Traveling for work while you’re pregnant is tough. Oh, right. You might be wondering how I know. Well…..I have some news. The Home Warrior and I will welcome our little bundle of mini-warrior joy in August! We are very excited, and can’t wait to meet our baby. As you can imagine, being pregnant has meant a lot of adjustments travel-wise. Some women don’t have any issues in their first trimester of pregnancy, and I say more power to them! Unfortunately, I was not those women. I felt terrible my first tri, nauseous and exhausted virtually all the time. There were a few things I learned that made it easier, if not fun. Here are my tips:

Adjust your schedule as needed. One thing I learned early on is that day trips were just not going to work. It was too exhausting to only get 4-5 hours of sleep and then be gone for 18 hours. Flying in the night before meant I was well-rested, which meant an easier work day. I would still fly home in the evening after my meetings, which was tough, but doable. If you are really sick or exhausted, it may be better to fly home the next day. Also, if it’s available to you, think about spacing out your meetings more than you would otherwise. Again, it made me able to do quality work, instead of being a zombie.

Plan food ahead of time. During the first tri I had to be eating constantly, as often as every thirty minutes. I brought a lot of stuff from home (pretzels, crackers, fig Newtons, fruit), and some things I made sure I could get on the road. Sometimes I needed a certain food. For about six weeks, I had to munch constantly on Hot Tamales (the candy). For a while it was lemonade. Then it was sandwiches. The most important thing was to make sure I had food All. The. Time. This involved a lot of prep work, whether it was bringing food from home or knowing what the food options around the hotel and office were.

Stay hydrated. I preach about this a lot in general, but hydration is so important when you’re pregnant. If you can’t handle water, try Gatorade or juice. Just make sure that you are drinking at least 64 oz of fluid a day, and more if your doctor tells you more. For the first few weeks, water, normally my favorite beverage, tasted terrible to me, and I got so dehydrated I nearly passed out. I don’t recommend that!

Sit in the aisle. Whether it’s because you need to use the restroom, are feeling sick, or can’t handle being crowded in, I recommend sitting in the aisle if you can. It made me feel so much better when flying. Also, wear comfy clothes while flying. I actually started flying in dresses or yoga pants because it made me nauseous to have anything constrictive around my middle.

Check your bags. Again, this is something I don’t usually push, but it may be easier if you go ahead and check your bags. This way you won’t have to carry heavy things around the airport when you’re already feeling terrible.

Sea bands. They don’t work for everyone, but sea bands really helped me feel better and less nauseous. Of course it meant I had to wear long sleeves, since I was still hiding my pregnancy at that point…..

Be gentle with yourself. It’s okay that you can’t do everything the way you could before—your body is working really hard to build that baby! Give yourself extra time, since you may be moving more slowly than normal. Do whatever you have to do to feel better. The first trimester is all about survival!

One last note—there is a lot of different information out there about safe levels of caffeine intake. My doctor was perfectly fine with me having 200mg per day, which seems to be a common recommendation. There is only 35mg of caffeine in a can of Coke, and Coke made me feel SO much better when I felt sick. (Or had a headache. Or was tired. Okay it was kind of like the miracle beverage….) So if your doctor is cool with you having a limited amount of caffeine, don’t be afraid to drink a soda if it makes you feel better.

I am almost done with my second trimester, and I have to say I feel TONS better. I will post later about traveling during the middle of pregnancy, and once I have experience with it, traveling during the third tri. The most important thing to remember is that it’s okay to take longer to do stuff, it’s okay not to feel awesome, it’s okay to need naps. Just build time for that stuff into your schedule, do what you need to do to take care of yourself, and you will be just fine. And know that you WILL feel better!

Readers, have you had to travel while pregnant? What made it easier for you?

(Don’t forget about our awesome contest!! Win a vacation for two from Home2 Suites by Hilton!! Open for one more week.)

