On the Road Again… with some Travel Hacks

Getting back into the Fall commute was rather difficult this year and the first month of back and forth hit me rather hard… harder than expected. I feel more displaced, confused when I wake up (not knowing where I am), and crunchier than my normal self.

I also have no trips planned for the immediate future because the whole air commuting experience makes me want to claw my eyes out and scream at the world because we are nowhere near figuring out the science behind teleportation or bending/folding distance or molecular travel. We can’t even figure out how to make travel a comfortable and wonderful experience.

I’ve also recently come to the conclusion that my commute is getting in the way of my travel adventures. Regardless, I am still commuting weekly and below are some tips from the On the Road series.

Travel Hacks

Here’s one for the hardcore cross border traveller (an oldie but a goodie): get a Google Voice number and then link up all your phone numbers to that one number. So, when someone calls any one of your numbers from whatever country they are in, your phone will ring your GV number in whatever country you’re in. This saves a TON of money and effort. To make outgoing calls you’ll need some sort of VOIP app like GrooVe IP.

In all honesty, however, the majority of texts, calls, and videos I make are over Hangouts on my iPad; and, I’ve done so from many different countries. The only catch with this is being in a place with a reliable internet connection… or on a generous data plan.

In the Bag

I’m not the only one who uses this handy little organizer on flights; I’ve seen a few others whip it out when they need a pen or some other gadget.

It’s called a Grid-It and is made by Cocoon Innovations. Basically, it is a board with stretchy strips of elastic sewn into various grid formations. It’s designed to hold all those elusive little bit-and-bobs that end up floating around in those deep, dark, mysterious places in your bag.

The promotional photos look so organized and well laid out. In reality, you can jam a lot of sh*t into this grid… as you can see in my photo.

Commuting Photo of the Week

I found this lovely little Electra bike in a bush. It belongs to LinkedIn (obviously). I believe I owe you all a post about the bikes of Silicon Valley.