example, I always have my headphones so I can listen to my own music (or white noise), and an eye mask so I can block out light when I want to sleep and others want lights on. The scent thing is a little trickier, but I’ve started making sure I always have tea bags or lip balm that I can smell whenever there is a truly offensive scent around. I’m not the type of person to make a scene, kicking someone’s seat or demanding that they turn off their light. And there’s nothing I can do to change others’ behavior, only my own reaction to it. Of course, I also do my best to be a considerate traveler and not do anything super annoying. In this instance, however, I don’t think the woman passenger, sitting on a plane reading her book, was doing anything wrong. Her light is part of her space, and it is up to the rest of us to make our own (tiny) space a place we can comfortably fly in.

Readers, what do you think? Where does your neighbor’s space end and yours begin? Have you ever seen someone overreact to what another passenger was doing?

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A few weeks ago, some friends went to Vegas for a long weekend. After going through security, they took their bins full of stuff to the benches to put their shoes on, etc. (Just like I always want people to do!) Since there are full body scanners in Vegas, they had to take everything out of their pockets, including their boarding passes. While my friend was putting on his watch, his wife picked up his bin to stack with the others. But because there were ads in the bottom of the bin, she didn’t notice his boarding pass was still in there—she said it just blended in. They were almost to the gate when they realized he didn’t have his boarding pass. He started running back to security when he heard his name called out over the intercom. Evidently, someone had turned it in. When he got to security to retrieve it, there were two other passes that people had left in the bins. Whoops!

Friends, please remember to give your bin one last look before putting it up and walking away. I’ve lost boarding passes before, and it usually hasn’t been a problem to get them reprinted at the gate. But what if it had been something more important or irreplaceable? A passport, a piece of jewelry, a cell phone? It just takes a second to double check and make sure that you haven’t left anything—especially when there are ads on the bottom of the bin that and it’s harder to see small things.

Readers, have you ever left something at security? Did you get it back?

I am probably the last person in the world to have downloaded the Instagram app onto my phone. Honestly, I’m not totally sure why I resisted for so long—it’s so fun! I had no idea my photos could look so cool! Anyway.

A few weeks ago I was in Miami. For those of you who have never been there, it is quite a hike from the rental car facility to the actual terminal. Luckily for large pieces of it there are moving walkways (which, being 7 months pregnant, I did NOT feel guilty for using!). I was in the middle of one of the incredibly long hallways when I realized I was completely alone, which is pretty strange for a very busy airport. It makes for a pretty crazy couple of pictures!

Behind me, a long hallway....

Ahead of me, an even longer hallway!

It kind of looks never ending doesn’t it? I’m just glad most of the moving walkways were working!!

One of the hardest packing skills to learn is how to pack toiletries efficiently. Most women have spent years evolving their hair care, skin care, and general beauty routines—and now you have to condense all of that into a 1 quart plastic bag? Unfortunately yes, to an extent. However, there are ways to work within the system to make sure you have everything you need without checking your bag. Hooray!

Take small bags. On my first business trip, I brought an enormous hanging toiletries bag that took up half of my suitcase. And I wondered why my back hurt after trying to lift the darn thing into the overhead bin! These days, I take three small bags: one for liquids (the clear 1 quart plastic bag), one for non-liquids, and one for makeup. They will easily slip into the tiniest spaces in my suitcase.

Only put liquids in the liquids bag. It sounds like a no-brainer, but for a while I was keeping stuff in the liquids bag that didn’t need to be in there. For example, stick deodorant, contact solution, mascara, and lipstick. According to the TSA, those things don’t have to be in there. Hallelujah! More room for important stuff.

Use your own stuff. It can be so tempting to take advantage of travel-sized lotions and potions that are pre-packaged, but it’s not a good idea. If you have sensitive skin, like Ana from The Well Appointed Desk, you can end up with some severe skin irritation. In my case, my hair reacts poorly to most shampoos and conditioners, so I always bring my own hair products. Which leads me to….

Take smaller containers. As tempting as it is to bring your full size shampoo and conditioner, unless you’re traveling for months at a time there is just no need. Get refillable containers (available virtually anywhere, including these GoToobs from TravelSmith) and pour your normal shampoo, conditioner, bodywash, and other items in there.

Readers, what are your best toiletry travel tips? Do you have a current favorite beauty item?

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We all know we should take our vacation time. Studies have shown time and again that people who take vacations are happier, healthier, live longer, and are more satisfied with their lives. It’s just so hard to leave work at the office! But don’t worry—there are ways to maximize time on your business trips as well as vacations to gain the ultimate health benefits. Dr. Susan Biali, a health and happiness expert and author of Live a Life You Love: 7 Steps to a Healthier, Happier, More Passionate You, has teamed up with Embassy Suites to help travelers “more-imize” their time, so they can get more out of the precious spare time they do have.

