Business Travel 101: Carry On at All Cost

For all of you road weary business traveler’s out there I’ve a funny story for you. Picture this scenario in your head for a moment if you can.

It’s 2:00 p.m. and you’ve just checked in to ORD as you’re about to begin an overnight trip that starts with a simple connection in ATL. The first question you ask yourself is “check my bag or carry on?”

If you’re like me and hate to be that guy trying shove a roller bag into an undersized overhead compartment AND genuinely believe it slows down the boarding process, then maybe you opt to check your bag.

OK, done. Now you can focus on the next hurdle. Security check.

Fortunately for you, the line is moving along and you quickly move through clear security. You stop by the news stand for a bottle of water and a paper and head to the gate.

“This is going to be a great trip,” you’re probably thinking to yourself now. That’s when you hear it.

Letdown number one.

“Ladies and gentleman waiting to board the flight to Atlanta there’s been a slight delay in our departure due to the fact that the first class toilet has backed up into the cabin,” says the gate attendant.

Oh SH#*! Literally.

Snap back to reality. This is exactly how my trip started this past week. I mean, is it me, or has traveling always been this trying?

And my story doesn’t end with the stinky plane either. I wasn’t going to wait another hour only to have Delta tell me that the flight was canceled, especially not when I had an 8:30 a.m. meeting the following morning and only one flight out of ATL that would get me there in time.

I was lucky enough to snatch the last possible seat on the 4:15 p.m. flight out of ORD. Temporary relief, phew!

After a quick connection in ATL I finally make it to my final destination for the night. Everything is going to be all good now. Right?

Wrong.

Letdown number two.

Remember that bag I checked in Chicago? Yeah, well let’s just say that somewhere between overflowed toilets and last-minute changes to flight plans, my bag went AWOL.

Oh, and my friends at Avis screwed up my rental car reservation so no car either.

Letdown number three.

So at 11:00 p.m. guess where my cabbie and I head?

To the closet Wal-Mart so that I could buy essentials for tomorrow’s meeting. That includes everything from toothpaste, shaving kit, and dress clothes, too.

On the bright side, I never thought $8 dress pants and a $10 button-down could look so good! A little scratchy, though.

Finally, I rest my head on the luxurious pillows of the local Sleep Inn, the fine hotel establishment at which I slept that evening. Before I fell asleep I decide that the sooner I could distance myself from the trip the better.

To make a long story short, me and my $18 Wal-Mart outfit made a killer presentation the next day and the client got a big kick out of my somewhat embarrassing story. Plus, my missing bag greeted me when I got back to Chicago.

So in the end no real damage incurred but I learned a valuable lesson that day: carry-on your bags at all cost.

1. 

   Sandy says:

   September 3, 2010 at 7:15 pm

   Clearly this article was written by a man. The main reason I don’t carry on is that between my makeup and various hair products, I’m way over the TSA limit for liquids and gels.

   I travel fairly extensively and have only had my bag delayed once in the past 3 years. Nordstrom saved me by staying open late to accommodate my frantic shopping in Orlando!!

   reply