OT: Travel/Home Office Consultant Gear

[bigflax925]

A new opportunity has me based in a home office and traveling as needed to client sites. I need some collective wisdom from the group regarding some road warrior essentials.

For those you who ply the roads and air for your livelihood, what gear do you consider essential - for both travel and home office?

Keep in mind I'm starting from scratch here. I will be furnished a laptop, cell phone, desk phone, internet and all in one MFP device. I already have a desk :)

Thanks!

[prototoast]

A few things come to mind in no particular order...

USB battery to keep your phone charged on the go. A good headset for talking on your cellphone. Various pieces of luggage with travel toiletries always ready to go. All the right credit cards and loyalty programs. Clothing appropriate for the weather of your destinations.

[Jaybee]

I also telework most days. It can be a challenge to compartmentalize work without the clear transition of traveling to and from the office. If you can do it, set up a dedicated space in your house that is just an office. A lot of people who do this wear gym clothes or pajamas or shorts all day. I can see why there is an appeal to being comfy, but putting on real adult pants and a real adult shirt reminds me that I am going to work.

Equipment-wise, a big second monitor helps me see better and avoid the back strain of bending down to a laptop all day. Think about your ergo.

[JAGI410]

I work from home and travel up to 2 trips per month to client sites. A few of my essentials have already been mentioned: A second monitor to plug into the laptop to extend the display, and a nice backpack for carrying your laptop. This backpack will have extra USB drives, battery packs, business cards, breathmints, etc. Don't use it for clothes or toiletries, you don't want to have to unload it once you get back to your hotel.

Do get credit card rewards and frequent flyer stuff set up. TSA Precheck is $85 for 5 years and that might be worthwhile as well.

[rwsaunders]

Welcome to the RWC...road warrior club. You will need access to the Sky Club or the equivalent for the inevitable airline delays and cancellations, TSA precheck and Global Entry if you travel abroad, CLEAR for when the TSA precheck at SEA is backed beyond belief when you are trying to snag a red eye, Uber/Lyft account, a waterproof messenger bag/briefcase, noise cancelling headphones, back-up battery for your phone, spare charging cords, HDMI cable, comfortable shoes, travel blazer, compressions socks, dual time zone watch, pens that don’t explode at high altitude, a roller board suitcase that fits in the overhead, toiletries that don't draw the attention of the TSA, and an attitude that can easily adapt to abrupt change, disruption and discomfort. My next post will be about the home office segment of your new journey.

[rounder]

I travel a fair amount with my work. I recommend the following:

. Our firm uses a travel agency to make hotel/airline reservations. They make the recommendations and we decide what we want. We also use a car rental agency. The agencies make our lives easier and are helpful in case there are flight delays, etc.

. Buy a sturdy suitcase that is light so that your weight meets the airline requirements. If my bag feels heavy, I weigh it before leaving the house.

. I try to arrange for wifi access ahead of time at the site where I will be working. For more security, your company might provide you with a portable wifi that you can travel with (Verizon offers Mifi).

. Join hotel and airline travel clubs. With hotel memberships, you might get better service including free breakfast. Staying at the same hotel chain or airline scores faster points.

. If I will be gone over a weekend, I try to find something nearby that is fun to do.

[bigbill]

I don't home office but I'm setting one up to work on my master's in September. I bought a dock, wireless keyboard/mouse, and two 24" monitors for my desk. Two monitors allow me to work on one document while seeing my data or reference on the other. I'm also not looking down at a laptop.

My work setup is similar but with smaller monitors. When I travel I just unplug the laptop from the dock and go.

And what the others said about battery backups, I travel with two and they've saved me and the occasional fellow traveler a few times.

[joosttx]

I use to travel 200K miles a year.

1. Get comfortable clothes while traveling: Best traveling jacket. https://www.icebreaker.com/en/mens-sweaters/quantum-long-sleeve-zip-hood/103872.html?dwvar_103872_color=001 : Best traveling underwear: Rapha merino wool.

2. Pick an airline and stick with it to build miles. Get an awards CC for that airline. I found sticking to one airline yields dividends as status increases. I flew exclusively Delta. They bent over backwards for me in the critical times . May happen once or twice a year but it is worth it. Do the same with a Hotel chain.

