Dear Hilton Garden Inn,

You know normally I love you. But my experience a few weeks ago was not that awesome, and I want to give you some constructive feedback.

I was staying at the location near the Raleigh airport. Initially, everything was great. The property is lovely, surrounded by trees (with fall colored-leaves! We don’t have those in Texas). The room was very comfortable, with a couch and a high-quality desk chair. All of the employees were very kind and gracious. So far so good, right? I worked for several hours after check in, went to dinner, came home, worked some more, got ready for bed, and realized….. my time of the month had started a few days early. Normally I am very prepared for this sort of thing, but with all the traveling I did in October and November my emergency stores were completely depleted. No problem! I thought. I will head down to the little store on the first floor and pick some up. The little store had everything I could imagine—every type of medication, contact cases, nail files, nail clippers, tweezers, etc. But you know what they did NOT have? Feminine supplies. Not one. Not one measly little two-pack case of tampons or single pad. Thinking I must surely be mistaken, I crouched down and looked behind the packets of tissues and band-aids. Nothing. Finally, I went and found someone to ask. The poor kid (who was maybe 19) was apologetic, and embarrassed, but told me no, they didn’t have any.

At this point, I was extremely frustrated. Partially with myself (why didn’t I remember to put more tampons in my bag??), and some of it was probably hormonal. But I was highly irritated that I had to go up to my room, get my keys and purse, and go find a convenience store. It just baffles me that a hotel store that is well equipped enough to have nail clippers and tweezers did not have feminine supplies. Hotel chains talk a good game about appealing to female business travelers, but all of the women-only floors and yoga mats seem inconsequential when you don’t have this basic necessity.

Thank you for your time,

Road Warriorette

(Sorry, male readers!)

Blog World Week continues on Road Warriorette! I had such a fabulous time, despite the somewhat rocky start. One of the highlights was going out to dinner with the Boarding Area crew on Friday night, where I got to meet the famous Randy Petersen, AadvantageGeek,  Deals We Like, Frequently Flying, Loyalty Traveler, Mommy Points, Wandering Aramean, Flight Diversions, and Points Miles & Martinis.

One of the things I was super anxious about in preparation for Blog World was what to wear. Kind of ironic, right? A woman who writes a blog about what to wear during business travel is freaked about what outfits to take to a business conference? That’s the thing though—it wasn’t a business conference for work. I can tell you how to dress for those all day! (Comfortable, professional, shoes you can walk in.) Surely bloggers must be more casual! I thought. Are they going to look at me funny if I show up in my business casual slacks and cardigan?

After consulting the wise and brilliant Kat from Corporette, I settled on a basic strategy. Now, this may surprise you: comfortable, professional, and with shoes I can walk in. We also figured I could go a little more casual than I would for a normal work conference, especially because one of the days was a Saturday. I ended up wearing a dress with a cardigan for the first day, but slacks and a cute top would have been perfectly fine. Jeans were fine for Saturday, but I made sure that what I wore on top could also be worn with slacks, to keep it looking put together. Flats are great for conferences, because the locations are often so large you have to walk forever to go between the sessions.

Here’s what I decided on:

• Outfit 1 (Friday): Boden Everyday Jersey dress, brown cardigan, tights, and flats.
• Outfit 2 (Saturday): Jeans, teal tunic length top, chartreuse cardigan, flats

I brought a top appropriate for going out for dinner on Friday night and a comfortable top for travel, and I was done! I knew I had worn the right things when I met Mommy Points on Friday morning and she had on almost the same outfit I did—Boden dress, cardigan, boots. I must say, she has excellent taste!

Conference Packing List (generic):

• Outfit for each conference day (dress, slacks/jeans and top, etc)
• Comfortable but professional travel clothes
• PJs
• Workout clothes (will you have a chance to use them? Probably not. But bring them just in case)
• Toiletries, makeup
• Jewelry

Road Warriorette Blog World Packing List:

• Boden dress
• Jeans
• Brown cardigan
• Chartreuse cardigan
• Teal tunic top
• Black camisole (going out top)
• Turquoise Three Dots tee for travel
• Pink flats
• Brown flats
• Brown textured tights
• Pjs
• Yoga pants
• Jewelry
• Toiletries, makeup, curling iron

Phew! That about does it.

