Back to travel

On Thursday of last week I received a call from a sales rep in Alabama asking me if it was possible for me to fly to middle-of-nowhere Alabama on Tuesday (yes, 5 days from the current day) to give a 30 minute presentation. You read that correctly. I asked the bosses if that was indeed how they wanted me to spend 2 days and approximately $1200. They agreed that the account was big enough and the time would be well spent. The planning commenced. Now let me just say here, that after almost 4 years of traveling multiple times a week, it is REALLY hard for me to just send my travel details off to someone to plan for me. The first email to the travel girl looked something like this.

Kate -; I need to be in Geneva, AL at 8am Monday morning.

the second email looked approximately something like this:

I'd like to fly on March 12 at 10:45am out of MCI to Fort Walton Beach, through Atlanta, landing at 5pm. I would like a mid-size rental car, and I found a Hampton Inn in Enterprise, AL where I will stay for the night of March 12. I will fly out of Ft. Walton Beach on March 13 at 1:10pm and arrive back in Kansas City at 7pm. Thanks.

I just do it better myself. Anal? Maybe, but travel is no joke.

Here are some random observations about this trip.

- Florida is HORRIBLE at signing their streets. Alabama did it fantastically well.

- After 7pm in mid-March bugs in Alabama attack vehicles like rain drops.

- Luckily the humidity in mid-March in Alabama is also horrible, so first thing in the morning there is lots of dew on the windshield which has soaked the bugs overnight so that they come off easily with windshield wipers.

- In relation to when I traveled 4 times a week 3 years ago, there are way more healthy options to eat in the airport. Way to get with it people. Still overpriced, but at least they are now available.

- Taking one's own lunch is an even better idea.

- People have to get stupider when they travel. Why stop in the middle of a concourse and talk on your phone or text when 300 people are behind you trying to walk to their gate? Why go to the front of the boarding line when you are in zone 3 and first class is the only zone boarding now? The plane will not leave without you if you are sitting 100 ft away in a seat. Get a grip people.

- I'm not all together convinced that 13 hours on an airplane or in airports, 5 hours driving and 8 hours in a hotel are worth a 30 minute meeting. That is yet to be determined.

I did feel good getting back to traveling. Two days out of the office is great. The new phone that gives me my email on the run is even better.