3. Sign up for a skyclub. Get to the airport early relax and work. I found it impossible to work at a terminal. Also, you can get to the airport super early like 3hrs and work and eat there. Plus some places you can take showers which are very nice for red-eyes.

4. Sign up for expedited customs and TSA precheck

5. Never buy economy comfort seat. Typically fat people buy them and as a result you are just as crowded.

6. Never check a bag.

7. External battery chargers.

8. Never get pissed off. It never works and makes you more insane.

[C40_guy]

In no particular order:

Bose noise cancelling headsets for air travel
Small nylon zip case for *all* of your cords and accessories. Keep everything in one place and take doubles of your iphone cables
Comfortable walking shoes (I just started wearing Lems)
Running shoes/shorts for using gym at hotels

Focus on a single airline and hotel, if you can
Use your own credit card for all purchases, if the company will let you. The point accumulation will astound you

iPad for reading books, magazines on planes. You can use your local library account for borrowing ebooks at no cost.

[Clean39T]

8. Never get pissed off. It never works and makes you more insane.



So true.

I'll go a step further: perform random acts of kindness wherever you can - it really helps you feel connected to the strangers around you, which is so important when you spend a big portion of your life in transitional or temporary spaces.

I'll have more later, but one quick one - find things you can be consistent with - a hotel you stay at every time you're in xyz town, for example. It helps you feel grounded.



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[Louis]

Don't get too carried away - maybe something basic, like this:

http://diariocultura.info/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/fancy-home-office-with-luxury-home-office-ideas-rafael-martinez.jpg

[Jaybee]

Develop a no or limited equipment workout routine that you can do anywhere in a short time frame.

Clean has great advice above on staying connected to the humans around you.

[jay023]

Lotsa good suggestions so far. These are what work for me

A dedicated credit card for business expenses. It's best to choose one airline to travel on and get their rewards cc

Choose a hotel chain and rental car chain and stick with them to maximize rewards.

Comfortable travel clothes if not going directly to the job site

Backpack just big enough for your needs. If you have too much room you're going to load it with stuff you don't actually need immediate access to. Use your luggage for non essentials. Your posture will thank you

A complete set of spare phone cables and chargers for your backpack. I usually have 2 phone cables so i can leave one in the rental car during my trip

Bose noise cancelling headphones

I try to minimize my early/late flights. Constantly travelling at the ends of the day will wear on you more than the extra day out of town will

[paredown]

Good suggestions so far--I would add establish a system for recording expenses, and make sure you are clear what you are reimbursed for (mileage etc). It can be as simple as a good poly envelope to stuff receipts in, or you can enter them daily in an Excel spreadsheet, or your Filofax if you are old skool analogue.

I find a comfy chair is a great help to go with good monitors--at some point we splashed out for an Aeron when I was putting in long days at the keyboard. I also like attaching a keyboard tray to the underside of a simple desk helps me get ergo...

[CaptStash]

For the road warrior:
I travel more than a "fair amount". I am gone as much if not more than I am home, mostly for only one or two nights at a time, which means a lot of flying. Some great recommendations above. My two cents worth:

It's all about the points. Whenever possible, choose one hotel chain and one airline to concentrate your points.
Airlines: The airline in particular will probably be based on who is the most convenient for your locale. Stay away from economy carriers if you can, with the exception of Southwest if you don't mind their style. For the West Coast, it is hard to beat Alaska airlines, and as a 75K/million miler I rarely fly in coach. Southwest (my sister is there) has an amazing benefit that no other airline can touch - she gets to designate one person as her "companion" and the companion flies free with her anytime, anywhere.

Hotels: I used to be an IHG (Holiday Inn) guy, but switched to Hilton. I also get gold on Marriott/Bonvoy since I am Gold with United. That's a great benefit. I haven't had to pay for a hotel room in forever, since I always have plenty of points. I like the Hilton range of hotels best, but it's a personal thing, and some companies don't give you those options.

Packing: As much as possible, have two of everything so that you don't have to pack and unpack much. My toiletries stay ready to go with their own little box of meds and etc. I like packing cubes to keep things orderly. The suitcase repair guy talked me into buying a Briggs and Riley suitcase. No suitcase is indestructible, but B&R has been around forever and has a legit. lifetime warranty. Mine has been repaired twice now, and has hundreds of thousands of miles of flying.

