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?

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?

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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Last week I mentioned that I discovered a new blog called Outfit Posts, where the blogger takes pictures of her outfits every morning. I love everything she puts together! She travels for work a lot, and has a really great post about how to pack for 30 days in one suitcase. While I have gotten the odd question about long business trips, most of the time I get asked what to pack for four days. For the experienced business traveler, clothes for four days are pretty simple to fit in a suitcase. For the newbie, though, it can be quite a challenge! My first business trip I took four separate outfits, with four pairs of shoes to match, and enough toiletries to fill up half of my suitcase. (The suitcase that I couldn’t lift, and wouldn’t have fit into an overhead bin even if I could. For four days! It’s embarrassing, to think of it now.) So, for the woman who is a new business traveler, I have put together a packing list for a four day trip. But it gets better! Not only have I put together a list, but I have taken pictures from a recent trip of everything before it goes into my suitcase, and once it’s all in.

Here is the generic 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)

Here is my specific list:
• Navy slacks (Gap)
• Black slacks (Banana Republic)
• Green cardigan (this one but green) with white camisole (both from Target)
• Pink cardigan (Talbots) with navy camisole (Target)
• Purple sweater (similar to this one from Banana Republic)
• Turquoise cardigan (Old Navy) with multicolored blouse (Ann Taylor)
• Nude flats (DSW)
• Yellow flats (Old Navy)
• Yoga pants (Target) and long sleeved tee (Old Navy) for sleeping
• Jewelry and belts
• Toiletries, liquids bag, makeup, curling iron
• Flip flops (Old Navy)
• Tablecloth (because I did trade shows during my trip)

Here is a picture of all of my different outfits:

Everything laid out on the bed:

And here is everything all packed up neatly in my suitcase!

It’s not 30 outfits, but you could easily fit a dress and a skirt in there and make quite a few. So newbie travelers, don’t despair! It’s definitely possible to dress stylishly for business travel, and still have it fit into a carryon.

It has become clear to me that a lot of travelers are not clear on how to get to a non-aisle seat politely. I’ve covered it before, but after a recent flight I figure a rehash is in order. On this particular flight a few weeks ago I had the aisle seat, and when I got to my row I stowed my bag and sat down with my book. I never put my seatbelt on until everyone is seated so I can stand up and get out of the way easily. As I sat there reading my book, I noticed out of the corner of my eye that the line wasn’t moving anymore. I glanced up and realized there was a young guy standing there, just staring at me. He hadn’t said anything, so who knows how long it would have taken me to see him if I had been more into my book! I quickly jumped up and he slid into the window seat without a word.

A few minutes later, I was reading my book again when someone just started squeezing in front of me. It completely took me by surprise—I didn’t even see the woman come up! I said, “Hang on a minute!” and again jumped up to get out of the way.

When I have to get into the middle or window seat, I will smile at the person in the aisle-seat and say, “Hi! I’m sitting there.” Then I pause, giving them a chance to get up. If by chance someone doesn’t move I will ask them politely if they mind getting up. Sometimes they ask if they should get up, but typically people are happy to stand up and move out of your way. After all, it’s part of the deal with flying.

Readers, what is your experience with the middle and window seat? Do people usually stand up (or wait for you to stand up)?

Points for Business Travelers is a series aimed at helping business travelers maximize miles and points without a lot of effort. Have a suggestion or question? Email roadwarriorette @ gmail.com.

We’ve talked about goals, loyalty programs, credit cards, and shopping portals. You may think we are running out of ways to earn points, but that’s not the case! Today’s topic is dining and other partner programs.

Dining Programs

I heard about dining portals for the first time a couple of years ago. But I didn’t do anything about it because it all sounded so complicated! However, just like with shopping portals, it turns out that it’s simple to sign up. As far as getting points from it—you decide how much effort you’re willing to put in.

Basically, the way it works is that you sign up for your rewards program’s dining program (like Aadvantage Dining or Rapid Rewards Dining, for example). Part of the sign-up process is that you enter the credit cards you most often use. Not so that they will be charged, but so that when you eat at a restaurant that is part of the program and use the credit card, you are automatically given points. Then you can look up restaurants in your area and areas you are traveling to that are part of the program, and get points every time you dine! The entire process took me ten minutes to set up. Best case, you go out of your way to eat at participating restaurants and get lots of points. Worst case, you don’t pay any attention to places that participate, but end up getting points here and there. You will usually get an email afterward giving you the opportunity to get even more points by writing a short review.

For example, I signed up and then a few weeks later went to Biga on the Banks in San Antonio (highly recommend!!). I had no idea they were in the Aadvantage Dining program until I got an email from the program asking how the dinner was.  I then wrote a review, and got bonus points! It was so easy and took almost no time.

