Home Office on the Road
Travel tips, Web sites, articles, and advice from readers.Steve Bass
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Every few months, someone (usually my wife or editor, and sometimes even my physician) urges me to go outside. "Leave the office for a few days," the doc often says. "Take a vacation, get into the sunshine, and soak up some vitamin D." I get enough vitamins with a bottle of Anchor Steam and a bag of potato chips, I want to argue, but I do enjoy my time off.
Over the years, I've made traveling easier with tips and strategies, articles, and Web sites. I've even collected advice from readers who are seasoned travelers. Read on.
Honey, Pack up the Car
Leaving Bass International World Headquarters is difficult. There's tons of stuff to gather and schlep: a notebook and handheld, my Global Positioning System gadget, and all the paraphernalia to support the devices. That's one of the reasons my resistance level peaks whenever I have to take my home office traveling.
My first strategy is obvious, annoyingly so, but I overlooked it for years: I now write up a series of travel lists, simple Word documents with all the items I need to do and take on a trip.
I've created lists for each type of trip: for instance, short business, trade show trip, user group presentation, business and vacation combo. I just look at my CES list instead of trying to remember that I need to bring my keyboard to plug into my notebook when I go to the big computer show. You're laughing, I know, but lists work so well I even have one for each type of vacation: rented condo, mountain hiking, and so on.
Dig This: Playing Plastic Balls cost me an hour, time that could have been better spent writing this column. Here's a playing tip: Use the mouse, not the arrow keys, and keep the cursor trained on the ball, not on the bat, the thing that circles the drain.
Good Advice from Readers
Many of you've sent brilliant ideas and approaches to traveling. Here are some of the best:
"I create a Memo with passwords and URLs on my Palm Pilot so I don't have to remember them when using the hotel's PC." --Tom L, a consultant in Pasadena, California
"I have a Sprint 'Pay as you go' ISP that I use just to get to the Internet when I am on the road. I got the CD-ROM at 7-11 convenience store, and I just keep renewing the minutes when I need more." --Bridget B, a professional organizer in San Diego
"I use a phone line splitter, bring a few 9-foot phone cords, and an extension adapter. This allows me to place the notebook anywhere in the hotel room, like in bed watching TV, instead of being bound to the location of the phone jack." --Mike K, a developer in the Denver area
"At a recent convention, I had to move files from one laptop to another after the hotel's broadband connection locked out the laptop. Without a floppy or CD drive to use for moving the files, we were lucky as one participant had a 128MB Dell USB storage 'stick' that saved the day." --Jim L, a consultant in northern California
"Since my PDA is my most current contacts/schedule backup, I try to avoid keeping my notebook and PDA in the same bag, even if that bag is a carry-on. How stupid would one feel to lose one bag and both copies of that data? I also throw in an extra cell phone battery, critical for those times when I can't find a car or wall plug to recharge the thing." --Paul C, a consultant in northern California
"A relatively new addition to my always-carry cable list is a short (6-foot) Ethernet cable and an inline connector for RJ45 connectors. Many of the hotels are now (thankfully) offering high-speed Internet connections. But many require either that you get an Ethernet cable from the front desk or supposedly have one hanging in a bag in the closet. But it always seems to be when it is most inopportune (like already in my PJ's) when I decide to log on. Having my own Ethernet cable has been a blessing many times. The inline connector helps me extend the reach of the already provided cable usually allowing me to lounge on the bed and still connect." --Larry D, a consultant in Ohio
Dig This: You've heard of big tippers, right? Try this on for size: Bill Gates took a few intimates out for dinner. The tip alone could have paid my mortgage for a couple of months. Read the details (and other equally juicy and fascinating stories) at Bitterwaitress.
Travel Advice from PC World
I've picked up dozens of nifty ideas from articles in PC World.
Carla Thornton's "Road Tools" is a meaty piece with good advice. Here's a quick road map to the pages I found most useful:
If you're a camper who needs to have the latest in travel technology, you'll like this gem: Victorinox AG's Swiss Army Knife now includes a USB flash drive with either 64MB or 128MB of memory. It's ideal both for opening a bottle of vino and carrying around 2 million wine reviews. Read about the knife and other travel gizmos in "Weird, Wild Stuff Debuts at Cebit."
And if you're curious about USB flash drives and haven't checked prices recently, you're going to be surprised (at least I was): Prices have dropped considerably. For instance, Lexar's 128MB JumpDrive USB flash drive costs $29 and a 256MB version runs a little over $60. For more pricing, browse the PC World Product Finder.
Packing With Aplomb
Packing has always been something I do at the last minute, usually without much thought or planning. [Personal note to wife: Procrastination is an art and, IMHO, a good thing.] That changed--at least the thought part--after reading Jim Martin's two Mobile Computing features about packing. In the first, "Packing Tips," Jim talks about organizing for an airline flight and what to stick in the bag going under your seat and the overhead compartment. In the second, "More Packing Tips," Jim reviews an assortment of travel bags and gives his recommendations.
And if you really do want to go on vacation--like without technology (perish the thought, I know), read Jim Martin's two-part series: "How to Unplug for a Vacation" and "How to Disconnect for Vacation, Part 2." In the two stories you'll get advice for disconnecting from your work life, creating an automated e-mail message, and how to get a temporary cell phone.
Jim's Mobile Computing Newsletter is a personal favorite. Sign up for a few weeks and see what you think; subscribing and unsubscribing are easy. You can also browse his columns online.
Of course, I don't want you to miss my Home Office column, "Road Rules: Work Smart, Travel Light." In it I explain the tools I use to make sure I don't leave any of the dozens of cables behind in the hotel room, the case I use, and why every traveler needs to use Mail2Web.com.
Web Sites for Roadies
High on my list are the forums at FlyerTalk. Here you can find out more about the struggles of business traveling (in the Travel Technology forum), dealing with security hassles (in Travel Safety/Security), and legally transferring travel coupons (in The Coupon Connection).
If you're interested in frequent flier programs, go to FrequentFlyer.com.