The Lazy Genius Podcast - Bonus: How I Lazy Genius Air Travel

Episode Date: February 10, 2022

Airports and airplanes have a lot about them that’s the worst, but flying is also part of life for a lot of people so why not Lazy Genius it? I’m going to share my start to finish air travel process and how I apply Lazy Genius principles to it. Hopefully, you get some ideas on how to make air travel easier, too.   Helpful Companion Links Episode 248: The Lazy Genius Guide to Easier Travel Owala water bottle (only use the Free Sip version on a plane, trust me) Cord carrier Vuori joggers Download a transcript of this episode.   This podcast is hosted by Kendra Adachi and executive produced by Kendra Adachi, Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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In light of the recent scandal, I'm here to restore your credibility. Oh, because we're a team now? That's a nice story. The Devil Wears Prada 2 in Theaters Friday. Hey there, you are listening to the Lazy Genius podcast. I'm Kendra Adachi and I'm here to help you be a genius about the things that matter and lazy about the things that don't. This is a bonus episode, which we do about once a month and one kind of bonus episode we on Team LG love to share is how to lazy genius something super specific. Today is that day I'm going to share how I lazy genius air travel.

airports and airplanes have a lot about them that is kind of the worst but flying is also part of life for a lot of people so why not lazy genius it i'm going to share my start to finish air travel process and how i apply lazy genius principles to it hopefully you'll get some ideas on how to make air travel easier for you too okay let's jump in first packing i do not have a decide once rule about checking bags or carrying on, mostly because it depends on how long I'm gone and what the trade-off is for how many liquids, how many liquids I need.

I told you last Monday in the episode about lazy geniusing air travel that I also don't have packing lists because I really make adjustments for every trip, and I like it that way. I find a lot of comfort in having like all my potions and my tonics and my dry shampoo, with me and I don't like to skimp on the brands that I love to settle for brands that I don't, but that happen to have travel sizes for their stuff, right? So every time, every single time I get

on a plane, I look at how long I'll be gone. I process through the whole trip, right? I've to figure out what I'm going to do to my hair, how fancy my makeup has to be, and then I decide if it's worth it to carry on, because a lot of times it's not. I would rather just pack my full size products, take everything I need, and check a bag. Plus, I really do love how nimble travel is to not have my carry-on rolling through the airport. It's not a deal breaker or anything. Like, it's fine if I have it. But getting off the plane and walking around and going to the bathroom and all the things with just a backpack or a purse. Yes, please. Now, that's not a decision for everyone, but it is for me, where I just wait and see, trip by trip. I would rather have the ease of packing

everything I need, then the ease of not waiting at baggage claim. I would rather just wait a baggage claim and have what I need. Next, my carry-on purse or bag, like the purse part, not the suitcase part. This also depends on how long I'll be gone and what I'm actually doing on the trip. I have a small leather backpack I really like for airports, but it's small and it only carries the essentials. It's also not great for like going out to dinner with friends because I don't wear a backpack with my, you know, my fancy top or whatever. That's been a thing on trips before. So if my small backpack, if it covers the needs for my trip, I'll just use that and nothing else. It's great. But if I need something bigger or more versatile for the entire trip, I have a large

shoulder bag. Occasionally, I will pack a tiny crossbody or like a wrist bag if I need something a little bit nicer when I'm gone. But obviously that kind of thing is. is definitely not going to cut it as my, as my airplane bag, you know? Because here's the thing. We have to name what matters most, right? Always. Two of my top needs, I already mentioned them, two of my top needs, are having what I need and ease. Those are my top two things. And sometimes those things go together in one choice. But if I have to choose only one of those priorities, it's having what I need. That's why I would rather check a bag, then carry on, because I'd rather have what I need than have the ease of no baggage claim. The same is true for my extra purse,

like my carry-on extra purse. I would rather have what I need. Now, the backpack is easier, and sometimes it also has what I need. But I will sacrifice the ease of the backpack for the need of a bigger bag. Does that make sense? So knowing what matters most, it helps you make a better decision, even a decision like what kind of purse or bag you're going to take on a plane. Okay, what about what I put in my bag on a plane? My essentials are air pods, lotion, because my hands get so dry when I'm traveling. A water bottle. I use the Oala water bottle that was in our holiday gift guide last year.

