Resolving to Be a Better Traveler
Week One: So Far, So Good
As several of my friends and I mulled over the meaning of the coming year with all the verve of a teenager facing an evening with Mom and Dad, I was amused that nary a one of us had a decent resolution to proclaim.
Slumped in the arms of our respective wingbacks, beanbags and chaises like refugees from Christmas past, we found it a chore to ponder self-improvement on full stomachs and maxed-out credit cards.
Certainly we acknowledged having a bevy of bad habits, all of which were begging for scrutiny, but could we not speak of their banishment another day? (As you can see, procrastination never made the list.)
In the light of day (and oddly on my own accord), I had a change of heart and enlisted the powers of my finest fountain pen to help me outline the course corrections needed to make Tom a better man in the coming year, or at least a better traveler. (No, I did not run out of paper.)
Under travel, I resolved to champion behavioral changes that would add a couple years to my life and a few more smiles to my journey (for all involved).
Plan my travel well in advance (as possible).
Always check itinerary for seat assignments.
Check in online.
Keep laptop closed when handling snacks or coffee.
Pack only what I need. (Say no to multiple costume changes)
Do not use a fellow passenger's shoulder as an in-flight pillow.
Tag luggage with tacky yarn ball or decal so no one else will mistake it (or want to be seen carrying it).
Wear new socks and loose-fitting loafers to the airport
Kick my in-flight ginger ale habit.
Update my online travel profiles
Don't ask friends to give me rides to the airport.
Give friends rides to the airport.
Keep wide array of travel-size toiletries on hand.
Don't whine about in-flight meals or lack thereof.
Buck up and pay for the in-flight headphones. (After decades of trying, I still can't read lips.)
As for my personal resolutions, I'll spare you the details as they read like a season premiere for the Oprah Show: get in shape, eat right, never begin a sentence with 'Britney.'
Yep, this year's going to be different. (Please, no snickering.)
Tell us your travel resolutions for 2008.
Tom Conway, who for the first week of 2008 took the stairs to his office, looks forward to your questions, comments and tips.