Traveling Smart

August 22, 2010

This weekend Bill and I traveled to Sacramento. I travel quite a bit for work, and have been properly coached on traveling smart by my co-workers.

Like when I was told in no uncertain words, “Purchase an overnight bag, because we are not checking baggage.” God knows that when you are traveling for work, waiting the extra ten minutes for your bag at baggage claim is time wasted. That or the fact that the person I traveled with always got there at the last minute and there was no way we would be able to check bags so late. One of those.

Or the wisdom I gained just from experience. Like how you want to wear slip on shoes and no belts on the days you go through security. Unstringing your belt from self is so unseemly and trodding over to the benches with your sweater half on, your bag tucked under your arm precariously and your shoes in your hands just feels a bit too much like answering the door in your terry cloth robe. 

So naturally I wanted to share this well-earned wisdom with the hubby.

First I looked at his shoes. Nice hiking boots laced up to the middle of his shins. “You want to wear slip-ons when traveling,” I told him in a very kind voice, while tapping my foot and watching everyone else glide to their gate. He strung up his boots very carefully without a word.

He kept asking me what our meal choices were going to be. “If you’re lucky, you’ll get a choice between pretzels and peanuts.” Then I added, “If you order your drink with no ice, you get more than a swallow.”

“Yeah, but won’t it be hot?” 

I shrugged my shoulders. I prefer a satiated state of being, but maybe he’d prefer a big chunk of ice in the middle of his two-ounce plastic cup. To each his own.

When we got to the car rental place, we stood in line because, though I am a priority member, I was too lazy to complete the information on the website, thinking, “It will be late Thursday night. How many people will be there?”

It wasn’t so much how many people were there, but how few clerks were there that caused the problem. And, this is when hubby decided to get all scholarly on me and ask lots of questions.

“If you had taken the time, which would have been, what, about two minutes, to do this on-line, I wonder how much time we would have saved. Let’s time it and figure it out. Right now it’s …”

“So for five dollars more, we could be driving a convertible, but instead you signed us up for the cheapest car. I wonder how much fun would be worth five dollars. Let’s see what tour we can take for five dollars this weekend and then compare it to the fun we would have had driving a convertible and decide if it’s worth it.”

“We have to pay for our own gas? From all the choices, I wonder which car gets the best gas mileage?”

I smiled politely at each of these thoughtful ideas, even though it was well past my bedtime, like 10:30 at night, and we still had to find our way to the hotel.

When we got to the car we were assigned, P27, I walked around the car looking for damage. Of course, I had to explain to my eager student that you check for damage so the rental people don’t try to pin the damage on you. I held up the paper where I dutifully circled above the passenger door where there were scratches in the paint. I explained that we had to turn the paper in as we drove out. Then we drove out without turning the paper in.

“That’s weird,” I said out loud so my pupil would know that despite the odd circumstances, all of my instructions had been correct. I put the paperwork in the glove compartment and explained we needed it when we returned the car.

When we finally got to our hotel, I pulled out the lighter of the two suitcases, no it was not mine, but still, I do believe in equal rights and equal work, sort of,  and waited for hubby to get my suitcase out. When he drug it out of the trunk, directly across the back bumper I screamed.

“We’ll be charged for that!”

“No we won’t, just circle it on the paper they never collected from you. How will they know?”

Alas, there is always the point at which the pupil teaches the teacher.

I shrugged my agreement, but then he went too far. 

“As a matter of fact, since they didn’t collect that paper, which was very irresponsible, I’m going to see just exactly how much damage we can do this weekend. How many circles can we add to that paper!”

Wow, now that’s what I call fun!

I am happy to report that on the flight home, hubby wore flip flops, which he dragged around the airport while he yawned loudly and obnoxiously, but still, I didn’t have to wait for him to lace up his shoes.

Count my blessings. No really, could you and then fill me in because I need some perspective.

This week I will be happy that at home hubby and I each have our defined roles and there is no need to educate one another.