The Mini Warrior has arrived!! He came late last Friday night. We got home from the hospital on Monday, and the Home Warrior and I are already so in love with our little guy. Thanks, everyone, for the well wishes!

Today’s guest post is from someone who knows business and business travel—Kat Griffin, author of Corporette. She writes about fashion and lifestyle for overachieving ladies, and is one of my most favorite bloggers. Thanks so much for the post, Kat!!

There are so many tips for business women on how to travel, that sorting through them can be kind of a pain. After a few years of covering this for Corporette (along with other fashion and lifestyle tips for overachieving chicks), I’ve learned a few things — so I’ve rounded up my top three travel tips below. (Thanks to Road Warriorette for asking me to guest post — congrats on the baby!)

- Use a contact lens case for liquids. There are some liquids that I use so sparingly that even a 3-oz travel bottle is totally overkill for me. For example, my facial moisturizer and my eyemakeup remover. My solution: squirt a little bit into a contact lens case, and put the case through the dishwasher when I return from my trip. I’ve also done this for sunscreen and foundation. (Pictured: How fun is this ladybug contact lens case? Available for $2.99 from Drugstore.com.)

- Use an envelope for receipts. I like to keep an envelope in my purse to put all of my trip-related receipts, both big and small. As I add receipts (or at the the end of the day), I’ll write on the outside of the envelope what the receipts are that are going inside. For example: “cab to airport, $36+$3; breakfast at airport, $6″.

- Consider a netbook. Netbooks have fallen out of favor in recent years, but I love mine. In particular, I love that it has a full keyboard, is super lightweight (less than three pounds), that the battery lasts for 8 hours — and that it only cost $350, so I feel totally comfortable traveling with it. It’s also pretty indestructible, as I’ve found out when my infant son has thrown it to the ground. I still travel with my iPad, too, but I’m thrilled to avoid the heft of my bigger laptop.

- Kat’s bonus tip: check out my video on how to fold a suit jacket.

Readers, what are your top three travel tips?

Boy, there was a lot going on last August!

Travel Safety: The Hotel Edition gave a roundup of tips for staying safe in a hotel room. Some readers thought they were excessive, but IMO better safe than sorry!

There were a lot of discussions about etiquette, especially remembering to watch your bags as you go down the aisle. Don’t want to hit anyone in the face with your purse or briefcase!

We talked about whether or not business travelers actually love business travel, or just do it because they have to.

A reader asked an excellent question about traveling for months at a time, and other readers banded together to give her great advice!

Reader M wowed us all with her amazing First Class Travel Kit. Honestly, I’m still pretty darn impressed!

Finally, a reminder: if your flight is cancelled while you’re at the airport, go get in line AND at the same time call customer service. You will get faster service with two potential avenues of help!

Even though it’s still regularly over 100 degrees here in Texas, the fall collections are coming out in stores. Banana Republic has a ton of fabulous fall work clothes on the website right now. A few of my favorites are the gorgeous Julie Belted Sheath in Purple Orchid, the Belted Shift Dress in Dark Grey, and the Silk Bowtie Blouse in Gray Literature. (I thought I really liked the Print Silk Tie Blouse until I realized the “print” is little tiny “BR”s. Um, random logo much?) But my favorite is the Welt Pocket Pencil Skirt in Cerise, a bold hot pink. It will transition well to fall, and in a lot of places you could wear it during winter too. The material has plenty of spandex, so it will move with you and should also resist wrinkles. Plus it’s so, so cute!! I would wear it with something in a neutral gray (like the Silk Bowtie Blouse) or camel. Also available in Black, $89.50, sizes 00-16.

Hooray fall!!

Business Travel 101 is a series from a couple of years ago about making that first business trip as easy and successful as possible. I’ve re-tooled the series, and now it’s more comprehensive than ever! It covers everything a new business traveler needs to know for that initial trip, including essential tips for packing, security, safety, etiquette, and comfort.

Want to know one of the simplest paths to a smoother trip? Not checking your suitcase! You will avoid checked-baggage fees and save time at the front and back ends of your trip. It will also help you to streamline your packing list.

First, let’s discuss the suitcase itself. Key features to look for:

• Quality construction.
• A bag that will fit US (and ideally European) guidelines for carrying on.
• Weight
• Size
• Roominess.
• Handle length.
• Good pockets and dividers.
• Spinner wheels.
• Easy to navigate in crowded airports.
• For more details, see my Guidelines for Choosing a Rollaboard Suitcase.

A few brands that I like are Ogio, Briggs & Riley, and Tumi. I know these brands are not inexpensive, but trust me when I say that if you are traveling all of the time, a good bag is worth the investment. I have used the same Ogio bag for six years, week in and week out, and it is still in excellent shape. A great review of top rated brands can be found here, plus Good Housekeeping has a great set of reviews. Your suitcase doesn’t have to be pretty  but an identifying feature is helpful so that it stands out in the sea of black. Another option is to add a colorful luggage tag. (Pictured: The Tumi Alpha Continental Carry-On, a great option with a hefty price tag.)