Food: It is easy to eat like crap on the road. I got that under control by trying to buy meals at whole Foods or Trader Joe's when possible. Works for me. YMMV.

Bikes: For my fiftieth birthday I awarded myself an S & S conversion of a titanium bike I used to keep on the ship. Being able to ride when I am away from home is wonderful. But that's a whole other subject with lots of threads discussing it already.

Have fun with it and feel free to PM me if you need any info. or recommendations etc.

Saul aka CaptStash....

[joosttx]

Lotsa good suggestions so far. These are what work for me

A dedicated credit card for business expenses. It's best to choose one airline to travel on and get their rewards cc

Choose a hotel chain and rental car chain and stick with them to maximize rewards.

Comfortable travel clothes if not going directly to the job site

Backpack just big enough for your needs. If you have too much room you're going to load it with stuff you don't actually need immediate access to. Use your luggage for non essentials. Your posture will thank you

A complete set of spare phone cables and chargers for your backpack. I usually have 2 phone cables so i can leave one in the rental car during my trip

Bose noise cancelling headphones

I try to minimize my early/late flights. Constantly travelling at the ends of the day will wear on you more than the extra day out of town will

I found early flights are best since the potential for delay is least.

[JasonF]

I bounce between coasts approx 1x per month. I fly coach.

For travel:
- Tom Bihn makes great travel gear that looks good and is functional
- Bose noise canceling headphones are a must (I've tried many, and keep coming back to my QC35's).
- External battery pack for phones/ipads
- Packing cubes and folders will be your friend
- As others have mentioned, stick with 1 airline and 1 hotel chain. I'll go as far as flying United into EWR, even if my main business is in Philly and I have to drive extra.

For home office:
- Try to make it a dedicated and distinct part of the home. Our home in LA is pretty small, but there's a guest house in the back (it was actually a full blown recording studio that the previous owner used to produce 30+ albums) The upstairs is my office and completely private/quiet.
- Keep good records for tax purposes (deductions and depreciation)
- Get involved with professional organizations in your community (if they exist)...it's important to stay in touch and connected.

[rwsaunders]

For the home office segment:

If possible, a dedicated home office space with plenty of light or WeWork space, quality coffee or espresso machine, high speed internet for video conferencing, awesome wide angle video camera and microphone, docking station, twin screens, headphone/mic if you don't like speakerphones, ergonomic desk/chair combination with plenty of file space...yes; folks still access paper, printer/scanner combo, spare ink cartridges if you have kids who use yours and don't tell you when they're empty, paper, book shelves and reference materials, photos of your family and favorite places and a daily The Onion calendar.

[sitzmark]

High points already hit. Extra charge bricks for your laptop so you don’t need to unplug your home dock setup. If you’re Mac based you can take your two screen setup with you using an iPad/iPhone and Duet app.

Can’t tell you the number of times my Vivitek Qumi and Bose Soundlink Mini have saved the day where presentation equipment was “guaranteed to be available”. Nothing better than a Meeting Owl for patching a conference call together with a group and remote participants.

Be prepared for client WiFi that isn’t accessible with as cellular data package and free conference service all can dial into.

USB adapters/tips for the never ending mess of USB ports on mobile devices that need to be charged. The stubby rubber ones save a briefcase full of cables knitted together. Converter tips make one cable more flexible.

Get a good app to track mileage and travel expenses - some automatically pick up travel by GPS to start a new trip. Keep track of your pennies - you’ll be surprised how quickly they add to nickels and dimes if you aren’t good about tracking expenses.

Have fun!

[dbrown]

For the road warrior:
The suitcase repair guy talked me into buying a Pratt and Lambert suitcase. No suitcase is indestructible, but P&L has been around forever and has a legit. lifetime warranty. Mine has been repaired twice now, and has hundreds of thousands of miles of flying.

Saul aka CaptStash....

Couldn’t find this brand of luggage. Maybe Briggs and Riley? Thanks.

[JAGI410]

Smart Receipts phone app is great for tracking expenses. You can organize them by trip and when done it exports a pdf.

[CaptStash]

Couldn’t find this brand of luggage. Maybe Briggs and Riley? Thanks.



Yes. Pratt and Lambert is fancy paint. Interesting Freudian slip...Briggs and Riley is good stuff; they make a sharp backpack as well.


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[sitzmark]

Don’t forget to track your time as well if compensated that way!

