Travel Checklist

I leave for Tbilisi, Georgia in the morning. To avoid confusion, that's not the state of Georgia, that's a small country in Central Asia that used to be part of the Soviet Union, but has since done everything in their power to separate themselves from their neighbors to the north (Russia). I could go on a political rant about how our current president is hanging them (and Poland) out to dry by being wishy-washy, but I will spare the interweb with my "howlings at the moon".

This will be my 17th overseas trip for work to either Eastern Europe or Central Asia, and over my previous trips I've picked up some routines that make long-haul travelling a little more manageable both physically and mentally. As I was packing tonight, I started to realize that I do pack a few things that most people wouldn't consider, or at least that I wouldn't have thought about a few years ago, but are now necessities in my book (sometimes from lessons learned the hard way!). Among my rules/procedures that I consider unbreakable include:

- Take two multivitamins on travel days and one for each day you are gone - you never really know what you're eating on the road, and anything you can do to keep some consistency with your immune system and your vitamin intake is crucial to avoid getting sick. Nothing will rock your immune system like a 12 hour plane ride followed by eastern european moonshine and food that you're not used too, so give yourself the best chance to come out healthy.

- Wear Smartwool socks and comfortable shoes on travel days. It will take me 28 hours to get from my house tomorrow to my hotel in Tbilisi on Sunday (if everything is on time), every little bit helps, and don't underestimate how much comfortable feet can contribute to your overall mentality after travelling for 28 hours! Same deal on the way home.

- For every day I'm gone, I bring 2 clif bars or odwalla bars. For breakfast everyday, I have one of these (usually after my morning run). It's also always a possibility that I might be in meetings all day and miss lunch, so these lightweight, high calorie bars can serve as good meal substitutes. Additionally, in many cases, I'm not in control of what or when I'm eating next, and both of these products are things that I'm used to, and I know I get adequate nutrients out of.

- Never, ever travel without some basic pharmaceutical products (tylonol, advil, imodium, etc). Previously, I've only had one instance where I felt I was seriously sick from something I ate, and I've been lucky in that respect compared to some of the horror stories I've heard from co-workers. But still, the lesson learned during that instance (which was in Macedonia), was that there are not too many things that leave you with a more helpless feeling than being sick, dehydrated and unable to eat anything in a foreign country where no one speaks the same language and you don't know how to get help. The tylonol or advil can also come in handy when your customers like vodka as much as mine do!

- Bring an empty water bottle - it's a good idea to bring as much water with you as possible for a long plane ride, but also, when working-out on the road, many hotels have water coolers in their gyms, and not anywhere else, and when you're trying to keep up some type of workout regiment and all of your other time is spent on a roller coaster ride between alcohol and caffeine, it's important to stay as hydrated as possible.

- Don't be bashful about listening to songs that remind you of home repeatedly. Especially when on the road alone, where you're completely dependent on others who barely speak your language, it's easy to get frustrated and/or homesick (and there's nothing wrong with that), but it's very important to remember things that are familiar to you occasionally. For me, I usually throw on a little Yonder Mountain String Band or Phish, and I'm mentally back in the saddle!

That's all for now, I'll hopefully post with pictures from Tbilisi next week.