Last week, I talked about the cool new travel adapter I found in TravelSmith’s recent catalog. Well, I found another interesting item as well.  These “small shelves to go” hang in your closet, you fill them up with your clothes etc, they will collapse into your suitcase, then you hang them up at your destination. The idea is that they will simplify packing, leading to less time messing with stuff and less wrinkling for your clothes. I have to admit I’m intrigued. But I wonder–will you be able to use space as efficiently with these shelves? Does anyone have any experience with them?

Readers, don’t forget about the current contest! Win a vacation for two from Home2 Suites by Hilton!!

Home2 Suites by Hilton, the award-winning, all-suites extended stay brand, is celebrating one year since opening the doors to its first hotel, and introducing guests to its innovative “hip and humble” concept. Many guests have already made Home2 Suites their go-to home away from home, coming back every time they have to visit one the seven destinations across the United States where it has locations. The brand already has nine new hotels under construction and more than 70 in the works including Canada.

They have a lot of great features, including free breakfast, free wifi, in-room kitchen facilities, outdoor spaces, and more. My two favorite items are that it is pet-friendly (yay!) and has a number of sustainable features.

To celebrate the one-year anniversary of Home2 Suites by Hilton opening, we are holding a contest. Hooray! The winner of this contest will get a three-night stay for two in the Home2 Suites by Hilton property of their choice, roundtrip airfare, and money for food. Wow!

Now you’re probably all asking, how can I win? It’s simple, as it usually is here on Road Warriorette. Simply leave a comment answering the following question: What is your best tip for someone going on their first extended business trip? We will draw a winner at random next week. Only one entry per person.

Since I am on my first extended business trip right now, this contest seems very appropriate for this week. I will post my best tip next week, once I have the experience to back it up!

For more first birthday fun, check out Home2 Suites by Hilton on Facebook and Twitter (@Home2Suites)!

Thanks for entering!!!

I learned a new term last week—Duty of Care. Don’t worry, not because something crazy happened, but because my mom’s seatmate on a flight home was in charge of Duty of Care for a large corporation. I had never heard the term before, but as soon as I did I made sure my company has someone responsible for it. Luckily, we do. Basically, Duty of Care is making sure that a company’s business travelers and expats are taken care of in the event of a natural disaster or medical emergency. While doing research, some of the situations that came up from Christopher Business Travel were:

• While working overseas, an employee gets sick and does not have access to adequate medical treatment
• During a natural disaster, a company realizes that it does not have sustainable business continuity plans, and/or employees cannot be evacuated easily and face unnecessary hardship
• An employee travels to a country where malaria is endemic. She is not given prophylaxis or education on malaria by her employer. She contracts the disease and gets very sick.

This last one hit really close to home for my mom, as next month several of her employees are headed to a country where malaria is a huge problem. Good thing she ran into this woman! There are several ways to get Duty of Care coverage for small businesses.

Readers, have you heard of this? Ever had a need for it while traveling internationally? Sounds like a good type of coverage to have!

(Don’t forget! There’s a big contest coming up this week so STAY TUNED!!)

As you know, I am always on the lookout for cool new gadgets that make travel easier. During my perusal of the latest TravelSmith catalog (always a fun time!) I found a very cool travel plug adapter. It’s an adapter/converter, and includes a built in USB port for an extra way to charge all of those devices. The four most common plugs (the ones used in 150 countries) are also included. Plus, it’s small, so will save space. Very handy!

Readers, where do your favorite travel gadgets come from?

Don’t forget–contest coming next week!!!

A few years ago, I managed to break both of my feet in the span of about four months. Not the most graceful period of my life. Sigh. Luckily, it wasn’t both feet at the same time, and the left on only required a shoe, not a boot, and not crutches. But the right one, oh, the right one. I was on crutches for three weeks and in a boot up to my knee for a total of six weeks. I was traveling a lot, like normal, and wasn’t able to take a hiatus until my foot healed. So I had to figure out how to get around an airport and other assorted travel related places while on crutches. There wasn’t a lot of info on the internet, so I managed to muddle through on my own. Here are the things I did that made it easier to get around while temporarily handicapped.