Readers, what is your favorite conference outfit?

Business Travel 101 is a weekly series about making that first business trip as easy and successful as possible. Packing, security, comfort, and etiquette are all factors that, with a little planning, can contribute to a smooth and efficient trip. If you think of a topic I should include, email me at RoadWarriorette@gmail.com.

Toiletries can be a tricky part of traveling, especially for women. You need all of the things that make you feel confident, but they have to fit in an itty-bitty space. The 3 oz. rule has made this even more difficult. Carrying-on is the best way to save time while traveling, and you don’t want to have to check your suitcase just because of your toiletries. So how can you get all of your makeup, shower things, hair products, and face stuff into your bag?

The first step is to separate out all of your liquids from your non-liquids. Some are easy: contact solution, toothpaste, shampoo. Some are trickier: mascara, lipstick, and cream-based eye-shadows are all considered liquid. I typically have three bags:

1. Makeup bag, which has all of my powder makeup in it
2. Non liquids bag, which has my hairbrush, toothbrush, razor, and other similar items in it
3. Liquids bag, which contains all of my liquids

This works really well because it allows these small bags to fit wherever there is room.  Here is a specific list about what products go in which bag. (For a detailed list of all of the toiletries I take with me, with brands, see this post.)

Non-liquids

• Toothbrush
• Contacts case
• Glasses
• Razor
• Comb
• Bobby pins and rubber bands

Liquids–travel sizes (3 oz or less) of all

• Face wash
• Contact solution
• Body wash
• Toothpaste
• Deodorant
• Lotion
• Shampoo
• Conditioner
• Hydrating mist
• Tinted moisturizer
• Hair smoother

A few additional tips:

• If you are going on a trip for a few days, don’t pack your whole bottle of eye makeup remover. Instead, dip one end of several q-tips into the liquid and then put them in a Ziplock bag.
• Put small amounts of liquids into clean contact lens cases. Try  makeup remover, moisturizer, facial cleanser, and hair products. This will save you a ton of room.
• Bring a few extra Ziplock bags. Just in case.

I am often asked if I am treated differently when traveling because I am a woman. Do I feel pressure to fit into a man’s world, especially as so few business travelers are female?

The first thing I do is correct whoever I am speaking to. Women make up almost half of business travelers, and the number is growing every year.

The rest of the question deserves a little more thought.  I don’t feel any pressure to fit into a man’s world. I do my job, do it very well, and am well able to take care of myself on the road. I know that women of earlier generations had to deal with this pressure on a daily basis, and I am so grateful to them for the barriers they have broken and the strides they have made. In general, the only way I am every treated differently is with regards to safety. For example, many hotels have policies against placing single female travelers on the first floor if there is direct access outside from the room. I understand and appreciate this concern for my safety, but I would prefer to be given the option rather than told there are no rooms available. Once, a colleague decided to travel with me at the last minute. I was staying in a well-known hotel chain, and she was told there were no rooms available. Once I arrived, I spoke to a different person and was told that there were in fact rooms available, but these rooms were on the first floor and the hotel had strict guidelines in place to not put women traveling alone in those rooms. My colleague should have been alerted to the policy and the reason behind it, and then given the option of whether to book a room or not.

One non-safety related way I have been treated differently is with airlines. I have noticed that airline personnel are often surprised to see a young woman as an Elite traveler. I have often gone to try for an upgrade or standy, and  been told there is no way I will get it as there is a long list. And then I go to the front of the list and get it because of my status. Sometimes it irritates me that they stereotype so quickly, but often it just amuses me.

What about you, readers? Are you treated differently because you are a woman?

