Being an out-of-state college student, I spend a lot of time in airports flying from home to school. I love all of the things that come with traveling: people watching, seeing the world from above, and even airport food.
But the one thing that I love most about travel days is the amount of uninterrupted time that I have to get things done or relax. If you know me, relaxing is not my style, so I choose to make the most of my time in the air.
Over the years, I have learned the most efficient ways to pack, travel, and get things accomplished, so I figured I could pass along the knowledge to make the most of your travel days as well.
Pack Smart
First things first, you have to pack in a way that things are accessible to work with during your travel. This means ensuring that the items that you need to work with are in the small carry-on bag that is under the seat in front of you.
Although you can place items in your carry-on in the overhead compartment, there is not always a time for you to get to them during the flight, so to be safe, I always pack my essentials in my smaller carry-on.
Hearth & Hand With Magnolia at Target is the brand of bag that I always use as my small carry-on. They have SO many cute styles that are perfect for travel.
Things I Pack in My Small Carry-On Bag
- Pens and Pencils
- Notebook: I think it is an essential item. If your electronic device dies or does not work as you hoped, this still gives you a way to plan and organize your thoughts throughout your flight.
- Laptop and Charger
- Wallet: Although this isn’t needed to get your work done, having your ID, boarding pass, and money accessible is important as well.
- Portable Charger
- Snacks: Some of my airplane favorites are almonds, Kind Bars, and watermelon sour patch kids.
- Water Bottle: Make sure it is empty through security, but don’t forget to fill it up before you board your flight.
Plan Ahead
Another way to have a successful travel day is to plan in advance. After going through security, this is the first thing that I do before my initial flight.
Split your to-do list into two categories: tasks that require Wi-Fi and tasks that can be completed without Wi-Fi.
Tasks that required Wi-Fi are going to be your airport/layover tasks and tasks that can be completed without Wi-Fi are going to be your plane tasks.
Download in Advance
I always make sure to open all of the documents that I will be working with before my flight to ensure that they can be edited. If there is a site that does not allow offline editing, I opt to outline my ideas on a word document or note and transfer them once I have Wi-Fi in the airport.
If you are using Google Drive, there is a way to download your documents and edit them offline as well.
Google Instructions for Offline Use
In a world that doesn’t stop moving just because you are traveling, use these tips to get organized and stay on top of your work.