poll: travel tips?

The photo above is of Annie, the one below is of Sara. They're wearing the kimonos that Jeff and I bought for them in Japan last year. Annie's holding a Japanese doll that my dad got her. (Photos by my dad)

Today is Sara's birthday! She's eight years old. Holy cow...she's EIGHT. I still remember the first time I took her out for a stroller walk by myself for the first time. It was the first time I had taken any baby out for a stroller walk. I was terrified. Terrified that I might lose my grip and the stroller would careen down a hill, terrified that some stranger would leap out of the bushes and grab her, terrified that she would start shrieking in the middle of the walk and I wouldn't know what to do.





Here's Sara as a baby:





Went to a game store on Front Street with Jeff and Frank last night. Jeff bought a game called Puerto Rico, which we're going to try playing at the cottage next month. Frank treated us to a ride in a rickshaw; I've seen tons of rickshaws around downtown Toronto but never ridden in one. We had dinner at King's Garden, one of Toronto's best Chinese restaurants (and a 2 minute walk away from our apartment!).

Working on my novel all weekend (since I likely won't be able to work on it much in California) as well as doing some packing. I tend to like starting prep for a trip way way ahead of time, mainly because I know that if I leave prep until the last minute, I'm likely to forget something vital.

I've done enough travelling now that I know the routine at the airport. If I know I'm going to the U.S., I usually fill out both customs forms (one for the U.S., and one for coming back into Canada at the end of the trip) ahead of time and keep them with my passport. I have a separate wallet with my U.S. money.

What I take in my carry-on:

- My flute and Urban Tapestry music. If my luggage went astray, I could survive the weekend without my clothes, but losing my flute and music would be a bad thing. I always suffer a pang of anxiety when checking my guitar (and I've never been permitted to gate-check my guitar on Air Canada).

- My laptop, basic toiletries (in case my luggage gets lost), sound-masking headphones, neck pillow, book light (in case the overhead light doesn't work properly), bottled water, eye shades, earplugs, an energy bar, socks, a sweater or sweatshirt (the latter two items are in case it gets cold).

- Magazines and/or a book. The problem with a book is that it's bulky and once you're finished it, it's dead weight for the rest of the trip unless you're willing to trash it or give it away. Magazines can be left on the plane or thrown out once you're finished with them.

- My Palm, which is loaded with games and other interesting things. I just downloaded the demo version of Scrabble, for instance, which will allow me to play 9 games before I have to pay. Other favourite Palm games: Patience (whole bunch of Solitaire card games), Pocket Rogue, text-based adventure games. Through Avantgo, I'll have the most recent Palm updates of the CBC news, Salon, and Wired news to check out. I usually keep an e-story or two from Memoware to read as well (I'm trying to choose between E. Nesbitt's The Enchanted Castle and Grimm's Fairy Tales. Or heck, maybe I'll just take both. :-)

- Most airlines list their entertainment schedule online. If I'm not thrilled by the selection and it's a long flight, I'll bring a DVD or two to watch on my laptop. The sound-masking headphones come in handy here since they help block out the low rumble of the engines. Looks like I'll be watching "John Q." (Denzel Washington) on the westbound flight. The August schedule isn't up yet.

- If a miracle happens and I find I have some extra carry-on room on a long flight, I will bring my tape Walkman with an audio book, or my CD player with some CDs. My Rio MP3 player is small but only holds about a dozen songs.

I generally don't like working on my writing during the flight, mainly because of the lack of privacy. If I can find a working power outlet in the airport, however, I do plan on writing while I'm waiting.

Other travel tips I've learned:

Don't smalltalk or joke with the customs officials or check-in staff. Don't volunteer any information, just answer the question(s). Be polite but brief.

Be wary about mentioning doing anything even vaguely work-related during your visit unless you have to. I made the mistake of saying that I had bought a plastic brochure holder in the U.S. to take to Canada (in response to their question about whether I had bought anything for commercial purposes), and ended up being delayed for about 15 minutes while they searched my luggage for other commercial merchandise. Allison, Jodi and I rely on U.S. distributors to carry our CDs and tapes instead of taking them ourselves to avoid this customs problem.

On long flights, try to sleep. Sometimes I'll take half a Gravol tablet, which usually helps knock me out. Downside: if you're a heavy sleeper, you may miss meals unless you ask the person beside you to wake you up.

On long flights, make sure you walk around a bit. Pretend you have to use the bathroom even if you don't, or walk along the aisles. Don't take this walk when meals or drinks are being served, or you might get blocked by the serving cart on the way back to your seat.

Drink lots of water (one reason I take bottled water with me). The walking around and water help offset the effects of jetlag.

On a crowded flight, don't count on being able to use the overhead bin to store a carry-on bag. This is one reason I try to book a seat in the middle of the plane rather than at the front or the back. Airlines tend to differ in whether they board from the front or back, which means that if you're at one extreme or the other, by the time you get on board, the overhead bins may all be full and you may be forced to check your carry-on.

Poll: Are you an organized traveller? Any travel trips?

Last blatherpic below: a car parked outside of the Royal York hotel last night.