One of the easiest things to speed up your packing is to keep two sets of toiletries. Have one full size set that you use every day at home, and have a travel-size in a bag ready to go at all times. Some people may worry about the expense, but there are ways around that. One idea is to use samples from your favorite makeup store (Sephora in my case) or freebies from the hotel. Another way to cut costs is to simply purchase a set of toiletry bottles and fill them up. Sometimes I have had to purchase travel size toiletries, but that isn’t common–usually just contact solution and toothpaste. I have a mix of refillable toiletry bottles (love the Fillables from Aveda), samples, and free hotel toiletries. I keep them packed at all times, my liquids in a plastic Ziploc and the rest in a cute bag.

The only set I don’t keep duplicates of? Make-up. There aren’t a ton of sample or smaller options available, and so I would basically have to keep a whole second set. I’ve thought about getting less expensive makeup for travel, but my thoughts are that it is hard enough to look good while traveling, and I don’t want to use sub-par products. So I’m still working on that. I may have to just bite the bullet one of these days, especially after forgetting my makeup last month.

I am curious what other people do with their make-up. Readers, what do you do? Do you keep a full set of all of your toiletries, including makeup? Just shower stuff?

It’s not just in DFW anymore!! Monday morning I was leaving the plane, checking out the cute outfits of the New York lady business travelers (they are inspiring, seriously) and started heading toward Starbucks. An amazing sight stopped me. There is a Sephora vending machine in DFW, across from gate C12. It’s so exciting to know that the place I visit the most can finally take care of me if I forget my makeup or hair or skin stuff!!

Whenever I am trying to decide what to bring with me for business trip, I have to stifle the urge to over pack. But I LOVE that shirt! I will think. I should bring it in case I get a chance to wear it. Or, I know! I should bring that red jacket. Even though it only goes with one thing, and takes up a lot of room, I should bring it. Sigh. Packing is often an exercise in self-control for me. Of course, remembering that if I pack too much I will have to check my suitcase, which adds almost an hour each way, usually helps me restrain myself.

The best way to pack for a trip is to bring along pants or skirts that are in a similar color and therefore go with all of the shirts you bring. I have been loving the color gray lately, so I found this great set of suit options from Banana Republic. They are a neutral gray color (but also come in black and taupe), don’t wrinkle, and are very cute and versatile.  The pants and skirt work for most job situations, but there is a matching suit jacket that you can bring if need be.  Bring a few coordinating tops, some cute shoes, and nice jewelry and you are good to go!

I recently got an email from one of my readers asking for help. Her question: is it possible to have children and still travel for work?

“My husband and I will start trying to a child this coming June.  I’m terrified, because like you I’m a Road Warriorette and I truly love my job! I’m afraid I will not be able to travel as much because of the baby and I’m afraid I can lose my job since I won’t be able to perform the duties as often.  I know I’m over reacting and things will work out, but do you or anybody have experience with this? any good websites? How will I pump while I’m away?

Any advise will be appreciated…Thanks!”

Now I will start this by making sure everyone knows–I do not have children yet. Home Warrior and I plan to start in a year or two, and this question has also been plaguing me. How do you travel all the time when pregnant? How do you have kids and travel every week?

I have done some research and talked to some moms, and I think I have found some good ideas for coping. I will save the “How to Travel When Pregnant” post for another day, but here is my advice for traveling moms.  If you have any suggestions or comments, please post them! Help the future moms/Road Warriorettes out!
Read more of this article »

I was talking to a friend after my recent trip to Chicago, and she said to me, “You only take a suitcase and one carry-on bag? How is that possible? What goes in your purse??”  I’ve already told you what I pack in my suitcase for a typical trip, and now, for my friend, I will tell you what I have in my purse when I travel.

The trick is to put everything you don’t need on the plane into your suitcase. This includes umbrellas, jackets, chargers for laptops or phones, extra books, etc.

The purse carries:

iPhone. I used to have a cell phone, a GPS unit, and an MP3 player. Then the geniuses at Apple came out the something that would do all of those functions! Brilliant. And it sure did make my packing easier.

Wallet. Duh. Of course I have my wallet, with my ID, credit cards, and money.

Boarding pass. Print this out ahead of time so you can just fly through security. So much faster!

Make-up. I keep my make-up with me so that I can touch up when I arrive, if necessary.

Kindle. It used to be a book (or two or three), but now that I have the Kindle my purse is much lighter. And easier to put stuff into.

