Hurricane in Ohio, but not Florida

Playing catchup this week now that power and Internet service have been restored.

I had a great trip to Amelia Island, FL, for a gig at the Ritz Carlton there on Saturday, September 13.  Leading up to the event I was concerned about the weather.  I was constantly checking the hurricane tracker site to see the latest predictions.  I watched with glee as Ike took a turn to the south and looped around Florida.  And I was glad I had booked my flight through Atlanta instead of selecting the Dallas connection.

It was nice taking an extra day to travel down.  Usually I fly to my destination on the day of the event.  This time I decided to go the night before.  Flights down were smooth.  Stayed near the Jacksonville airport on Friday night (well, actually, Saturday morning since my flight landed at 11:30pm).  Saturday I drove out to the Ritz and got checked in around noon.  Then enjoyed a few hours on the beach before going to work.  Ah, that was nice.

By the time showtime rolled around, I was well rested, energized, and ready to go.  Had a  great group.  The closing bit went over even stronger than usual.  I thought the one guy was going to pee himself right there on stage.  Even with the mask on he was having trouble keeping it together enough to complete the routine.  We milked it for all it was worth.

BTW, that’s the whole reason I use the masks for my People Puppets routine.  I started this by squeezing the person’s shoulder, having them open/close their mouth.  That is funny, but once the “volunteer” starts laughing, it’s all over.

Flight out on Sunday wasn’t until 2:30,  so I got to spend a couple more hours on the beach on Sunday morning before checking out of the hotel.

Travel back to Columbus wasn’t as smooth as the way down due to the hurricane remnants blowing through Columbus.  Go figure.  Florida was fine, home got hit.  Still, very thankful I don’t live in Texas.  All we lost was a freezer and refrigerator of food.  We maintained water, including hot water, and gas stove top access throughout the 4 day outage.  Not bad.

Traveling with dummies

A number of people have written me about the luggage item from a couple days ago. The question is, how do you pack delicate items such as hard figures? Great question and I can only tell you how I do it, not how you should do it. But, since this is my blog, that’s what you get.

Puppets and Hard figures – My act includes a range of puppets, both hard and soft. Most of them are soft. Here’s my tip of the month. My Axtell puppets (Wilmer and Edna, aka Old Storyteller and Grannie Gertie) make great packing material! That’s right. I use them as padding to protect other more delicate items. When I take my Hartz figure (Gus), or Selberg (Eugene), the body goes in the Cabbage Case, surrounded by Wilmer and Edna. In addition, I use some foam padding around the sides of the case.

Camping mat – My favorite padding for packing is a folding egg-carton type of camping bed mat. I tried a quick Google search for an example, but didn’t find one. Go to a store that sells camping/hiking gear. I’ve found this to be the lightest weight material with the best protection. It’s not cheap. A single bed mat runs about $35 (US). I cut this up into sizes as needed and use it to surround items in both the Cabbage Cases and the Porter Case.

Saxophone bag – I found a soft-sided carry bag designed for an alto saxophone at a local music store. Cost me about $30. It is the perfect size and shape for the head of my hard figures (Gus and Eugene) and it has really nice padding. At this point, I only take one or the other for a given show as they target totally different audiences. I carry the sax bag with head as carry-on. It is my “one small personal item” in addition to the Porter Case.

Be prepared for commuter jets – Anything that is really sensitive or irreplaceable, such as Gus’s head, gets carried on in a small bag that I know I can carry on. The Porter Case is fine as a carry-on for a full-sized plane. But, if your trip involves a smaller jet, typically referred to as a commuter plane, you will have to gate-check the Porter Case. My experience is that gate-checked bags are handled with more care than regular checked luggage, but it’s still out of my hands.

Packing peanuts – Once I have everything packed that’s going, I fill any empty space in the Cabbage Cases with packing peanuts. No, I don’t just toss them in loose. I put them into clean garbage bags (the white kitchen style), leaving space for the peanuts to shift around in the bag to fill in the empty spaces. These are almost weightless and provide extra padding.

A final check – I like to have the cases packed so that I can pick them up, turn them all around, and not hear anything shifting inside. I guarantee you, as they make their way from check-in to the final pickup carousel, they will have been tossed, spun, dropped, etc.