Partner Programs

Another easy way to get points is by taking advantage of partner programs. Most loyalty programs have partner programs. To participate, simply make sure that your account numbers are entered into all of your loyalty programs. For example, Hertz has my Rapid Rewards number, and I get RR points (in addition to my Gold Club points) for every rental. Hilton has my Aadvantage number, and I get Aadvantage points with every stay. Again, it just takes a few minutes to set up, and once it’s all set up you get points automatically.

You can also get extra points by clicking on partner links to make reservations. For example, if I get to the Hertz site from a link on the Rapid Rewards site I get extra points. However, this doesn’t work for everyone because many business travelers have to use their company’s travel agent. For those of you who make your own reservations, though, this is just another simple way to maximize your points!

For both dining and partner programs there are often promotions to get bonus points. Watch out for those and you will earn your way to a vacation even faster!

Readers, any other advice on using dining and partner programs for points?

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If you fly often, you know that all flights are different. Some are on time, some are late. Some are full, some are empty. Some have a happy flight crew, some have a pissed off flight crew. You get the idea. Well, on a recent flight I had such a bizarre experience that I have to tell you all about it, and see if it’s more common than I think.

It started out typically enough. I waited in line, boarded the plane, stowed my bag, sat down, got settled with my water bottle and Kindle. The two people sitting next to me were kind of strange, but not enough to really pay attention to. No, the weird people on the plane were the flight crew. Before the safety talk, the flight attendant announced that if you had headphones on you had to remove them for takeoff—even if your device was turned off. She even went up and down the aisles and asked the strange people next to me to remove their headphones. During the talk, the flight attendant gave the typical warnings about fastening your seatbelt, cabin pressure, etc. Then she stated explicitly that during takeoff and landing, nothing was to be placed in the seatback pocket—not a laptop (which I’ve heard before), water bottle, or book (which was new)—nothing. I rolled my eyes a bit, but went ahead and moved my water bottle.

As the flight went on, I forgot about the seatback pocket warning and stuck my water bottle and Kindle in there. As we went into our final approach, the flight attendant walked by and asked me to remove them. The reason? It would make it harder to get out of your row in an emergency.

I know in the grand scheme of things this is not a big deal. But sort of like the flight attendant back in December who made me put away my knitting during takeoff, I just think it’s weird and unnecessary. If knitting needles or books in the seatback pocket are truly a danger, that’s totally fine and I will act accordingly. But does each individual flight attendant get to decide what they think is dangerous, and then enforce that on their passengers? What if a super paranoid flight attendant decides that writing utensils are dangerous (hey, I saw The Bourne Identity—you can do a lot of damage with a pen!) and bans people from writing?

Readers, what do you think? Have you heard a strange safety requirement while flying? Do you think flight attendants should be able to decide what’s dangerous, or should there be some sort of standard?

Even though spring is in full bloom here in Texas, other parts of the country are still in the midst of winter. I will be heading up north very soon, and it will be quite a shock to go from temps in the mid 70s to freezing winds and possible snow. Accordingly, I have been thinking very carefully about my outfits. Nothing (IMO) is as comforting or cozy in the cold as a good pair of knee-high boots. However, you have to be careful when purchasing boots for business travel. Here are the things I keep in mind when shopping for boots that have to work for both the business part AND the travel part:

Comfort. As always, the boots have to be comfortable. I always look for flat boots (of course), but if you have some comfortable heeled boots that can take the airport hiking, that works too.

Simplicity. Simpler boots seem more appropriate for work attire in general, to me. By simple I mean not a ton of extra buckles, zippers, or bulk. Boots like these adorable Sorels are great for weekends though!

Easy to put on/take off. I have seen many a pair of gorgeous, work appropriate lace-up boots in my day. But as with all shoes, when you wear boots to the airport they need to be quick and easy to slip on and off. Boots with no closings (like the Journee pair below) or with just a zipper make zipping through security a breeze.

Right now is a great time to find deals on boots since stores are clearing out their inventory in anticipation for spring. Here are some fabulous pairs I found that would be great for business travel:

These gorgeous Journee Collection microsuede boots come in four colors, have a wider calf circumference, and are very affordable.  Of course, they are not ideal for ice or snow. But for cold without precipitations, they are a great options! (I have a very similar pair from a few years ago in a wine color, and I wear them all. the. time.)

I love, LOVE these simple, beautiful Nicole Maverick riding boots. The stitching along the side keeps them interesting, and the 1 ¾ heel makes them a little dressier. They would look great with dresses or under pants.

These La Canadienne Passion boots are lovely and classic, and would work well for inclement weather.

Readers, do you travel in boots for business travel? What is your favorite pair?

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