Let me start by saying that I am not afraid of flying. Never had any fear-related issues with airplanes. In fact, I even went sky diving once.
However, I’ve never traveled alone. Apart from driving to a neighboring country once (where I met with colleagues), there have always been people with me. And I’ve always let them deal with all travel-related documents and plans.
And this is about to change in a few days.
This month I started a new job for a company that has a strong presence in the US. So, naturally, I have to go meet the team and learn about the US operations. Alone.
Don’t get me wrong, I knew I’d have to travel to the US occasionally when I took the job. I am actually excited to visit Boston again and stay for a bit longer than the last time I was there. I will be spending 2 weeks in MA, so I’ll have a bit more time to explore.
At the same time, I have this overwhelming anxiety of messing something up with my documents or flights. I fully understand it’s absolutely irrational. Even if I mess something up, it’s not like they throw people in jail for missing a plane. Right? 😅
However, anxiety is often irrational and logical thinking is not enough to end the nagging feeling that I am forgetting something really important and won’t be able to fix it at the gate.
So, I developed a coping mechanism for myself. I have no idea if it’s backed by any research or science, but it’s been working wonders for me, and I wanted to share it with you on the off-chance someone is struggling with similar nagging feelings.
My solution? PACKING!
Yep, that’s it. Packing is my coping mechanism. By ensuring that all my documents and essentials are perfectly organized for secure transportation and easy access, I am setting up myself for a travel success.
I started with a man-purse… I mean a sling. I got one from tomtoc, a budget brand I keep hearing more and more about. Most important features?
It wraps around my body and can be rotated to the front (or under my armpit) if in a crowded place.
It has a semi-hidden RFID protected pocket towards your body to keep your passport and cards secure.
Next, I got an American Tourister suitcase. It was a bit expensive, but it’s absurdly light, has a great warranty, and the lock is TSA ready, meaning they can easily open it without breaking anything. Other than that, it’s a regular hard suitcase with some organization inside.
However, most of the organization comes from the packing cubes I got. I found a very cheap brand (Suited Nomad) on Amazon that had a great pack of 6 cubes in different sizes that fit very snuggly in my suitcase. It also includes a TSA-approved clear cosmetics pouch. It may seem a bit overkill, but I once spilled mouthwash all over the security desk in Frankfurt, because I was trying to dig it out from my unorganized suitcase.
If you know me a little, you can probably guess that I carry a lot of tech with me. On this trip, apart from my laptop and reMarkable tablet (will talk about these in a bit), I will be carrying my Kindle, a set of wireless microphones, a GoPro, a universal travel adapter, my Nintendo Switch, 2 pairs of headphones, a power bank, an electric toothbrush, an electric razor, and a bunch of cables to charge everything. My phone and watch chargers will also be in this pouch.
Historically, I would just dump all those in my backpack and would always get double checked by airport security. This time, I bought a tomtoc tech pouch. It perfectly fits and organizes everything, except the toothbrush and razor (which have their own travel cases).
This pouch was a spur of the moment purchase and one of my best purchases ever. Even now, I have everything in it and have it with me at work and at home. Having all those gadgets organized is a great thing.
As for the laptop and the reMarkable, I got a tomtoc backpack (I guess I am a tomtoc fanboy now). The backpack has two features I really like. The front is built like a duffel and expands to 40 liters, so it can easily fit my tech pouch, toothbrush, razor, a hoodie, and a set of spare clothes. When not in use, the duffel part can be contracted, and you get a usable daily backpack. On the back side, the entire thing opens flat, giving you a TSA-approved laptop and tablet sleeves, meaning I don’t have to take them out of the bag for security checks. Another cool feature is that it also allows you to access the duffel part from the fully open position, which makes it easier to pack and access anything inside.
The US has a different electrical system, so my laptop charger won’t work. That’s why I went for a more powerful travel adapter by Tessan that has GaN and outputs 65W (exactly the same as my laptop charger). I paired this with a 3m 100W USB-C braided cable by Anker, and I’m all set. The adapter can also charge 3 more devices while charging the laptop, which means I don’t need any other bricks, just a few more cables.
As for the flights themselves, I was researching Lufthansa’s policies and notices you can save your seat way in advance for a small fee. I did some research on SeatGuru for the specific airplanes I’ll be flying and picked the best seats that Economy offers. This might seem like an overkill, but as you know, I’ve had some serious lower back issues last year, and it still acts up once in a while when I sit for too long. With a flight time of 8+ hours, I don’t want to risk it. I wanted to get more legroom and an aisle seat so I can get up and stretch periodically.
Something else I noticed on my last trip to the US was that a lot of places outside of big cities have credit card terminals that often don’t accept debit cards from abroad. So, this time, I am bringing a bit more cash in smaller denominations. I don’t want to worry about a bust terminal declining my card or being unable to buy beef jerky from a gas station (I know, I apologize for this one, but I love it!)
Before packing my electronics, I also checked the flight regulations about batteries on planes. It’s a good idea to check those, as most restrictions are in Wh, and not mAh, and in the rare situations where someone wants to check something, you need to have a way to show you are within the limits, and the 20000mAh sign on my power bank doesn’t cut it. I dug a bit into the small writing on the back and found a 62Wh label, which means I should be good if airport security wants to check me.
I also did a few other things apart from organizing my suitcase and backpack as much as possible. Roaming is quite expensive in the US, so I had a consultation with my carrier (mind you, they charged me €1.50 for this!) and picked a suitable roaming plan with an added travel pack. It’s still pretty expensive, but I want to make sure I always have the option to access the internet and call local and foreign numbers.
Another thing I did is that I booked a car transfer from my place to the airport in advance. I don’t want to rely on taxis or Uber-like services (we don’t have Uber here but have other local options).
And last, I asked the US office to send me an invitation letter, just to make passing through customs as frictionless as possible.
I honestly don’t know why all this helped me deal with my anxiety, but I am much calmer for my trip now compared to a week ago. Maybe I got used to the idea, or maybe dealing with all this packing and organization didn’t leave time for anxiety towards the trip itself to build up. No idea, but somehow it worked.
I now feel fully prepared which changes the narrative. I am no longer anxious about messing something up because I’ve triple checked and organized everything to perfection.
This one got a bit longer, but I hope it may help some of you who struggle with the irrational anxiety of messing something up when it comes to flights, entering foreign countries, and passing airport security and customs.
If you have a friend who always complains when you travel together and is constantly on edge, share this with them. It may help ease their anxiety as well.
Thank you for reading and for helping me grow and reach more people.
Till next week,
Dobri 🍃