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From TNPC issue #3.16... Using Your PC and the Internet to Travel Smartly by Lee Hudspeth August 3, 2000 About ten years ago I was packing for a camping trip when I had that deja vu feeling. Of course I had packed before, because whenever you pack for a trip--short or long, solo or family-- you're going through the same motions. So I made a list. At first it was just hand-written, then I typed it up on my PC, and on each subsequent trip I have found a new travel packing tip or trick to add to the list. Once I started traveling with children, the list expanded considerably (as any of you with a family can well appreciate). In this article I'll focus on how you can use your PC and the Internet to pack and travel efficiently. I won't list every item on my list. You know what stuff you like to carry in your toiletries kit, suitcase, and so on, so I'll skip the minutiae. On the other hand, it's often the little things that make a big difference in a trip's pleasure/pain ratio, thus I encourage you to make your list as detailed as possible. For example, I once forgot a child's teddy bear because I had one generic entry "Teddy bears" instead of an individual entry for each child's nighttime toy. You can bet *both* such toys are listed individually now. I've organized my list into five categories. I think the intent of each is fairly obvious, with the exception of Departure Checklist. I found that there was a small set of activities that occur in a wild frenzy in the last ten minutes or so before the taxi screeches up at the curb. I use the Departure Checklist to avoid forgetting stuff during that frantic period. (Note: to conserve space, some items that should be separate items in a checklist--so you don't miss them--have been compressed into one long sentence. -- Ed) PLANNING Make lodging and flight arrangements. Verify that tickets show frequent flyer program ID #. Order special meals. Verify seat assignments (be especially meticulous re the kids' seats since car seats are only allowed in window seats). If flying with e-tickets, write down the confirmation number and get a fax of the itinerary from the airline; upon receipt verify that the ticket data is correct. If flying with traditional tickets, upon receipt verify that the ticket and boarding pass data is correct. Request hotel room preferences (e.g., quiet, non-smoking). Arrange for ground transportation at destination(s). Always call airline the day before to confirm departure time. When you make your reservations, always give the airline a phone number where they can reach you at your destination. This is in case there's a flight change/cancellation. This has happened to me twice in the last few years on transcontinental flights. Once the airline did *not* have my destination phone number, and I was quite surprised when I got to the ticket counter to check in. In the second case the airline did have the number, called me with plenty of time to spare, and arranged new flights. Make taxi/shuttle reservation the night before departure and get dispatcher's name if it's a special order. Check destination area's weather and pack accordingly (umbrella, overcoat, gloves, scarf, boots, etc.). Get dress shoes shined. Pay business and personal bills. Note destination's local access number for Internet connection. Update VIP list. I have a VIP list that I set dynamically using Outlook's categories feature. It's comprised of family members, neighbors, folks I'll be seeing on the trip, key clients, employees, and so forth. I update this list before any trip, then offload it in two forms: (1) an Outlook PST file (VIP.pst) and (2) a comma- separated-value file of the same data (VIP.csv). I upload these files, along with some others (see below), to FreeDrive (of course, use the free Web-based upload service of your choice). The worst case to plan for is that I end up somewhere with no luggage or laptop or anything else, and am in the wrong time zone to call for help. To get Internet access I'd only need to borrow a friend's or client's PC but to get at my email I'd need my email account's password. I don't want to have that password be the same as my "core" password, and I don't want to memorize it (or trust myself in a road-weary emergency condition to remember it), so I put my email password into Remember.txt, zip that with my core password, and upload it to FreeDrive. Even if the borrowed PC is WinZip-less, this 1.2 MB shareware utility can be downloaded quickly from anywhere in the world. Upload these files to FreeDrive:    (a) VIP PST file (zipped)    (b) VIP file in CSV format (zipped)    (c) Remember.txt with email account's password       (zipped with core password)    (d) Credit Card Emergency Contact Phone Numbers.doc       (or save to a simple text file like cc_phone.txt)    (e) Itinerary.txt (a text-based itinerary) Verify that latest "core" VIPs are in my ISP's Web-based email service center's address book. (A "core" VIP is someone who could save my bacon while I'm on the road.) Pick up and process all pending personal and business mail. Arrange for pets, yard, and household mail to be handled. Wash dishes. (Ever come back from a 10-day trip to a un- cleansed dishwasher? Lesson learned.) Modify business voice mail announcement. Clean up and back up server. [Business only] Prepare training or other installation media. [Business only] Ship training or other relevant materials. PACKING Photocopy wallet contents and store in a safe place (do NOT take the copies on the road). Photocopy and take a copy on the road: passport (for international travel only); contacts/eyeglasses prescription; medicine prescriptions; plane tickets; a list of phone numbers to report lost/stolen credit cards (Credit Card Emergency Contact Phone Numbers.doc); a list of phone numbers to report lost/stolen travelers checks. Prepare an itinerary with all reservation/confirmation numbers, vendors, addresses, flight data, etc. Give the document to someone you know will be available--even at odd hours—-while you're on the road. Upload it to FreeDrive as Itinerary.txt (see the previous "upload to FreeDrive" step). Pack plane tickets, adequate cash, checkbook, regular clothes, dress clothes, , first aid kit, chewing gum, and other miscellaneous items (these vary from person to person). Pack audio player, discs, MP3s, and headphones, whatever it takes to listen to some good tunes. (Some folks like to carry noise-cancellation headphones too.) Pack cell phone and recharger. [Diaper bag] [Kids' accessories] Specialty items (say, for a camping or surfing trip). [Business only] Prepare and pack tool kit. [Business only] Pack presentation pointer. (If I had a nickel for every time I showed up to run a training gig without a presentation pointer, I'd be retired by now.) [Business only] Pack copy of agreements and any other key client documents. [Business only] Pack any relevant PRIME Consulting Group company promotional literature. [Business only] Pack current critical work materials. [Business only] Verify all relevant work files are on the laptop's hard disk, media, or both. DEPARTURE CHECKLIST Set house security (incl. check all windows and doors). Securely park all cars. Empty all garbage and diaper genie pails. (Remember the 10-day trip and the un-cleansed dishwasher? Apply same concept to un- emptied diaper genie. Another "school of hard knocks" tip.) Lower/disable thermostat and disconnect any unneeded appliances. ON THE ROAD If my ISP's email page is down, try http://www.webmail.com/gte. RETURN Reset business voice mail announcement. Delete all files on FreeDrive. You may have noticed that I don't mention posting my address book, personal calendar, and other files to a WIM (Web-based Information Manager) like AnyDay.com. I prefer to keep my data local, use the applications that I'm intimately familiar with, and only post to the Web the barest minimum I need for a specific trip. I feel this maximizes my productivity and security. Lastly, I don't like the various Web-based travel sites' itinerary and profile features. They aren't flexible enough for me, but more importantly, I'm not comfortable with all that data- -especially regarding my family members--being stored, even temporarily, on some travel site's e-commerce server. The data is already being stored by the various vendors (airlines, hotels, car rental firms) I've hired, so why let another entity get its hands into my personal space? What do you think? Bon voyage. You can reach Lee Hudspeth at: mailto:leehudspeth@TheNakedPC.com Copyright © 2000, PRIME Consulting Group, Inc. and Dan Butler. All Rights Reserved. The Naked PC is a trademark of PRIME Consulting Group, Inc. ISSN: 1522-4422 You may reprint an article from TNPC as long as you show the entire article and include the authors byline, excerpt and subscription information as shown: Using Your PC and the Internet to Travel Smartly by Lee Hudspeth (This article originally appeared in The Naked PC newsletter #3.16, subscribe at http://www.TheNakedPC.com)

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