What to pack for a four day trip (choose your travel clothes from this list):

• Two bottoms, one comfortable for travel (i.e. slacks and a skirt)
• Coordinating suit jackets if needed
• Four tops that coordinate with both of your bottoms
• At least one light jacket or sweater (unless you need a heavier jacket)
• No more than three pairs of shoes, including a pair of flip flops or running shoes
• Enough undergarments, including socks/hose
• Jewelry/belts/scarves
• PJs
• Workout clothes
• Toiletries and makeup
• Curling iron (or other styling aids)

Packing tips:

• I bring my own shampoo/conditioner in refillable 3 oz bottles because I travel so much if I use whatever random products the hotel puts out my hair gets mad. A couple of great sources for travel sizes are 3floz.com and Sephora.
• Eagle Creek packing cubes are helpful for the small items (underwear, socks, hose, etc) and will help you save a ton of space.
• I have three small bags for my toiletries–one for liquids (that gets taken out at security), one for non-liquids (toothbrush, deodorant, etc), and one for make-up. This allows me to fit them in my suitcase more easily instead of taking up a lot of room.
• Use spare contact lens cases for small amounts of liquids, such as face soap, moisturizer, eye makeup remover, etc.
• Also check out the Packing and Packing Tips sections.

Readers, what are your tips for maximizing space in a carry-on?

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For some people, flying is terrifying. They don’t like heights or confined spaces, so it freaks them out. I have some of those people in my family, and they always make sure to sit in the aisles. This way they have as much room as possible and don’t have to look out the window. But if you don’t look out the window, you miss some really cool stuff!!

I have seen some amazing things out of my plane window—the New York City Skyline all lit up at night, the Grand Canyon, for example. On the way to Las Vegas, I once saw a string of wind turbines on the edge of a series of cliffs. I really regret not having a camera on that trip, because that sight was amazing. There have been a few trips, though, where I have had my camera. Vacations, mostly. Here are a few of my favorite pictures from flights to Hawaii and Alaska.

Readers, what is your favorite sight from an airplane window? Have you been lucky enough to get a picture?

My name is Terri, and I write a yoga blog at FindingDrishti.com. Since Road Warriorette and I share yoga-ing, traveling and now mommy-ing in common, she asked me to write a guest post while she is snuggling and bonding with her new baby. Being a seasoned business traveler myself, I began my yoga practice around the time when my airline miles became more important to me, which is by no coincidence AT ALL.

5 Go-to Postures to Undo Plane Stiffness

Unless you have loads of upgrades to sit first class every time, you’re probably back in coach with your knees hitting the seat in front of you, your neighbor’s elbow encroaching in your space, and your body horribly slouched to find a comfortable position. By the time you get off the plane, your back and your legs feel pretty wrecked. (Same goes for super long flights and delays.)

A yoga session provides the perfect relief. It gets the blood moving and brings your body back to the length it was pre-flight. All you need are some common hotel items as makeshift props as noted and a clean surface. These are my favorite postures to do when I feel cramped and stiff after a flight.

Upward-facing dog. Photo Source: yoganonymous.com

1. Upward-facing dog. The chest-opening action of upward dog pulls your shoulder blades together on your back and creates length from your head down through your spine. The key to undoing some of the “crunch” along the vertebrae is to press into your hands and lift your knees off the ground, as pictured. Keep lengthening, pulling shoulders away from the ears, and you may even feel some nice “pops” along your spine as gravity gently pulls down your hips. Opening the chest also counterbalances slouching.

Supine twist. Photo Source: athleta.net

2. Supine twist. The opposing action of arm/head in one direction and leg twisting in the other while lying down is seriously yummy along the back and through the mid-section. Make sure to do both sides evenly. This twist can also help with any indigestion and bloating you may feel post-flight (and post-airport food).

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For a typical four day business trip, I won’t worry about a laundry bag. I just assume that I will wear all of my clothes, and they will all need to be washed when I get home. For those longer trips, however, it’s a different story. Once I get home, it helps me so much to have my clean clothes separated from my dirty clothes. Grabbing a bag full of dirty clothes and taking it to the washer is much easier than sorting through an entire suitcase full of clothes. A lot of people use those plastic bags that hotels give you, and that’s a good option if you need it. But I have found that a simple trash bag from home seems to pack better. Maybe it’s because the plastic is thinner? Whatever the reason, on longer trips I always try to take a plastic garbage bag for my laundry.  This is especially true if the Home Warrior will be with me, as he seems to go through clothes more quickly than I do.

