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Traveling Life Hacks for the Modern Nerd or NERDS ON A PLANE
I came up with a whole bunch of new life hacks from my trip to Nebraska and back.
Liquids: Since we are all fighting the war against liquids here in the US of A it is forbidden to bring any drinks or other liquids on a plane that is not contained within your tummy. So if you need a cup of coffee in the airport you can use the clock on your iPod to find out how much time you have to drink your precious decaffeinated liquid before your connecting flight.
Parking: On line parking discount tickets are pretty cool. I reserved a space On line and got a discount code that shaved two bucks a day off the parking spot. They should have a passenger bus to and from the airport and are much safer than leaving your car actually at the airport.
Travel Info: Use an iPod or PDA to store all your travel information in single note file so you don't have to carry around multiple sheets of dead tree paper to.
Clocks: Set multiple clocks on your iPod or PDA for each timezone you are stopping in.
Leg room: For the love of God think twice about raising the seat divider if you have a fellow passenger who's butt is too big to fit in the seat. I sat next to this very nice girl my age who had a butt that was way too big for a single seat and being the nice guy that I was I lifted the divider arm rest so she could breath a bit easier. Then I went to sleep and when the flight landed I had no feeling in my legs due to lack of blood circulation. I had to wait a bit before I could walk and even then I tripped and fell when I was going up the ramp. The entire affair sucked for everyone involved.
Movie: If you have a video capable iPod, PDA or a PSP with a big memory stick you should rip and compress a DVD that you have not seen onto your iPod or PDA so you can watch your own damn in flight movie. I have to stress the point of watching a movie that you have not seen before so you don't loose interest. Also if you are watching a movie in a foreign language make sure that you include the subtitles track. Handbreak can include the subtitles track while Roxio Popcorn 2 can't include subtitles.
In Flight Drinks: Pick a drink that you do not usually get on the ground. I think that Bloody Mary mix is a perfect tasty treat for flying. I swear that when I fly I always ask for one and it is a Pavlovian response that I sort of need a spicy tomato juice with no booze when I fly now.
Shoes: You might want to wear Flip-Flops or sandals for your flight and check your shoes in your bag. BBQ will be proud of you. Socks help you feel civilized. Sure you will look like a dork but it is only at the airport and you will probably never see these people ever again.
Snacks: Since snacks can cost you and arm and a leg as well as your first born child at the airport you should stop by a grocery store the night before and get a small snack or two just in case. This also helps you resist the temptation of standing in line and paying insane amounts of cash for lackluster food at the airport if you have a long layover. Just don't get anything messy or smelly.
Pockets: Wear a jacket or shirt with pockets so you can have your iPod or Nintendo DS Lite ready when you get to your seat.
Books: Bring a good book because THE MAN won't let you use your iPod during landing or takeoff. Apparently having an iPod sleep is fine but actually listening to one is not kosher when I doubt that the electrical field will extend longer than your arm and there is no transmitters of any kind on it. If you are reading a hard cover book with a slightly disturbing title or cover take the jacket off.
Notebook: If you are bringing a notebook computer you should have it as a carry on even if you do not use it during your flight. It is away to important and fragile to trust to the industrial baggage handling system. If you do plan on using it during your flight you might want to invest and extra hundred bucks in an extra battery so you can double your batter life between charges.
Bags: Consider only bringing one bag that is big enough for three days worth of clothes but small enough that you can bring it as a carry on bag and pack light. That totally helps you to get to and from the airport without having to deal with the mess of checked bags. Check your carry on bag in the over head bin but make sure that you have your book or iPod in your pocket before hand.
Sleep: If you have an early flight just stay up all night and plan on crashing when you get to your destination. That totally helps you adjust to the jet lag.
Headphones: Wear your head phone around your neck so you don't have to untangle them or fish them out from your bag or pocket.
Bereavement tickets: If you have the unfortunate event of having to fly to attend a funeral you can call the airline direct and see if they have any bereavement tickets available. A bereavement ticket can be a third to half off the normal cost and the dates can be moved within reason without extra fees. The one requirement is that you need a form letter from the funeral director stating that you actually attended a funeral.
Chargers: Get a portable charger and charge your iPod or PSP during your layover if you plan on watching a lot of video.
Jake at August 17, 2006 
Stuff
Comments
Another thing to mention regarding notebooks and luggage- The scanners airports use for checked luggage can wipe your HDD, so it's best to put it in your carry-on. Insist on a manual check by staff, if they insist you carry it through a detector too- not that it should ever happen, but you never know.
Re: Books and disturbing covers. I refer you to the part where you say you'll never see any of these people again... ;)
Good stuff altogether though. I'm sorry you had to find all this out in such a bad situation though- my condolences.
Posted by: James Yates at August 17, 2006 1:49 PM
I hate it when fat people sit next to me on a plane, I get nothing done because I'm worried about their fat sweaty parts touching me. Gross.
I think gum is crucial for flying. It will be miserable without a stick of double mint in your mouth. Although double mint gets hard pretty fast, then that gives you a headache, then you have a whole other set of problems on your hands.
Posted by: Shawn L ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.8bitjoystick.com/nav-commenters.gif)
at August 17, 2006 5:43 PM
Be nice now. I don’t blame her. She was a nice girl and the situation sucked for everyone involved.
Posted by: Jake of 8bitjoystick.com at August 18, 2006 8:37 AM
you got an...interesting bit of advice. but i do think you should go easy on the girl as well. mostly because big butts aren't usually a bad thing.
Posted by: mash of stash of mold of gold at September 7, 2006 3:45 PM