I'm obsessed with it. It was so great. It has a lock on it, which is nice so that, you know, you don't like get in trouble with a leaky water bottle. Hand sanitizer, obviously. And extra masks. Now I have, let's stop there, actually. I have a pack of black K-N-95 masks that I use exclusively for travel. I wear them other places sometimes, but the choice is I don't take reusable masks on trips.

I just always take K-N-95s. So hand sanitizer and masks, my Kindle paper white, because I read a lot on my trips. I have this little, like, it's like a little charger wallet. It's like a cute little zippered, like hardcovered pouch that holds charging cables and air pod cases and, you know, kind of whatever else you want to carry so they don't get all tangled up in your bag. I really, really love it. I take a granola bar and dried mango.

Those are seriously those are the snacks I always take. And then a notebook and a pen. Now, I learned that one, the notebook in the pen, after flying a lot over a stretch of weeks, especially on longer flights. Doing everything digitally was making my brain sad. Sometimes I just wanted to like, I wanted to write something down or make a list or draw a doodle. I needed to do something with my hands. Recently, I thought about taking my cross-stitch stuff on my last flight, but I got nervous about the tiny scissors and the needles.

Even though the TSA website says it's okay, but I was terrified that all my prized cross-stitching things would be confiscated at the gate. But then, actually, last week, I sat next to a woman who, who had her cross-stitch kit. And I was so mad. I didn't bring mine. So that might happen on my next flight. But the point is, I need something analog. I need something to do with my hands.

It is like, it's so important for me to have a place to go and do something that's not digital. And even having a hardcover book, it's not the same thing. I don't know how to, I don't quite know how to explain it. But I just have to have the option to make something with my hands for more peaceful air travel experiences. So I just pack a notebook and pen and it's great. So those are my travel bag essentials. We'll be right back.

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It's something waiting for us in everyday life, whether in a city street or a moment with a work of art. I'm Dr. Keltner, host of the Science of Happiness podcast. Join me for Cities of Aw. A special series on how our public spaces can spark awe, wonder, and enhance the quality of public life. You can find us wherever you listen to your podcasts. As far as my clothes, I have an airport uniform for the most part. Soft pants that are not denim.

So either leggings or usually a pair of Viori joggers, which are the best joggers in the world. You know, I've talked about those before. I love them. So I wear those with a white or gray t-shirt, like short. sleeve in case I get hot, which happens, you know, especially when you're, I've learned the hard way, when you're trying to get to your gate quickly and you're walking speedwalking through the Atlanta airport, you need short sleeves because you sweat. So I wear a white or gray short sleeve t-shirt and then either my duster cardigan from Able, which I love, or I have this like boxy cropped

sweater I got from Everlane a few years ago, which I love that too. I wear that all the time. Both of those are really great layer pieces at the airport for me. because they keep me warm. They're super comfortable, but they're also easy to kind of take off if I get hot or when I go through security. So comfy pants, a wider gray t-shirt, and one of those two sweaters. Every single time. I do that depending on my mood, whichever one I choose is kind of based on my mood. And also what would, what piece would work well for the rest of the trip, right? One might be more versatile than the other for the rest of the trip. And then socks with shoes that slip off easily. Last fall, I flew for the first time in years, years. And I forgot that you have to take off

your shoes at security. I was wearing these beautiful flats from, I can't remember, I got them from Everlane or Madewell. I don't remember. But I had no socks on, obviously, because they're just like, little flats. And I thought I was being so smart by having shoes that were like, like small and can fit my bag and, you know, whatever. But then when I was walking through security, in my bare feet, I almost vomited. I was like, this was a terrible decision. Why did I do this? So I learned my lesson with that one. So socks with shoes that come off easily. That's either a pair of loosely tied allbirds or my vionic sneakers or a pair of sorrel boots that are my favorite winter shoes and those come off super, super easily. Okay, I feel like I've been talking for shoes for too long. But this makes me realize something that I want to share. So I, I get get kind of anxious in the security line at an airport. Not that I'm going to get in trouble at all. I'm too much of a real follower to do that. But the enneagram one in me, her dark side, her shadow side, it comes out kind of loud in security lines. I want to be as efficient as possible.