A word of caution: make sure the trash bag you take is unscented. I don’t know how it happened, but on a trip a few years ago I accidentally grabbed a scented bag (which I didn’t even know we had in our house). It made everything in my suitcase smell like fake flowers, and I was freaked that my clothes wouldn’t air out in time for my meetings. Luckily it turned out fine, but I vowed to make sure to only bring unscented bags from then on.

Readers, do you usually bring a bag for laundry?

Back in July, I took my last work trip before maternity leave. Before the trip, I was so looking forward to being done. It’s hard work to travel while seven months pregnant! Once I landed and got off that final plane I felt an overwhelming sense of relief to be finally done with the trips. But as I drove away from the airport another emotion took over, as a question kept repeating in my head:  Is this really the last business trip I’m going to take for five months?

In the past, I’ve always relished short breaks at home. Two weeks, even three weeks at home after back to back trips can feel like a vacation! But after a few weeks, I always seem to get antsy. Where am I going next? How are my travel supplies? Should I actually put away my suitcase, or leave it out? Will my travel skills get rusty?

For the past six years, I haven’t gone more than a month without a business trip.  Along with wife, daughter, friend, knitter, yoga freak, dog lover, and movie-watcher, “Road Warrior” is part of my identity! Who will I be the next time I go somewhere? One thing is for sure. I will have a new, huge, part of my identity: that of a parent.

The emotion that swept over me as I drove away from the airport that night was a profound sense of sadness. Sadness, and a little grief, for the loss of the old Road Warriorette. It surprised me, because I didn’t expect to feel anything but relief. But I know that the new Road Warriorette—the wife, daughter, friend, knitter, yoga freak, dog lover, movie-watcher, road warrior, AND PARENT—will be just fine. And it will be fun exploring this new identity!

Readers, have you had any major life changes affect your feelings about travel?

Two years ago, I ran a series of posts called Business Travel 101. The goal was to introduce a novice traveler to the secrets of frequent travel, making the transition to expert as painless as possible. I’ve re-tooled the series, and now it’s more comprehensive than ever! It covers everything a new business traveler needs to know, including essential tips for packing, security, safety, etiquette, and comfort.

The topic for this week’s Business Travel 101 is general tips to make travel as easy as possible. For people who don’t travel often or haven’t traveled in a long time, the very idea of packing up and flying to a new place, while representing your company and yourself as a competent professional, is daunting. Keep the following in mind, and your first business trip will go much more smoothly.

• Check the latest guidelines. Before your trip, go online to TSA.gov and your airline’s website to find out what the current guidelines are about security, what you are allowed to carry-on, and how big your suitcase can be.
• Confirm your details. A day or two before traveling, make sure your hotel, flight, and car reservations are all correct. Also check the address and contact information for the office you will be visiting.
• Print out critical information. You may think, “I have access to all of my reservation info on my phone or computer. Why should I print them out?” I promise, having that info in hand for your first few trips could save you some serious headaches. One time I did not print out my info, I couldn’t connect to the wifi at the airport, and I had to spend an hour calling various Marriott Hotels in the area looking for my reservation. NOT a fun time. Even after traveling for six years, I still print out my information if I am going to a new location. (The most embarrassing part of the story? The hotel was on the airport property. Facepalm.)
• Don’t check your bag. This is one of the big ones. You will save so much time (and your company’s money) if you simply carry on your suitcase. It is definitely possible to pack for four days easily, and for over a week with some practice, into a rollaboard.
• Be ready to go through security. Have your ID and boarding pass ready for the agent, have your laptop and liquids bag readily available to pull out of your bag, wear shoes that are easy to take off and put on. And don’t stand by the x-ray machine once you’re done, putting your shoes and watch back on. Grab your stuff and move to a bench. This is one of my serious pet peeves. If everyone simply moved out of the way, security lines would go so much faster!!
• Dress for comfort. Flying is not the time to wear too tight pants or spiked heels. If what you are wearing isn’t comfortable on the ground, there is no way it will be comfortable at 33,000 feet with pressure changes. There are ways to look good and be comfortable, and sacrificing comfort for style is not worth making your flight miserable.
• Bring things to entertain you. I always bring my iPhone, Kindle, and knitting on every flight. Some people really enjoy Sudoku or movies. Bring whatever, as long as it passes the time for you. This is especially important if you get anxious about flying.
• Be aware of other passengers. Maybe this won’t technically make your trip easier, but try to remember that you are not the only person on a plane! Share your space nicely, say please and thank you, and help others where you can. Being polite will certainly help you with your traveling karma! And who doesn’t need more good karma coming their way?

See, that first trip doesn’t have to be intimidating! A little bit of planning can make a business trip, or any kind of trip, as trouble-free as possible.

Readers, what are your tips for effortless travel?

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