(For you regular travelers, this will not be a new tip.)

A friend of mine, who hasn’t traveled that often before, will soon be traveling for work on a regular basis. She is justifiably a little nervous, so this past weekend I caught her up on all of my tips. One of her questions surprised me, though. She said, “So what’s the deal with phones? I heard from someone that you can’t use them at all while you’re on a plane.” I was quick to correct her—you can use your phone on a plane, but not during the actual flight. In fact, that’s not true either. You can’t use your phone as a phone once the airplane door closes. However, you can use your phone in airplane mode to listen to music, play games, or anything else that doesn’t require it to connect to the phone network.

You can use your phone to talk, text, send email, etc, before the airplane door closes. And you can actually turn on your phone once you land, while your plane is taxiing to the gate. So keep it handy! I’ve noticed that men will often keep their phones in their shirt pockets. I don’t usually have a pocket there, so I keep it in the pocket of my purse, or just hang onto it if I know I’ll be using it for music during the flight.

Mostly, if you pay attention to the flight attendants, you will be fine. They will tell you when to turn your phone off and when it’s okay to use again.

Readers, where do you keep your phones during travel? Do you hope that someday people can talk on their cell phones during flights?

There have been a great many debates over at Corporette about how appropriate it is to wear fragrance to the office. The reasons “for” range from personal preference to signature scents to I like it and no one can tell me what to do. The reasons “against” range from allergic reactions to simple dislike of popular scents to feeling like their personal space is being invaded by heavy scent users. And guys, don’t think you’re off the hook here. There are plenty of fragrances for gentlemen, including scented aftershaves.

Travel is a different beast from a day at the office, fragrance-wise. You are even closer to others than you would be at work, and you will (likely) pass by many more people than a typical day. In my opinion, it’s not a good idea to where perfume or cologne during travel. Or honestly, even a heavily scented lotion. As I mentioned recently, I am very allergic to a lot of scents, and even the briefest whiff of, for example, CK One can give me a major migraine. I never wear perfume, and only occasionally will where a scented lotion or body spray. But never to the airport—there are just too many people. (And remember, it’s never okay to spray perfume on a plane!)

Readers, I’m curious what you think.

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One of my New Year’s Resolutions was to take better care of my fingernails. So for the past several months I’ve been meticulous—shaping, clear polish, better vitamins, etc. So far, I have been rewarded with longer, stronger, very pretty nails. It probably didn’t hurt that I didn’t travel as much as normal in January and February. But as soon as I started hitting the road every week, nail after nail has broken. I don’t know if it’s the way I maneuver my suitcase, the constant opening of boxes for meetings and events, or what. But all my hard work is going down the drain.

I’ve researched online, and I can’t find advice other than the things I did to get better nails in the first place. Am I just destined to have super short nails? (By the way, when I say long nails, I’m talking about maybe 1/16-1/8 of an inch past my nail bed. So long by my standards, not long like talons.)

Readers, what have you done to keep your nails nice even with travel? Any tips for me?

Last week, we talked about etiquette for planes. One could reasonably argue that etiquette for carry-on suitcases should fit under that umbrella. And it probably does. But this is such an important part of thoughtful travel that I felt it deserved its own post. Here are some guidelines for how to share that overhead bin space, nicely.

• Know your airline’s guidelines. All major airlines have the size and weight restrictions for carry-ons on their website. If your bag is too big, they may make you check it. Also, there are slightly different size requirements for international carriers vs. American carriers, so make sure your bag works for your continent as well.
• Make sure you can lift your bag. You may not be able to depend on having people around you that can help, and some flight attendants are prohibited from helping customers put bags up.
• Put your suitcase on the correct side of the airplane, facing the correct way. Listen to what the flight attendants tell you to do, and do it. If one side of the plane is made to hold rollaboards, please put your suitcase there. That way there is room for everyone’s stuff.
• Only put your large bag in the overhead. Put your purse or briefcase under the seat in front of you, until you know for sure there will be room. Also, don’t put your jacket in a bin unless it’s going on top of or in front of your bag. Again, we’re trying to make room for everyone.
• Put your bag in the bin as close to your seat as possible. If you are sitting in row 25, and there is no room over 25 and there is room over 23, that’s one thing. But if you’re sitting in row 25 and you put your bag over row 8, the people in row 8 won’t have room.
• Don’t make it your plan to gate check.  If you bring a normal sized carry-on that you are happy to bring on the plane or gate-check, that is one thing. But please don’t bring an oversized bag on the plane, expecting they will make you gate-check it. If you are bringing too much stuff, check your bag. If you don’t want to pay the fee, bring less stuff. Don’t slow everyone else down because you’re trying to save $20.
• When getting your bag out of the overhead bins, please, please be careful. I have seen people get hit in the head, and come close to getting hit myself, by rogue rollaboards.

Readers, what are your favorite etiquette tips for carry-ons?

Just in case anyone has forgotten how awesome it is, I want to sing praises to the WhiteNoise app again. Here are three recent reasons why I love it.

