Traveling, Traveling, Traveling

I travel for work and for pleasure.  This holiday season I planned to fly to Minneapolis to meet my Mom traveling in from Fargo, so I could escort her back to our home in Virginia.  The best laid plans went a little berserk and I was reminded of this tip:  Use a travel delay as an opportunity to stop rather than get stressed. When the world stands still, let it.

Instead of flying in with a 2 hour layover, I ended up having 7 hours in the Minneapolis airport.  So the world has stood still for me on one of the busiest travel days of 2012.  Here are some tips I came up with during my standing still time.

Tip 1:  Kindness.  Just because you’re having a tough day, doesn’t mean you have to share that with the rest of the world.  By staying calm, smiling and asking nicely, I was able to rebook the entire trip for us both and even got aisle seats!  Thank you to the wonderful Delta service person for the great service.

Tip 2:  Bring along distractions.  I always travel with my computer, my iPhone and a book.  I was able to catch up on some work, chatted with a colleague and spent time reading a wonderful book.  It’s a gift to have unplanned time to use in a very unstructured way.

Tip 3:  Travel light.  I learned this many years ago.  Question everything that you’re bringing along.  Wear separates to mix and match.  Select only those things you’ll really need.  It’s so much easier to move around when there isn’t much to tote.

Tip 4:  Exercise.  Airports are great places to walk around.  They usually have long corridors and are filled with people from all over the country/world.  Wear your sneakers or comfortable walking shoes and enjoy the extra time on your feet.

Tip 5:  Do what you can and let go of the rest.  Getting upset about those things that aren’t in your control doesn’t do you a bit of good.  It could be bad weather, missed connections or long lines.  When you feel the stress bubbling up, ask yourself what you can do about the situation.  If nothing comes to mind, let it go and concentrate or daydream on something else.

Tip 6:  Almost nothing is as serious as it seems in the first moment.  Take a breath.  Allow yourself a five to ten minute stress-free zone.  After the five or ten minutes you can choose to get upset or stress out.  Make it your choice and under your control.  You may choose to stay calm and enjoy your stand still time.

Travel can be challenging at its best and really difficult at its worst.  What tips do you have to share about travel?  What have you discovered that works for you?  Leave your comments below.

To print this or any other post, click the first icon in Share the Knowledge below.  To TWEET this post push the tweet button above.