Here is Part Two of my interview with Dr. Biali. Check out Part One here!

RW: Assuming you have a family, have you found that a family trip does more to relax you and you can reap more benefits from that type of trip? Or would a solo trip or girlfriend trip be better?

SB: We know that nurturing our closest relationships is incredibly important. Specifically those with your spouse and your kids, which are your primary relationships in this world. There are health and happiness benefits from making sure those relationships are very strong. So it really depends on how someone feels their relationship with their family is going.  Because if they are on the road a lot, there’s a chance  that relationship is being neglected. For the sake of the family, and our own health and happiness, that needs to be a top priority. However, I also speak to women constantly about the need to take time for themselves. If you’re somebody that is already spending a huge amount of time on your family when you’re home, and you’re having business trips so you’re extremely busy, it may be very helpful to take some time for yourself. What I would recommend to ladies on the road all the time for work is to carve out a little time during business trips. Try going to the spa, or finding a beautiful restaurant when you’re in the airport and have a lovely meal. Take time within business travel to really nurture yourself!

RW: So what other ways do you recommend getting in treats for yourself during business trips?

SB: One of the places where I stay they bring free yoga stuff to your room, so I’ll finally have the time to use some of the yoga recordings I have on my laptop. I always have hot baths—even if it’s summer time, if a hotel has a bathtub I will always take time to take a bath. I like to watch movies on Netflix, I love going for walks and exploring, I love taking myself out for really lovely meals that I can linger over. I totally nurture myself when I travel. If I can, I use the time on the plane to read a great book that I wouldn’t normally read, or if they’ve got movies on the back of the seat I’ll watch them all. I really try to maximize that time. Because when you’re traveling for business, if you’re a person like me who can be sucked into being busy all day when you’re at home, travel is a great way to find unusually large islands of time to just relax. Read more of this article »

Unless you’re in a bulkhead or an exit row, there is not a lot of room between you and the seat in front of you. So when you’re seated in an aisle seat, why do people insist on trying to squeeze by in front of you into the middle or window seats? Especially when they have large shoulder bags?? It truly baffles me. Here are my tips for getting into your non-aisle seat as gracefully as possible.

• When you first get to your row, put your rollaboard in the overhead bin before alerting the person sitting in the aisle that you need into the row.
• Once you’re ready to sit, don’t just try to squeeze through! Politely let the person sitting in the aisle that you need in. I usually say something like, “Hi, I’m sitting in the window seat.” Some people say, “Excuse me, I’m sitting there.” This lets the aisle person know they need to stand up to let you into the row. I’ve had people stop at my row and stare at me, or gesture like, “Hey you, get outta my way,” but that seems rude to me, and there’s really no need to be rude.
• As you’re moving into the row, take care not to hit people with your bag.
• If you need additional leverage, try not to grab the seat in front of you if someone is sitting there. Grab your own seat or an empty one.
• For those of you sitting in the aisle, don’t fasten your seatbelt or get stuff set up on your tray table until your row has filled in.

Getting into the middle or window seats can be done quickly, easily, and with minimal fuss. And isn’t that always the goal for travel?

Readers, how do you ask someone seated in the aisle to move so you can get to your middle or window seat?

When e-readers first came out, I’ll admit it. I was skeptical, because I love the experience of reading. Holding a book, turning the page, perusing my personal library for which of my favorites I am ready to re-read. Walking into a bookstore is practically a religious experience for me—the smell, the stories, the possibilities. I just knew there was no way some electronic device could possibly duplicate my sacred reading experience.

But while one of the things I love about a book is its heft, that very thing makes traveling with lots of books quite difficult. I am a pretty fast reader, so for a week-long trip I would often need three or four just to get me through the flight time. What finally made me willing to try an e-reader was needing to make a trip to Manila, with transit time of 25 hours one way.  I just couldn’t figure out a way to make the logistics work. How could I possibly carry enough books to entertain me during fifty hours of travel time?? So I sucked it up and bought a Kindle.

I was hooked. That first trip with my Kindle, I was amazed at how light my purse was. No longer full of stacks and stacks of books, it was incredibly easy to lift and carry. Hooray! I’ve been a convert and evangelist ever since.

Since I was a fairly early adopter (not super early, but early enough I guess), people would stop me often, in airports, airplanes, restaurants, wherever, to ask me how I like it. The honest answer is that I love it. Instead of replacing my beloved books, it is an addition to my library. I will still buy books on occasion, but I’m more discerning about which ones. I buy random paperbacks or things I want to read over and over on the Kindle, and special things in book-form. It makes travel so, so much easier. No longer do I have to plan out how many books to bring—I just grab my Kindle and I have hundreds at my finger tips. So easy!

Now I’ve had my Kindle for a few years. It is old-school—it’s not in color, and it looks like an actual book when I read it. It’s not back-lit, which means I need a light to read it, but it doesn’t hurt my eyes like a computer screen. So even though I’m mostly pretty happy with it, all these new e-readers are intriguing! Nook, Kindle Fire, pretty color displays…..