I use it at most hotels I go to, just because there is almost always some background noise that makes it hard to sleep. A cranky a/c unit, loud neighbors, a nearby ice machine…. Hotels are not quiet places! Last week I was staying in a hotel that I did not book, so therefore did not realize how close it was to the interstate. When I was going to sleep, enough cars were passing that the noise was pretty consistent, and so created its own sort of white noise. A few hours later I woke up, and it was a different story. Every 30 seconds or so a truck would pass, making an incredibly loud noise. Certainly not consistent enough to get me to go back to sleep. After 15 minutes of not being able to sleep, out came the iPhone with the WhiteNoise app. I was asleep in less than five minutes.

Last month, I went to Chicago for my sister’s baby shower. Her condo is very nice, but she has some unfortunately loud neighbors. The night of the shower, we were all pretty exhausted so we went to sleep early. The neighbors didn’t get the memo. As I was trying to sleep, I heard some low talking. I figured it was my sister and her husband, although was kind of confused about how I could hear them since their room is at the back of the condo and the guest room is at the front. The talking gradually got louder and louder, and finally was accompanied by some upbeat piano music. At that point I realized there was no way it was my sister, and put the pillow over my head. It didn’t help. The neighbors continued to get louder, and I kept suffering, until I remembered the WhiteNoise app. Done and done.

Here’s one that’s not travel related. My sister had her baby last week. Her little girl is incredibly beautiful! I can’t wait to meet her when I go back to Chicago in a few weeks. Apparently, newborns are a lot of work, and one night she wouldn’t go to sleep. My mother had the brilliant idea of getting out her iPhone with the WhiteNoise app, and that baby was asleep in just a few minutes. Brilliant.

So friends, if you ever have trouble falling asleep because of weird or loud noises, get the WhiteNoise app! The “lite” version is free, the full version is $1.99, and it will help you so, so much.

It’s getting to be a little warmer here in the South. This means that socks and boots are less prevalent, and flats and heels are having a bigger presence. And you know what that means–the bigger possibility of bare feet in airports! Okay maybe that’s not everyone’s logical conclusion, but as a frequent traveler, it’s just where my mind goes. And the next place my mind goes is: “Bare feet in an airport? Not if I can help it!” Certainly there are some times when it’s unavoidable, but I try to keep those times few and far between.

There are a couple of easy solutions to this problem. The first, wear socks or hose with your flats. Unfortunately, this can get really hot depending on your location and the time of year. Another suggestion–keep a pair of socks accessible in your bag, and slip them on before going through security. This works pretty well most of the time, although could require some balancing, which I am not awesome at. The solution that seems to work best for me was suggested a while back by Reader S, which is to use those little footie socks (like Peds). Super quick to slip on and off, and they take up almost no space.

Of course, the BEST way to avoid this problem is to sign up for the TSA Pre-Check program, where you don’t have to take off your shoes…… Hope that continues to expand to new airports! Then this traveler will never have bare feet in an airport again.

Readers, what is your preferred method for avoiding bare feet in the airport? Or do you even care? Male Readers, do you try to avoid this as well?

Last weekend, I went to Chicago. Instead of taking a cab like normal, I ended up taking public transportation to and from Midway. Honestly, it was kind of an ordeal, especially for someone not used to public transit in general. Made me super grateful for my car! But it also made me curious—how do most business travelers get to the airport? I almost always drive my car and park at an offsite parking lot, although this time my husband dropped me off which was nice. What does everyone else do?

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Interviews are hard. Super hard. Add travel, and you’re looking at a very stressful situation. Not just stress about sounding competent and knowledgeable, but stress over hotel and flight logistics! Here’s some advice for acing that interview, regardless of where the interview is.

General:

• Practice ahead of time. Find example interview questions, and have someone practice with you.  For my last interview, Home Warrior quizzed me day and night for a week.  There are sample questions everywhere, but we found great ones on Monster.
• STAR format. Situational interviewing is everywhere, but organizing your thoughts on the fly is hard. Prior to the interview, think of 3-4 situations you can cover, and during the interview discuss them like this: Situation, Task, Action, Result. I.E.: Last year, my team fell 30% behind on sales goals (Situation). Our manager told us to figure out a way to exceed our goals by end of quarter (Task). By expanding our customer base and offering new products to existing partners (Action), the team ended with a quarterly attainment of 105% (Result).
• Research the company, industry, and role.  Before interviewing, spend time learning about the company and role.  Having a working knowledge of the industry is also very important.  Familiarity with these can help you stand out, but a lack of knowledge will be a strike against you.

Travel:

• Plan for delays.  Missing your interview due to flight delays is terrible.  Arriving the day before eliminates this, and you avoid going straight from the airport to the office.  Map out your route from hotel to office ahead of time, noting road construction or other delays and planning accordingly.
• Pack smart. Bring a suit that doesn’t wrinkle.  Affordable, attractive, wrinkle resistant collections are everywhere!  Don’t wear anything new that may be uncomfortable, because worrying about the tag on your pantyhose during the interview is lame.
• Worst case. If you do have to go directly from the airport to the office, don’t wear your suit on the plane.  After landing, go to the ladies’ room, change clothes, and fix your hair and makeup.