Laptop. For work, it’s a necessity. If I’m not staying overnight, and therefore traveling without my suitcase, I will also keep my charger in here.

Knitting. Just because I love to knit! I don’t always feel like working or reading, and knitting is a great way to pass the time.

Notepad. I love writing lists, and my little notebook holds them all. I have to keep it around in case I have a stroke of brilliance!

Ziploc of teabags, Splenda, and Emergen-C. In case I need a pick-me-up, or the hotel doesn’t have Splenda or a good teabag. Little comforts can make being away from home much easier.

Plastic bag of toiletries. I will keep this in my purse until I get through security, and then throw it in my suitcase.

Keep it simple! Only keep the necessities. Clean your purse out before every trip so you’re not carrying around receipts, old boarding passes, or other unnecessary junk. This way you can find everything you need as soon as you need it, and travel easier.

Last week I met a nice woman on the flight home from Nashville. It was her first business trip, and she was telling me about her day.  It had not gone as smoothly as one might hope, and she ended it with, “And I only got five hours of sleep  because the flight last night was delayed, and this morning I had to get up and iron my pants!”

This may be a no brainer for a lot of us, but, friends, when you are traveling, please do not pack anything that needs to be ironed. I am not a big fan of clothes that need to be ironed anyway, but especially during traveling.  By the time you get to your hotel, you just want to check your email and go to bed! You don’t want to stay up (or get up early) to iron. There are so many professional, cute, non-wrinkly clothes that you can take! There are even button downs now that you don’t have to iron.

My go-to outfit for travel during the winter is a pair of no-wrinkle black slacks, like these from TravelSmith, a sweater like this one from Banana Republic, a jacket, scarf, and cute (professional yet comfy) flats like these. When you get to your hotel, pull your clothes out of your suitcase and hang them up, and in the morning you will be good to go. Without ironing.

Finding presents for the people you love can be tricky. But never fear! Road Warriorette is here to give you a few suggestions for the lady traveler in your life.

Suitcase

The one thing required for all overnight trips. Ogio luggage is lightweight, durable, and the pockets will expand to amazing proportions. Mine fits into all overhead luggage carriers on normal sized airplanes.

Travel Kit and Travel Bottles

I love these Aveda travel bottles. I have used them for years and they have never leaked or broken. It’s nice to have a pump and varying shapes as well. Of course, you can’t send the cute green bag through security (make-up case anyone?), but you can pop the Aveda bottles into this clear, TSA-approved quart size bag that is infinitely more durable then that holey zipoc bag your loved one has been carrying around. And here is yet another super cute option for travel bottles! Great stocking stuffers.

Noise Canceling Headphones

There are a ton of great ones on the market. Here is a comprehensive review from CNet of top brands and a range of prices.

Pashmina

I don’t need to make another post about the Pashmina and all of its wonderful uses. Just know that it would be a perfect  gift for your favorite traveler.

Travel Purse or Briefcase

This beautiful (but pricey!) Tumi bag is a great example of functionality, shape, and attractiveness in a carry-on bag. However other (less expensive) bags would be great as well.

Business Card Holder

One of my favorite blogs gives a range of pretty choices in a range of options. Good for all people with business cards, not just travelers!

Travel Yoga Tools

I would be lost on the road without my yoga. Here is a great, lightweight version of my everyday mat so your favorite traveling lady can get through her asanas without slipping on the floor on a hotel towel (been there, it’s not awesome). Another great travel-friendly option is the Manduka Equa Towel from Lulu Lemon.

Up in the Air by Walter Kirn

The book about our lives! I will watch the movie before I read the book, but I hope someone gets me this for Christmas

Kindle

I don’t have a Kindle but I want one! Don’t pack 10 books for a two-week trip, just take your Kindle. Genius.

Travel Document Holder

Great for the traveler who is flying internationally on a regular basis. Keep your boarding pass and your passport together!  And this one is so bright, it will never get lost in the depths of your bag.

Travel care kit—Emergen-C, eyemask, earplugs

A few travel necessities can make a great stocking stuffer!