1- Loved Un-Fancy’s outfit ideas for Taylor Swift. Even though I (still) likely am not going, I think these are great outfit ideas for future events for when you want to look festive BUT also will be on your feet and need to stay cool.
2- I’m totally jet lagged. I got to my room last night at ~12 AM Pacific time and was only able to sleep until 5:30 AM or so. I did nap on the plane but . . . I am tired. I still think it was worth it because it was amazingly quick to fly direct.
I am enjoying my slow start and plan on taking a nap today! And also not exercising/running at all because I am in need of a total rest day.
3- Watched on plane: Saturday Night Live! I was 100% inspired by Romantic Comedy but it was honestly the perfect light distracting plane fodder, especially since American Airlines does not have amazing entertainment options (as opposed to JetBlue – they have a partnership with Apple TV which I love).
That said, in preparation for the flight home I will be downloading the last 3 episodes Bad Sisters onto my laptop if I haven’t finished it before then.
4- I fully unpacked at midnight. I don’t know what got into me but it just felt relaxing to get my room set up, and I have to admit on many previous trips I’ve sort of half-unpacked and lived out of my suitcase. My room had plenty of drawer and hanger space so I actually put my suitcase away, and you know what? It’s nice + relaxing not to have to be digging around for things.
(I did use my newly acquired Erin Condren packing cubes, by the way! I only have 2 so far, but I used one for workout clothes + one for regular clothes. They didn’t provide much compression — nor did I really need it, since my AWAY carry on compresses pretty well anyway — but they did keep things a bit more organized?)
I also started an Apple Notes doc to scan my receipts. Basically learning how to do ‘business travel’ all over again. (I don’t do much at baseline unless you count my recording trips with Laura!)
Do you fully unpack when you stay in hotels?
5- People = happiness. I clicked on this link shared by MMD and was able to read the whole thing, since I have an Atlantic subscription. You may not be able to see it all, but the gist is: connecting with the people in our lives is so important. This is the frame of mind I’ve taken when I’ve deliberated about booking trips to see old friends + family. It’s also why we still send holiday cards every year – it’s an activity that seems superfluous but it’s really not — anything to keep a connection going is worthwhile. Sometimes it can be frustrating to feel like I’m doing more of the ‘planning’ aspect or even the traveling, but it’s always worth it. Timely as I will get to reconnect with some old friends (mostly from Duke) on this trip and I’m looking forward to it!
There is also a podcast ep which I am about to listen to here:
8 Comments
Yay for packing cubes! And a day of rest :). These are the best compression packing cubes ever. You need a different color for every member of the family. You can even make them put their laundry in them as you go, which makes unpacking when you get home infinitely easier.
BAGAIL 4 Set/5 Set/6 Set Compression Packing Cubes Travel Accessories Expandable Packing Organizers https://a.co/d/f5uBGDy
I’ll put them in your virtual closet too 😉
Since I live in middle America and in a Delta hub, I don’t have to take red eyes but I would choose a direct red eye over a connection during a better time slot. I loathe connections and will pay up for direct flights – especially when traveling with children. I could have saved money if we’d had a connection when going to Tucson last month but I was like – NOPE. We don’t travel a ton so for me, it’s worth it to pay up for a direct flight, but I recognize the privilege in being able to do that. But it wasn’t terribly expensive to fly direct to Tucson even though it’s a small airport ($500/ticket – I’m guessing a connection would have saved $100/ticket? Not worth it).
I am back to traveling a decent amount. It’s less than I traveled in the early 2010s but more than I’ve ever traveled since joining this firm in 2015. I ALWAYS unpack. I do not like living out of a suitcase at all. But I pack SO LITTLE for my trips that it’s not an onerous task to unpack.
Enjoy your first post-pandemic in-person conference!!! I bet it will be really invigorating!
I am solidly on team unpack it all over hear. I absolutely hate digging in a suitcase and everything stays looking fresher when it is hung or folded in a drawer. If I am going on a multi-stop trip I will pack for each segment in a packing cube and unpack the appropriate packing cube only at each stop.
I am pretty sure that you can watch Apple TV on American. I know you can stream your Apple Music over their WiFi for free.
Trust me I searched! They do have Apple music available but no Ted Lasso, Bad Sisters, Severence..
Love your destination. I never un-pack -I always travel with a carry-on. I have been to so many medical conferences with my husband as he speaks at many. If I wanted to travel alongside I had to up my carry on game. Only issues ever are my running shoes…. Once to Greece I just had to tie them to my bag on outside, it worked luckily. Enjoy your travels.
Enjoy your trip! I never unpack, couldn’t tell you why. Will look into that book for sure!
I love getting to a hotel and unpacking immediately. My husband totally doesn’t get this- I don’t think he would ever unpack anything at all. But I guess he’s not alone, reading through these comments. Have a great trip!