I don't want to make anyone wait. I don't want to make people behind me wait. Like in line going through security. I don't want to make any of the TSA officers wait. Like, I don't want to do something stupid and be laughed at. Like, girlfriend, you forgot to put on your shoes or, you know, I don't know, whatever it is. I just want to go in and out like a pro. Now, do those things actually matter? They, not really. No. If I goof or I forget to take off my belt or something, which is honestly why I don't wear a belt in the airport, I don't really wear belts much at all, but I'm like, no, nothing that I have to, that I might forget about. But if I do, Like, it's not that big of a deal, right? I know that. But the emotional work required for me to tell

myself the truth when I do goof is so heavy that I do actively try and avoid those situations. I'm not wearing easily removable shoes or keeping my liquid bag and my purse because I want to get it right and be an amazing traveler. I'm not doing that for that reason. I do it because the work required to tell myself that I don't have to be an amazing traveler is not work I have the capacity to do in an airport. I would rather have an easy, efficient time in the security line so that there are fewer chances that I have to give myself a pep talk that I'm okay for not doing it right. Does that make sense? I know that sounds kind of weird. Like I prioritize having an easy security experience to keep myself from having to talk myself down from having a hard security experience.

That might not make any sense to some of you. It's kind of convoluted, but maybe for others of you, you're like, yes, I actually get that. So I just wanted to say that, just in case that helped give some words to kind of how you feel about things. Okay, that is the section on what I wear. Now let's talk about, this is my favorite. This is, I feel like this is where it shines, how I spend my time in the actual airport first. I very much ask the magic question when it comes to food even before I leave my house on a trip. I look at my flight time, my layover, what time zone I'll be in when I land, and I ask myself, what can I do now to make eating food easier later?

I think about when I'll have a chance to eat a real meal and not just a granola bar, and I adjust my airport eating to accommodate that. It is a high priority for me and my body and my experience in an airport to eat real food. and I don't mean real like stuff only from the earth, like a salad only. I just mean like some protein, something that's hearty and tastes good, but that's not just like a candy bar or nuts from the, you know, from like the little airport convenience store or burgers and fries at a fast food or whatever. My go-to meal in an airport is some kind of rice bowl. Surprise, surprise. Kendra loves her rice bowls.

Maybe like, you know, like a chicken terriarchy sort of thing. if there's some sort of Chipotle-esque place, you know, something like that. But rice with some kind of protein and maybe a vegetable is like my best airport meal. That is my decide once. And every bigger airport that I've ever been to has something like that. So back to the magic question. If I know I'll need to eat an actual meal in the airport because of how long I'll be traveling and when I'm in the airport, I magic question that process.

I might not eat breakfast, for example. If I know that I'll be eating airport lunch early, just because of the timing, like, let's say my only window to eat airport lunch is closer to 11, and I'm not going to get access to food again until 8 p.m. I want to be hungry for that 11 o'clock lunch to carry me through to that late evening. So I will skip breakfast, which I don't, I often skip breakfast anyway, but I will skip breakfast on purpose, so I'll be hungry at 11. Okay, here's another thing that I do about the food, though, is the timing of getting it. If I know that I need to grab my food on my way to my next gate, you know, I need to get a meal between landing and one airport and getting on a plane to go to another. And I know that I'll have to walk through like four terminals to get where I'm going or any number. It doesn't matter how many terminals.

