FROM THE PUBLISHER
Like many Civil + Structural Engineer readers, I have been traveling my entire professional career. While travel isn’t very fun for me, it could be a lot worse! Here are some ways I make it better: 1. Eat before you get on the plane. You never know how long it will be before your next meal. You cannot count on the airlines to feed you much if anything these days and delays could mean that the luxurious layover you had planned for Chicago or DFW won’t occur, so eat up! 2. Bring a bottle of water. Buy it after you go through security or you’ll have to throw it out. 3. Get the airline app. It can help you in so many ways, such as providing your connecting flight’s gate. You can also check in from your phone and don’t need to stop at a kiosk. And, it will tell you what carousel your bags are on. 4. Take the first flight out of Dodge. The first flight of the day is the least likely one to be delayed. If you are delayed, you’ll still have all day to get where you are going. And any time you can stand by for an earlier flight, do so! 5. Get an aisle seat so you can get up when you want to. You will feel less constrained and the luxury of being able to use the bathroom when you need to is hard to beat! 6. Dress in layers. That way you can stay warm or peel off clothes if needed. Sometimes planes are super hot; other times very cold. 7. Get to the airport early. If there’s an accident blocking the highway or other delays or problems you can re-route. And get “TSA Pre” status to save time going through security. 8. Pack light and never check your bag. Checking means losing your bag about 10 percent of the time (not to say they won’t eventually find it, but who wants to go through that?). Do not gate check on commuter flights that have tight connections. You may wait 15 minutes on the jetway and if your flight was late arriving, that kills your ability to make your connection. 9. Carry all prescriptions and other drugs you need with you on the plane. Checked bags get lost. Keep the drugs where you can conveniently access them if you need them (side pouch?). 10. Bring a spare pair of pants. I used to travel with a fellow (civil engineer, by the way) who would wear a pair of khakis for a two-day trip with no pants in reserve. Bad idea! You could have an accident and spill coffee on them. Whatever happens, you want to be prepared. 11. Have an auxiliary phone battery — charged. Always bring a spare. Get a good one. I have one that will charge my phone three times over. It cost $50. That is a big stress-reliever. 12. Get noise-canceling headphones. Chad Clinehens, Zweig Group’s CEO, bought me some of these for Christmas. Fantastic gift. They make every flight a pleasant experience. You can really zone out and relax. 13. Use Uber when you get where you are going. Dealing with rental cars takes time and is a big hassle. Cabs sometimes are dirty and have bad drivers who don’t know where they are going. Uber has an app and pre-stored credit cards and the driver has GPS. 14. Bring your latest copy — print or digital — of Civil + Structural Engineer with you! Nothing like having good reading material on a trip!
Business travel 14 tips for a better business trip
MARK C. ZWEIG mzweig@zweiggroup.com
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csengineermag.com
March 2018
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