I hope that’s helpful. Maybe someday I’ll post some photos. I’ll be sure to have the underwear tucked away first.

Business travel – part 2

Here are a few more travel patterns I’ve developed over the years that have helped me maintain my sanity.

Eat half & get dessert – Really. Most restaurant portions are way bigger than you really need, especially if you’ve been traveling on business and sitting in meetings all day. I love good food and I enjoy a tasty dessert. When the meal is brought out, cut it in half. Only eat up to the cut line. Then order dessert and do the same thing when it is delivered. For me, this allowed me to enjoy the meal and go back to the hotel feeling satisfied but not bloated. Many of us have that lingering voice in our heads screaming, “Think of the starving children in Africa.” Counter that thought with the realization that you did not get to choose the portion size. If someone else puts the food on your plate, you have no obligation to finish it all.

Treat hotel staff like people – We’ve all been there. By the time you get to the hotel you are spent, burnt out and tired. It is so easy to take out all of that frustration on the next person you run into, like the hotel desk clerk.  Remember, the person behind the counter when you check in is not the same person who cut you off in traffic, made that meeting go on too long, or the cause of any of the other minor annoyances you’ve encountered that day. They’re just a person doing their job. How much does it really cost you to paste on that smile one last time, speak to them politely and move on? I can’t count the number of times that little bit of politeness I have extended has gotten me into the last available room they were holding for someone else, upgraded me to a nicer room, or simply put a smile back onto the face of the equally tired and burned out person behind the counter.

Get to know the rental car lady – Here’s a fun story for you that shows the power of building relationships. In my corporate days I routinely traveled to the same airport and went to the same rental car agency. As a member of the “preferred renter” club, I would get dropped off at the car instead of needing to go into the building and stand in line. Sometimes my car would not be ready, so I would instead be dropped at the “preferred booth” where they would find me a car and send me on my way. Since I regularly flew in at the same time of day, the same woman was always behind that counter. I learned her name (a quick glance at her name tag) and started to say hello to her by name every trip. Even when my car was ready, I made a point of stepping into the booth, waving, and saying “hello” to her. In return, she came to know me by name and greeted me as well. As the weeks and months wore on, I noticed I was getting better and better cars even though I always rented “standard intermediate” vehicles. One chilly but sunny October day I happened to be assigned a convertible. I put the top down, bundled up my jacket, waved a big wave and drove on. She thought this was hilarious and started holding back convertibles for me every time she saw my name pop up in the reservations list. It got to where she would apologize if she didn’t’ have a convertible to offer me. All of this time I still only paid for a standard intermediate car.

Be nice, get to know people and enjoy the benefits.

Business travel – be good to yourself

I’ve done a fair amount of business travel over the years. Not nearly as much as some people, but enough that I’ve developed my own patterns.

In the beginning, like many people, traveling on someone else’s nickel was a thrill. “Woo hoo! Fancy dinners!” That initial thrill wears off quickly. Especially when you have the secretary from hell reviewing your expense reports, or accounting departments questioning every dime. Now that I travel as part of my own business, I am my own monitor. Still, there are places to splurge. Here’s my personal list.

Airport parking – Here in Columbus there is a covered garage attached to the terminal. I always park there rather then hassle with the remote lots and shuttle buses associated with them. Yes, it costs about $8/day more than the remote lots. For my typical 2-day trip, that extra $16 is worth it for the quicker check-in and speedier exit when I return. We also have valet parking available. That’s too rich for my blood.

Luggage – My act involves a substantial number of puppets and props. I invested in a pair of custom-made cases at Cabbage Cases. Mine cost me a little over $200 each. I went with the lite-flight style cases and maxed out their size to the largest possible for checked baggage. They are approximately 29x18x14 and weigh about 19 pounds empty. Fully loaded, they come in just under the 50 pound limit. The lite-flight style does not provide much protection and they’ve already gotten pretty dinged up by the handlers. But, for my gear, they are working well.

In order to maneuver these two cases, I invested in a really cool suitcase from Porter Cases. This was expensive for a carry-on suitcase, but worth every penny. It is the largest allowable carry-on suitcase, then converts to a dolly. I stack my two cabbage cases on top, and I’m good to go. Really slick.

That’s enough for now. What are your favorite travel tips?