[speedevil]

I used to travel 48 weeks a year while i was consulting, and you learn how to get around airport/airline problems. I was executive platinum on American, and they will do everything possible to keep you as a customer. Admirals Clubs, at the larger airports, are great for working before you fly out, as well as an actual person to talk with about a scheduling problem/rebooking issue. Being courteous even when your trip is going down the crapper will be a huge benefit to you - rarely does the person yelling the loudest get their way.

As others have said, choose an airline, rental car, and hotel and use them exclusively. A CC affiliated with the airline will rack up flyer miles very quickly.

I had American call me on a Thursday once, when I happened to be home, and ask if I wanted to take a 4 day trip to Milan at no cost. It left the next day. Naturally I said yes. There are some benefits to spending a lot of time in an airline seat, that was one of them.

If you frequently take the same flight to and from a customer site, learn where the equipment is coming from that becomes your flight. if the inbound flight is delayed, your outbound is likely to be delayed as well, and if it's cancelled, well, you can guess what will happen to your flight. This is when the person at the Admirals Club can save the day for you. If you have the option, flying early in the day increases the chance of your flight being on time, delays add up, and weather usually deteriorates throughout the day.

I hope this is helpful. I had to learn these lessons the hard way.

[Cornfed]

One thing: Ambien

[Kirk007]

Broke my cardinal rule today: never fly through Chicago. Paid for it.

I disagree with Joostx - if economy is the only option and the exit rows are booked, an economy plus aisle seat gives needed leg room for those with 35+ inseams even if there's a big fella in the middle seat.

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[Kirk007]

Also if you first leg is delayed and it looks like your connection is in jeopardy hop on the airlines app or website, figure out your options and call customer service - may be better to rebook to a later flight than take a chance and then be one of many scrambling for the next flight.

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[bigflax925]

These are fantastic! Thank you all.

[mhespenheide]

I'm not a corporate road warrior, but I'll third the idea of a complete set of chargers, cables, etc., that lives in a dedicated backpack or suitcase. That's what I do as a teacher. My home office is set up with a second monitor, power adapter, charging cables, and the like but all I do is take out the laptop itself and slide it into the backpack when leaving. That way I know I've got what I need and I'm not constantly packing up and messing with my home setup.

Also, your company IT group probably has their own preferred solution to this, but figure out what you want to do about cloud-sourced files and backups. With constant travel, this is a risk that you can lose a laptop or hard drive.

[Clean39T]

Broke my cardinal rule today: never fly through Chicago. Paid for it.


But the Frontera (https://www.rickbayless.com/restaurants/tortas-frontera/) ...

I've spent the night in O'Hare twice, wandering the terminals like the walking dead - which reminds me - never check a bag, but still be prepared to.. Keep your toothbrush and some layers, plus your chargers, in your shoulder bag just in case your roller gets checked at the gate.

[Clean39T]

Also, your company IT group probably has their own preferred solution to this, but figure out what you want to do about cloud-sourced files and backups. With constant travel, this is a risk that you can lose a laptop or hard drive.

I'm way overdue for this - thanks for the reminder.. I know my company is supposed to be getting a virtual backup of my laptop, but I'd sleep better knowing I have all my files on a hard-drive (or thumb) just in case.

[Clean39T]

Question to the group:

Any recommended resources for helping with time and workflow and life management for those who work from home?

I'm easily 5x more productive in my home office than I ever was in a corporate open-office/cubicle setting, but I still struggle with the basics - separating work/home time, taking breaks, eating well, incorporating exercise, removing distractions, etc.

As much as I love working from home, love my job and my company, and my clients, I still miss some things about the corporate world: leaving work at work, having a reason to get up and ride for 30-45min (commuting), having built-in community and interaction with the outside world, more access to food and coffee walks at lunch and breaks, and having a dedicated IT department and large printer/copier. Not that I want to go back, just saying - there are trade-offs.

[mktng]

some great suggestions here.
not much i can add besides investing in something like this?...

https://www.anker.com/store/powercore-ac/A1380111

assuming your work requires you to have electronics with you at all times.

[ORMojo]

Lots of good suggestions already.

One more, a recent addition for me. Endlessly reusable notebook, with the ability to transfer written pages to electronic files.
https://getrocketbook.com/collections/all-products/products/everlast-rocketbook?variant=31416131534