1)      One bag packing. The best way to be completely self sufficient is to carry everything in one bag you can wear. For my trips, I pared down to the bare necessities and managed to get everything into my amazing expandable backpack (a Swiss Gear bag similar to this one. It’s not super pretty but it will pack a ton). If you’re going on a trip longer than two nights, this may be one of the few times I will recommend that you check your bag.

2)      Cross-body personal item. I found an inexpensive cross-body purse just for this time period. If a messenger bag works better for you, that’s fine too. A cross-body purse/briefcase/personal item will allow you to move around without banging into your crutches. With my backpack and purse, I was able to crutch around without assistance a lot of the time.

3)      Get direct flights. If at all possible, skip the connection. O’Hare is a huge airport that can be difficult to navigate in the best of times, much less when you’re slowed down.

4)      Keep tip money handy. If you will end up getting assistance from people, be prepared to tip. Have plenty of $1 bills that you can easily access. If you need a wheelchair (which I did a lot of the time, especially in O’Hare), assume you will be wheeled by several different people—one person from the ticket counter to your gate, another wheel you down the ramp to the plane, another to take you from gate to gate if you have a connection, etc. While they wheel you, your backpack and purse can go on your lap, and you can balance your crutches on the footrest of the wheelchair.

5)      Let the airlines know. Most airlines are really good about getting assistance for those who need it. Call your airline and travel agent ahead of time to let them know you will need some extra help. They made sure people met me at each gate and that I got easily accessed seats.

I hope this helps you! Of course, mostly I hope you never break your foot and have to travel, but if it does happen, you’ll be ready to handle it.

Readers, have you ever had to travel injured? What did you do to make it easier?

(And don’t forget about our super exciting contest coming up next week!!!!)

Tomorrow, I leave for my 11 day conference. I have done as much prep work as I can for work, and for Road Warriorette. The good news: posts will be appearing regularly! The less good news: I will have limited access to the internet, so I may be slow on responding to comments or emails. The Home Warrior will do his best to get comments approved in a timely manner when I’m unavailable (thanks, honey!). I appreciate your patience!!

For an interesting read today, check out why The Middle Seat from the Wall Street Journal thinks American Airlines and US Airways need each other. 

Aaaaannnnnnndddd….. there might be an exciting post coming next week. One that you all want to watch for……. One that involves a winner of something very, very cool……..

You guys have been a huge help while I refine my packing strategy for my long conference next week. But in addition to packing for 12 days, I also have to prepare to be out of the office for nine working days. And by out of the office I mean virtually unreachable, not just somewhat unavailable like normal. This has been making me pretty anxious over the last few days. There are a lot of projects that I’m in the middle of that I just won’t be able to work on for almost two weeks! So I’ve had to develop a strategy for making sure the office runs without me. With a few adjustments, it would also work well for a long vacation, or maybe even a long leave. Here are the steps I’ve been taking to stay sane:

1. Communication. Everyone I work with on a daily basis, and many people I work with less frequently, knows that I will be out during this time. All of my customers know as well, and know who to contact while I’m out. I have been reminding people for probably two weeks now, and will send out a final round of emails before I leave. I don’t want anyone to be caught unaware!
2. Checking-in. I have checked on the status of more action items in the last three days then in the past month altogether. This way I know everything that I need to have done before I leave is done, and things will continue on track while I’m out.
3. Lists. Lists, lists, and more lists of current projects, action items, status updates, and general customer information fill my desk right now. I’ve been keeping a running list of everything that must get done before I go, and everything that can wait.
4. Preparing for coming back. I’ve set aside several hours on my first day back to read and respond to emails and voicemails that came during my absence. I’ve also got (yet another) list of things to do and check on once I return.
5. Out of Office. I used to work with someone who never used her out of office, and so people had no idea that she was on vacation for a week. My out of office will be very clear, and include the dates I’ll be out and information about who to contact for urgent matters.
6. Let things go. There are a few things that just won’t get done before I leave, and there’s nothing I can do about it. I have to just let that go. Everyone knows I’ll be out, and if they can’t get back to me before I leave then it will still be here when I return.

