What does your travel schedule look like?

BOOKING PLANS

Every booking requires a lot of related work: booking flights, setting up lodging, renting a car, and making other plans.  Some hosts take care of everything, which works very well for my time frame since I do not employ a booking agent or manager to handle my paperwork and arrangements.  I do set up everything on my own for the workshops and shows.  I much prefer to have an organization host an evening show, as I feel silly selling tickets on my own, and it takes far too much time. Selling tickets is a responsibility that should be shouldered by the hosting organization, not by the presenter.

PLAN AHEAD

Packing, packing, and packing to get everything ready to go! Sometimes I forget a few things, but I'm getting better at remembering almost everything. I prefer to pack 2-3 days in advance. I have my own small room full of travel size stuff, work clothes, handouts, DVDs, and such so that I can easily get the packing done.

FLIGHTS

I always get up very early, drive an hour to get to the airport, and park my truck in the airport parking lot. Going to the airport requires a lot of walking, so I wear good shoes and comfortable, warm clothes. Checking in, I use my mobile boarding pass which is much easier than printing out paper boarding passes. Getting through security usually takes a lot of time, especially if they have a long line, so I sometimes use the premier lane for a shorter line. It's hard to predict how much time it will take to get through security. Sometimes they do a pat-down. When they scan me, a hairpin or hair clamp can cause a problem. I need to remind myself to take these off before entering the scanner.

If there are at least 45 minutes to wait for my flight, I always try to get some hot cocoa to relax while waiting to board. Sometimes the plane is delayed, which makes me anxious about catching ^{the connecting} flight. If the 1^st flight arrives late, I have to rush to the 2^nd flight without any bathroom or hot cocoa breaks. That's the worst - running from one gate to another to try to catch the second flight!  Sometimes I miss the connecting  flight, resulting in missing some or all of the scheduled work for  the evening of that day.

Once we've landed and I've checked into or out of the hotel at last, the all-day flight usually takes 8-10 hours. 

CAR RENTALS

I depend a lot on the GPS to help me get to my destinations. Sometimes I get lost due to construction, detours or closed roads. I also need to keep my GPS updated. 

JET LAG

I'm sure you can imagine how exhausting this is, and how my body reacts to jet lag. I have to get up early to catch my morning flight. If my plane leaves at 6 am from the East, I have to get up at  4 am (Seattle’s time: 1 am).  I usually sleep on the flight, but not always. Passengers sitting behind me are sometimes annoying, kicking or pushing behind me. That keeps me awake for the whole flight.

TIMECARD

I joke with my friends, saying that when I leave the house, and return, I punch a time card. Traveling takes a tremendous amount of time. My friends noticed how MUCH traveling time is demanded by my work, and how little income must sustain me. It doesn’t meet their expectations. I keep track of time wherever I go, and I track the expenses for each trip. I really love my job, but the aspect of traveling takes so much time.