Though I do not travel weekly like the majority of Healthcare IT consultants, I did recently take a couple trips to Dallas, TX and Orlando, FL in which three out of the four total flights were either delayed or canceled due to winter weather throughout the country. Ugh! Come on Southwest, I used to love you so much I even wrote a blog post about you. Alas, I realize that the airlines cannot control the weather and we as passengers are at their whim and it’s only January. There’s a lot of winter to go, folks!
Therefore, I’ve assembled a quick packing list of “must-have” items for your carry-on to help you survive a winter travel delay because at some point, everyone gets stuck at O’Hare.
Underwear – OK, do I really need to explain this one? Here, allow Steve Martin to explain it in this clip from Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. “Please, have mercy. I’ve been wearing the same underwear since Tuesday.” Enough said.
Toothbrush & Toothpaste – Again, pretty self-explanatory, but when you’re on your tenth hour of a delay through Denver and have only consumed peanut butter granola bars and coffee, you’ll feel much better after a teeth scrub. Also, your fellow passengers will be grateful.
Medication – In general, I never recommend putting prescription medications in your checked bags; basically anything that you can’t pick up at a drug store. Keep that stuff with you just in case you get stuck somewhere overnight.
Comfortable Shoes – This one is mostly for the ladies. We’ve all experienced grabbing a cab to the airport right from the office and regretted our shoe choice while standing in the security line. Hallelujah for foldable flats. Check out these options that will fit right in your carry-on. Genius! You’re going to be standing in a lot of lines during those winter travel delays, so you might as well not add to the agony with sore feet.
Chargers – Don’t forget your phone, computer, Kindle, tablet, etc. chargers. First, you need to let your family know when you *might* make it home and don’t forget the hours of entertainment you’ll need while waiting. Don’t let those batteries die because do pay phones even exist anymore? 😉
Check out a couple other great articles about surviving winter travel from Fodor’s and Gadling.
So consultants . . . what are you best winter travel tips? Please post below in the Comments!
