Going for Comfort

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Going for Comfort
  As an increasing number of people are hitting the road, they’re devising tricks and tips so traveling feels less akin to drudgery. Unless you have a private jet, there’s little to no way to lessen the pain of getting in and out of airports in these days of heightened security.   Unless you’re sitting in the front of the plane, (and even then), you’re going to notice lots of cutbacks and occasional grumpy members of the crew. Who can blame them? They resent senior management is banking bigger bucks at the end of the year, while their salaries and pensions decrease.   I’m not referring to occasional tourists who are winging their way to a week’s vacation at someplace wonderful and exotic, or a spa stay. Even though they may be impacted by bad weather, canceled flights and other aggravations, it’s not a way of life that has a domino effect in impacting personal finances at the end of the month. People who count on commissions have been known to want to set their hair on fire and vow never to book a flight with a layover in Chicago in the midst of winter.   A vast number of Bonjour Paris readers are coming to France and other EU countries in order to conduct business, and if they’re lucky and choose to do so, tack on a day or two of vacation at each end of the trip.  Food is food but there’s something special about a dinner in a stellar Paris restaurant.   Many business people want to parachute in and out of business destinations and get home as rapidly as possible. But what a shame not to see Big Ben, the Eiffel Tower or the Taj Mahal if you’re in that part of the world.   Travel warriors, whose careers depend on being on the go, invariably have developed routines of their own. Many people wear essentially the same clothes whenever they travel, add or subtract items depending on the weather, social functions and what they have on their agendas. Frequently people keep a bag packed in the event that they’re called upon to be on the next plane.    Once, I spent 14 nights in different beds during a 21-day period. The rooms were less than glamorous and I found myself awakening in the middle of the night befuddled. Where was I and what was I doing there? I started freaking out when I realized I didn’t know in which time zone my body was existing.   After that trip, I compiled a list of must-take items that helped me feel a bit less disoriented as I jetted around the world.   It requires a bit of space in your suitcase but take your own pillow. I even use it on longer flights when I’m trying to catch a few winks. This pillow has become more essential to my travel comfort than an extra outfit or a fourth pair of shoes. Besides, a woman can never go wrong if she wears black accompanied by scarves and other accessories with a bit of color. Men always look right at a business dinner if they wear a dark grey suit, a white starched shirt and an appropriate tie. You can never go wrong in Paris if you opt for Hermes.  There’s nothing wrong with wearing a tie from this designer even if you’re in London or in Rome.   A picture of your children, family or even your dog or cat to give your room more of a feeling of home is a must. Cell phones are a boon.  Just make certain you’re not calling your children (much less your spouse) at 2:00 a.m.   A facemask to tone down the outside light is great. Different rooms have different levels of brightness and one will aid in giving you a uniform sleep. There are ones scented with different smells to which many people become habituated. The lavender scented ones that remind me of Provence and have a cooling and soothing effect are my travel-musts.   Pack an alarm clock to which you’re accustomed and can actually see. There’s nothing more disconcerting than awakening in the middle of the night and having to look for a clock to turn off but not being able to find it; scrambling to locate your watch so you’re able to ascertain the time of day or night can throw off your biorhythms in a huge way.   There is no one answer as to how to beat travel fatigue and or displacement. A key secret I learned was to visibly prop a sheet of paper that included the following information. The name of the hotel, the CITY in which it’s located and the room’s telephone number.   There are a lot of cookie-cutter looking hotels, most especially ones that are targeted for the business traveler.   The Bonjour Paris mantra however is to try to leave a few extra hours for a mini-vacation.  Go to an art exhibition, a concert or a walk in the park.  They are there for…
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