Before you land the interview, you need a job to apply for. That’s where BeKnown comes in!  BeKnown is a professional networking app for Facebook.  Set up a professional profile separate from your Facebook profile, network with alumni on the College Pages, search Monster’s database of job postings (without leaving Facebook), and find many valuable tools.  This app is cool—check it out! (As part of this contest I want lots of readers to check out BeKnown—so do a gal a favor and take a look!)

In honor of BeKnown and Monster, give me your best interview tip!  (Bonus points if it’s travel related.) The winner will be randomly chosen on Tuesday January 10^th. One entry per person.  Winner receives a makeup kit and business card holder from Monster!

Road Warriorette is participating in a blogger contest from Monster, and will receive a prize kit (makeup kit and business card holder) for participation.

During Blog World in LA, I stayed at the Westin Bonaventure. It was overall a very nice hotel, with a lovely bathroom and very comfy beds, and I’ll do a full review to tell you all about it next week. But they were missing one thing, one important thing: plugs! Business travelers need plugs. Heck, regular travelers need plugs. Everyone needs plugs!! I crawled along on the floor looking for outlets near the desk—nothing. In order to plug my phone in next to my bed I had to muscle the freaking heavy nightstand out of the way to get to the surge protector behind it, and then had to unplug the alarm clock. But no matter where I looked, I couldn’t find a plug to use for my computer. So I ended up charging it in the safest of places—the bathroom. Sigh.

One of my blog friends said that she found plugs somewhere on the front of the desk, so I looked there too. As you can see, nothing.

Last night I stayed in an Embassy Suites that had tons of plugs, and my blogger’s heart sang.

Readers, do hotels usually have enough outlets for you? I would say my luck is usually half and half.

In the business world, we are required to multi-task all the time. Answer email while on a conference call. Finish a report while talking to a customer. Well, in travel the more multi-taskers you’ve got, the less you have to pack. And the less you have to pack, the easier it is to get around. Hooray, multi-tasking! Here are a few of my favorites.

All-in-one makeup. These things are great. In theory, you can use one for your cheeks, eyes, and lips, although I usually just use them for cheeks and eyes. Simplifies your makeup routine, and makes packing super easy. I love Nars’ “The Multiple” in South Beach, a peachy shimmer.

Intuition razor. A razor and shaving cream built into one? Sign me up! I have used this razor for around eight years, and I love it. My favorite type of blade is the Pomegranate one, which smells great and gives me a smooth shave. (Another multi-use toiletry: conditioner. Use it for shaving cream in a pinch.)

Pashmina. You guys hear me talk about the pashmina all the time, but that is because it’s my most important travel accessory. It can be a scarf, blanket, pillow, swim-suit cover up, napkin….. It’s a great and wonderful thing!!

One dress, two (or four) ways. I have a dress from Athleta that is blue on one side, green on the other, and can be worn as a dress or a skirt. The ultimate multi-tasker! I have also seen dresses at TravelSmith that have a scoop neck on one side and a V-neck on the other, or that are patterned on the inside and solid on the outside and can be worn either way. Although I don’t have either one, I am intrigued!

Readers, what are your favorite multi-functional items for packing?

A recent conversation with a traveling friend got me thinking. What are the things I just can’t live without while on a trip? Are those things different when I’m traveling for business vs. fun? What do I need for the plane vs. the hotel, or clothes vs. toiletries? So after much deliberation and consideration, I narrowed it down to five. Here are my necessities for when I’m on a plane:

1. Kindle. Without a doubt, this is the one thing I need on every trip, regardless of work or play. Reading keeps me sane through delays, overly full flights, turbulence, screaming kids, smelly neighbors, and every other travel headache.
2. iPhone. Music helps me feel like I’m alone on a plane of 200. White noise apps help me sleep. Email and internet are fun and entertaining before we take off. I need my phone!!
3. Pashmina. The most useful of all clothing items. Use it as a pillow, a blanket, a napkin, an eye-mask…. It takes up so little room in a bag yet makes your flight so much better.
4. Water/snacks. Getting dehydrated can affect me in so many ways, so I always carry water with me on flights. And being hungry makes me grumpy and sometimes nauseous, so I always carry snacks as well.
5. Notepad. Sometimes I will be struck by inspiration–blog topic ideas, stuff I need to do at home, a grocery list, house decoration ideas…. If things come into my head, I have to write them down immediately or I might forget.
6. Honorable mention: lip balm. My lips get so dry while flying, which is very uncomfortable. Lip balm makes it all better, and the mint kind smells really good (which helps when you have a smelly neighbor).

So Readers, what are your top five travel necessities for a plane? I’m so curious!! Please share.