So I wanted to ask you guys—which one do you like best and why? Do you think it’s time to get a color e-reader so I can read magazines or go online? Or do you still prefer paper books and magazines?

One of the things I always try and do when traveling for work is eat at local restaurants. It gives me a more unique dining experience, a taste of the local culture and flavor, supports small businesses, and usually tastes pretty darn good. I will often use apps like Urban Spoon and Yelp to find highly rated local places, and recently I was introduced to another way to search. BiteHunter will help you find great places to eat, with an added bonus—you get real time access to more than 50,000 local dining deals around the country from companies like Groupon, LivingSocial, Yelp Deals, etc. So it’s tasty, and a great deal! Some key features:

• It will remember your log in information and password for the various deal companies, plus your credit card info, making it super easy to buy deals.
• You can view and redeem vouchers from within the app, so it doesn’t matter if you’re near a printer or not.
• Browse restaurants’ daily deals by cuisine or location.
• Very easy to use and set up.

The reviews are all pretty solid, which is something I always look for in an app. Plus it’s free! Right now it’s available for iOS, and they are working on releasing it for Android in the future, hopefully soon. I’ve been using BiteHunter at home for a few weeks, and it’s helped me find some new places to eat and some great deals. I look forward to using it on the road once I’m traveling for work again!

Readers, have you seen any new, cool apps that are great for travel?

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We all know we should take our vacation time. Studies have shown time and again that people who take vacations are happier, healthier, live longer, and are more satisfied with their lives. It’s just so hard to leave work at the office! But don’t worry—there are ways to maximize time on your business trips as well as vacations to gain the ultimate health benefits. Dr. Susan Biali, a health and happiness expert and author of Live a Life You Love: 7 Steps to a Healthier, Happier, More Passionate You, has teamed up with Embassy Suites to help travelers “more-imize” their time, so they can get more out of the precious spare time they do have.

Here is Part One of my interview with Dr. Biali. Look for Part Two next week!

RW: When you travel for work a lot, sometimes it’s hard to get out of the business trip mindset—the go, go, go. What is your best advice for business travelers adding a few days to a work trip for vacation—how can they transition into the vacation mindset?

SB:  On a recent trip to New York I had some business related things to do, but I had vacation goals as well—some family in town to visit, sightseeing I wanted to do, etc. It’s very helpful to clearly delineate which days are vacation days vs. business days. There are a couple of ways to have more vacation days as a business traveler. You can either incorporate it, tag it on at the end of a business trip, or you can plan a separate vacation in which you clearly delineate it as vacation. Either way, it’s very important to unplug.

RW: Do you think it’s a good idea to combine business trips with a vacation component, or do you think it’s better to have separate trips?

SB: I am a big fan of grabbing rest and recovery any chance that you can. So for pure impact, if you can dedicate time absolutely to vacation it’s incredibly helpful, especially if you have a family. But when you travel a lot for business, finding even a couple of days really helps with the “more-imization”—grabbing a few days at the end of a work trip with your family to dedicate to vacation and fun is great. As a life coach, and as a person who’s very into the benefits of rest and relaxation, anytime you can fit it in your life it’s a good thing.

RW: One of your tips is to plan your vacation in advance. How far in advance do you think is important to be able to maximize those benefits?

SB: According to a study that came out of the Netherlands, it’s about eight weeks. Planning a vacation eight weeks in advance gives you a lot of time to look forward to it. It’s very interesting—they found that the most joy of a vacation actually came from the anticipation. I think we can all relate to that! If you know you have a vacation to look forward to, especially if you’re going with family members or other people, you talk about it, fantasize about it while you’re sitting at your desk…. It really has been proven to significantly improve the quality of life. Another interesting thing they found in that study was that people who had relaxing vacations—people who didn’t pack their vacation time with lots of activities or stress from running around—those people were the happiest once they got back. Their happiness lasted for a couple of weeks, as opposed to the people who didn’t really relax during vacation, where the effects wore off a lot more quickly.

RW: Interesting! So when you’re planning your vacation, do you have any tips for making the logistics of a vacation easy so that you can enjoy it as much as possible? Such as, when you arrive, how do you get to the hotel, etc… Read more of this article »

It makes so much sense for road warriorettes—a dress that can be worn two ways, but takes up the space in the suitcase as one. That’s only part of what makes this Voyager Knit Reversible Tank Dress so amazing. Since it’s made of the amazing Voyager fabric, it packs small and is very wrinkle resistant. I would wear it belted with a cardigan and colorful accessories. Various prints with some on sale, regular, petite, and plus sizes, $49-74.

They are also having their Summer Sale with select items up to 60% off. Lots of cute tops that would be great for business travel are marked down significantly. Hooray shopping!