Whew! It does actually help to have everything written down. It sounds crazy, but even with all of the travel I do I’ve never been out of the office for nine days before. But I’m sure everything will be fine!

Readers, did I miss anything? What is the longest you’ve ever been away from the office?

I love perks. Of course, who doesn’t? I collect them as much as possible—from airlines, hotels, car rental agencies, and anyone else who will pass them out. Not only are they a nice little reward for all the time and money I spend on their services, they make travel that much nicer. Since I travel so much, I am constantly striving to make every trip as easy and streamlined as possible, and am always on the lookout for perks to make that happen. Here are a few of my favorites.

Executive lounges in hotels. I have enjoyed the lounges on executive floors in Hilton and Marriott hotels, and think they are well worth the higher room cost. I usually make the extra cost back by enjoying the breakfast offerings. It is also very nice to have a hotel employee nearby, dedicated to helping business travelers. My best experience with a hotel lounge was the Edsa Shangri-La Garden Wing in Manila. Not only was there a fantastic breakfast and happy hour spread, guests in the Garden Wing had expedited check in and check out, a back door entrance, and fast and easy money exchange. I will always, always stay there when traveling to Manila in the future. (I’ve also noticed on Executive floors the toiletries are often upgraded, which I love.)

Priority security line at airports. Going through the priority security line by having a first class ticket or having elite status with an airline loyalty program is the biggest time saver. I have seen airports (I’m thinking specifically of Chicago Midway, although this has happened all over the place) where the  normal security line is backed up all the way to the entrance, and there are fewer than five people in the priority line. If I ever lost status this is the perk I would miss the most, even over boarding first.

First class upgrades. The other great thing about elite status with an airline is getting upgraded to first class on a regular basis. The extra room alone makes it wonderful, but of course the extra attention and free drinks don’t hurt!

No check in when renting cars. Many car rental companies don’t make their frequent renters check in, therefore avoiding long lines. This is a huge time saver, allowing me to simply walk from the airport gate to my car, and go.

Points. Of course, points. Who would pass up free stays in hotels, free flights, and free car rentals? I make sure I am registered for the loyalty program for all airlines, hotels, and car rental agencies I use. I also keep an eye out for double points or other promotions, to make sure I maximize my points.

Readers, what perks make travel easier for you? What are your favorite travel perks?

Have you ever woken up from a nap and not known where you were or what’s going on? Yeah, it’s happened to me too. Evidently, it has also happened to pilots…..

The Home Warrior sent me this article yesterday: “Pilot Mistakenly Sends Plane into a Dive.” The title kind of gets you, right? You want to read more and find out what happened, right?? Basically, on a transatlantic flight, the first officer took a nap, which is totally legal and fine. Except when he woke up, he was disoriented, and mistook Venus for an oncoming plane. So naturally he grabbed the controls and sent the plane into a steep dive. Where he almost hit the actual plane that was near them. Oops.

Passengers who didn’t have their seatbelts on were thrown all over the cabin, including several who were sleeping. (Talk about being disoriented after waking up!) In fact, more than a few passengers hit the ceiling. Holy crap.

So there you have it folks. When the flight attendant tells you to fasten your seatbelt when seated just in case, sometimes “just in case” actually happens. There have been many times when I did not have it on, especially when sleeping on a transpacific flight in business class. But no more!! When the Home Warrior and I were discussing this he, the great rule follower, said, “I don’t wear my seatbelt because I’m worried about safety, but because I’m afraid to break the rules.”  Of course, now he is also afraid of turbulence. Hah!

Readers, do you wear your seatbelt even when the “fasten seatbelt” light is off? Have you ever had crazy turbulence on a flight?