If I see a Rice Bowl restaurant on the way with a short line, I'll go ahead and get in. that line to get my food and then I'll just carry it with me the rest of the way to my terminal. I don't necessarily get to my terminal and then find a place to eat. You know what I'm saying? I know what I'm looking for. Rice balls. I keep my eye out for that because I've already decided once what I'm eating and I would rather not wait longer than I have to for that food. Like maybe one terminal is busier than another. So if I pass one and it's like, oh, there's like two people in that line. I'll just go ahead and get my food. I'll peel off, get my food, and then walk on to my gate. And then here is like my, like my favorite airport choice, which a lot of you might do. This

might be one of those like no-brainer things that you're like, yeah, Kendra, everyone does this. But I also don't see a lot of people doing this. So I want to say it out loud. I, if I have the time, okay? If I save my next flight doesn't board for like 15 minutes or longer from at whatever point it is. I will go and I will sit at an empty gate. My biggest stressor in an airport are the people inside the airport. I think that everyone's worst, not everyone, that's not fair, but a lot of people's worst comes out in an airport. I get easily irked by people's behaviors, by improper mask wearing right now, by how people treat their children or their spouses or the folks who work at the airport who are just doing their jobs. The people are the worst part of the airport for me.

So the more I can be away from them, the better I am from an emotional standpoint. So I seek out empty gates. I will go the long way to find an empty gate. I will pick a chair facing the window because seeing the sky is so good for me. I set an alarm on my phone for like 15 minutes before my flight is supposed to board. And I just hang out. at that empty gate until it's time to go. And it is the best, hands down, best airport decision that I make every single time. Empty gates, you guys. Find the empty gates. A couple of other quick things. I always do with air travel. First, and this isn't that big of a deal and might sound kind of weird, actually. But when the plane lands, I just keep doing what I'm doing. Now, I don't share that to be like,

don't stand up everyone. You can't leave yet, even though I do feel that way. Like, don't stand up. You can't leave yet. But it's precisely. that feeling that has led me to the choice to keep reading or listening to my music or whatever I'm doing and not pay attention to everyone else who's standing and scrunch down in the aisles waiting to get off the plane. Because I get frustrated by that, okay, by that practice of people. I have kind of taught myself to expect it, you know? I tell myself, okay, everyone is going to immediately stand up and sigh deeply while they wait and get kind of frustrated because we all want to get off the plane. But Kendra, you just expect that they're going to do that and don't let it

bother you and just keep reading until the four rows in front of you actually start moving. That's when you can start to get off the plane. Now, that is kind of a strange decide once, but it really keeps me from getting frustrated at people on the plane. And then finally, rental cars. Okay, if you are at an airport and you're picking up a rental car, which I've done a lot of times, I want to share a tip and a story. First, the tip. When you get to your rental car, get situated. Find the blinkers and the windshield wipers.

Check all the mirrors. Make sure the side mirrors aren't flipped inward while you're in the parking lot instead of on the highway. That has happened to me before. Plug in your phone. Set up the Bluetooth. Check the map of where you're going. Get your water bottle or whatever you're drinking. Like take some deep breaths.

Stretch a little. I sometimes send in my rental car for 15 minutes before I start driving just to make sure I'm comfortable, like just to take a deep breath and kind of decompress. Being in a new car is like, it's slightly stressful for me anyway, but especially after coming off of the actual flight and airport time. So it's good for me to take as much time as I need before I leave in the rental car. Again, I've sat in one for 15 minutes, multiple ones actually for 15 minutes before I like put the car in reverse. Now, a story that has to do with rental cars, but has broader strokes for air travel in general. All right. Last fall, I was on the longest trip ever. I flew to Minnesota for a work thing,

which, like, it takes a long time because North Carolina and Minnesota are far away, and it's not super direct. There were lots of connections, okay? My time in Minnesota was quite short before I then flew to Florida for another thing, okay? That trip, I was gone, I think it was for five days, and I counted that I was on something like nine or ten planes during those five days, plus several hours were in, rental cars as well. It was just a lot. It was a lot. It was a lot. Anyway, when I arrived in Florida, okay, I had to drive to Alabama because I couldn't land directly in Alabama. So I landed in Florida to drive an hour to Alabama. I was exhausted. I was exhausted. It was 10 o'clock at night when I arrived in Florida. My flights were pretty stressful because I had barely enough time to

gets to each gate, like, like, like kind of running up to my gate, sweating as my flight was boarding. You know, there was no like, oh, I made it. Like, like the line, most of the people were on the plane. It was so stressful. So by the time I got to my rental car in Florida, I was hungry and tired. I still had over an hour drive ahead of me. And I just wanted to get where I was going. Okay.

Well, I got in my rental car, which, you know, that big rental car parking lot, you know, finding my car and all the things. I loaded up my stuff. I checked my mirrors. I did all the things. And then I went to plug in my phone, get into the car, and I realized I couldn't. I couldn't find a USB port or whatever it's called for my phone. It was the wrong kind of cable. It was like the wrong kind of plug. Now, I did not know where I was going. So I needed Google Maps. I was in the middle of nowhere. but I was also never at a gate long enough during my trip there to charge my phone because I never sat down. And my plane, like the planes I was on, they didn't have ports for charging. So my phone had something like 12% battery life.

For an hour plus drive where I needed the map in the middle of literally nowhere, I needed more than 12%. I needed my phone to charge and I needed to see my map. And I started to cry. I was like, this car isn't right. It's not going to work. I just want to leave. I'm just so tired. It was the whole thing.

So, but then I thought, I took a deep breath. And I was like, okay, you're a grown-up. You need a different car. This car is not going to work. Now it's going to be annoying to get all your stuff out and walk back to the airport and try and get a new car and it's a hassle. But this is important. Kendra, we need to do this.

It's like pep talking myself. This is not the time to take a drive on a prayer and hope that 12% battery. last until you get to Alabama in the dead of night. So I got out of the car. I packed up all my stuff. I rolled everything back to the airport. I went to the rental car desk where a new person was working because I was in the car long enough for a shift change and said, hi, I just got my rental car, but I can't plug in my phone. I really need to plug in my phone. And the woman was like, oh, of course. Of course you do. She was super kind, super helpful. she even gave me an upgrade to like a like a mid-size SUV or whatever for my trouble and I was back in a new car in literally seven minutes like it was so fast when I plugged in my phone into the car that took it and I got situated in my new car I was like I felt like a different person when we are stressed out well I'll speak for myself when I am stressed out we often can't see the forest for the trees right we have

think that any time spent trying to make things easier from this terrible situation we're in is going to be a waste and it's so much effort and it's the worst and then we get even more stressed. Like we spiral. I was close to spiraling in that rental car. I had even called CAUSE who did not answer because it was after 11 o'clock in his time zone and he was asleep. I was crying and tired and it was awful. And I just did not want to be a grown up right then.

But I knew that the potential inconvenience of getting a. a new car, both for me and maybe even for the person who worked there in my imagination, even though that's their job and it's not an inconvenience for them at all. That was absolutely worth my having what I needed, right? Again, what matters most? I need to have what I need. I need to be secure in having what I need. And that is always more important than ease or convenience.

Always, always. So that story, like in that moment, it was a real kind of flag in the sand for me on what matters to me. It showed me that, it showed me what was worth my effort, right? And it has impacted all my trips after that. I'm like, no, no, no, no. It doesn't matter if you were given the wrong thing. You go back and you get what you need. Always.

So that is how I lazy genius my air travel. And while some of those tips, I hope, are helpful more than that. I hope that you see how naming what matters most to you, it's going to impact your decisions, even decisions that feel like they're already made for you, like in an airport. Thank you for listening to this bonus episode. I hope it helps the next time you're in an airport. And until next time, be a genius about the things that matter and lazy about the things that don't. I'm Kendra.

I'll see you next week. Have you ever felt like you were living just a B or B plus life? It's so dangerous to live that, more dangerous than a B minus or a C plus life. because when you're living a B or B plus life, you don't change it. You think it's good enough. Is it? I'm Susie Welch. I host a podcast called Becoming You.

People think, okay, an A plus life is not available to me, but there is a way. We are all in the process of becoming ourselves. Listen to Becoming You wherever you get your podcasts.