My Golden Rules of Travel
Hey reader,
Writing from Dolores, Colorado, today, as I’m on the road reporting for the 2023 Fodor’s Colorado guidebook (here’s the 2021 edition). Got out for an afternoon splitboard tour on the Cross Mountain Trail on Lizard Head Pass yesterday (photo below) while driving over from Telluride. Because I was solo, I kept it mellow in the meadows and didn’t ascend into avalanche terrain, but the views of Lizard Head Peak and its neighbors were still impressive.
Today’s essay is a fun one to kick of the holiday season. The article runs through my list of the Golden Rules of Travel, gleaned from the past 15 years and beginning with the almighty principle of ABH. That’ll make more sense in a moment. See you on the other side.
Community Shoutouts
Warm December welcome to the 10 new subscribers since the last dispatch! You’ve arrived on lighthearted inspiration week, but don’t worry — plenty of logistical deep dives on the remote work lifestyle lie ahead.
Paid supporters of Mountain Remote (thank you!!!) received an email containing an incredible photo of the Italian Dolomites this week. That was from IRIS, an excellent newsletter designed as an adventure photobook. Check it out here.
This week’s resource for mountain-loving remote workers is
— a frequent Substack covering remote jobs across a variety of industries. Whether you’re an experienced nomad or hoping to hop the bus, this newsletter is a great way to land that next contract or even a long-term job.
Now, let’s set the rules.
My Golden Rules of Travel
At its best, travel is life-changing. Pro snowboarder Jeremy Jones once told me during an interview that, in regards to understanding different cultures and why protecting the planet is important, “It’s very tough to gain that perspective from your hometown, and we need that one-world perspective more than ever.”
It’s all hands on deck for conservation right now, he said. Throughout my career, I’ve repeatedly discussed the importance of responsible travel, including showing respect for the people and places one visits as well as minimizing one’s footprint while doing so. I firmly believe that seeing new places and attempting to understand them are among the most important missions a person can undertake.
Thing is, it’s tough to do so when you’re stressed about travel logistics. Or you arrive at a new destination only to realize you’ve forgotten something critical. On most trips, I realize something that I’ve forgotten within the first couple of hours after leaving home. But after more than a decade of extensive travel including long-term stints in multiple countries and more short jaunts than I can count, I’ve developed a way to systematize my approach to travel in order to keep streamlined as many things as possible.
Here is that approach.
1. ABH (Always Bring Headphones)
Bose Noise Canceling Headphones - $249
Some of my first travel experiences, aside from family road trips and vacations as a kid, were embarking on short tours and weekend trips with a punk rock band. We were all in our early 20s, and money was scarce among us. Many nights were spent crammed like Lincoln Logs on someone’s living room floor, our sleeping bags rubbing up against each other throughout the night. Others were spent sleeping two guys to a bed in a dingy motel room. Sometimes we camped under the stars.
These experiences were quite memorable, but regardless of how they were spent, privacy and quiet were not included. I learned quickly that headphones were essential if I was to get any sleep at all. I can’t deal with snoring. Or loud neighbors.
This practice has carried on to the present day and aside from essentials like a passport, headphones remain the single most important thing I travel with. Back in the early days, noise-canceling options weren’t a thing, but I’ve since upgraded to a pair of Bose Noise Canceling Headphones. You never know when you’ll have a loud hotel neighbor or a screaming baby across from you on the plane.
2. Go double or go home
Nomatic Tech Case - $59.99 (Or, just use a small carry case that you already have)
Frequent travel means frequent packing and unpacking. It’s easy to get lost in the back-and-forth shuffle of moving clothing and gear in and out of your pack. And this makes it easy to leave behind small things like a phone charger or toiletries.
Small items like these are easy to double up on. I keep a phone charger, toiletries, and other small necessities (granola bars) in my travel bag at all times in order to A) not forget them and, B) not have to move them around when I get home.
You can easily plan this out for yourself by jotting down on a phone note all of the small things you typically travel with, and then checking them off as you double up. To make this easier, I got a Nomatik Tech Case for cables and such. It lives in the front pouch of my Tortuga Setout.
3. Develop an ‘Idiot Check’ routine
Being doubled up doesn’t mean you’re not going to forget something while on the road, however. How many times have you left behind a phone charger or toothpaste in a hotel room? I’ve done it so many times that I nearly disproved the effectiveness of my Double Up theory, until I mastered the Idiot Check.
The Idiot Check is another concept stolen from my band days. Before leaving a gig, we’d do an “idiot check” by walking through the venue’s green room to make sure we weren’t forgetting any patch cords, cables, or maybe even an entire guitar case. We tended to arrange gear in the van in somewhat of a similar pattern each time, so by checking off items during the “idiot check” we’d (usually) be good to go.
I do this in hotel rooms and Airbnbs nowadays. The stuff in my pack is always arranged the same way, and a quick once-through of the room and my pack before departing ensures nothing is forgotten.
One caveat — I’ve had to train myself to unplug my phone charger and pack it away first thing when I wake up. Buying chargers at the airport is just too expensive.
4. Optimize your hotel stay
Work-related travel differs from personal travel in that you have an intent focus while on the road — there’s always a reason to be somewhere, but in professional cases, it’s imperative that this reason is accomplished. The same goes for digital nomads. It’s tough to stay productive on the road without a routine.
I prefer hotels over Airbnb in most instances because I find it easier to meet all of the needs I have as a professional. I’m not talking about room service and shirt pressing. I mean lobbies with excellent WiFi, coffee, and workstations. Maybe a good bagel and a piece of fruit, to boot. I also love a night alone in a hotel room to gather myself. I generally do my best work first thing in the morning, but in hotel rooms, I find it easy to channel inspiration in the evenings with a movie on my laptop in the background (I have, for whatever reason, a vendetta against turning on the TV in hotel rooms).
5. Arrive one night early for outdoor expeditions
The Art of Shralpinism by Jeremy Jones - $24.99
To continue the hotel conversation, over the past few years I’ve started arriving a night early (when possible) for outdoor expeditions. This works great for things like splitboard hut trips and backpacking trips that begin far enough from home that travel is required. Having a night in a hotel provides a chance to go over all of the gear I brought and double-check, one last time, to make sure I haven’t forgotten anything.
This played out in my favor on a winter camping trip in Summit County two years ago. We were set to splitboard tour into camp on Saturday morning, set up our tents and kitchen, and tour the surrounding zone in the afternoon and Sunday. I arrived Friday and stayed in a motel overnight, and realized during my gear check that I’d forgotten a critical piece of clothing. I may not have noticed until camp had I not done that check, and had I not been able to visit a 24-hour store first thing in the morning, I would have been out of luck.
This also provides an in-person view of weather and conditions the day before you hit the trail, which makes route planning and risk assessment that much more effective. Once everything is double-checked and planned, I like to read a good adventure book (currently embedded in The Art of Shralpinism by the aforementioned Jeremy Jones).
6. Get to the airport early
I am the opposite of the person who barely makes their flight in time. Rather, I arrive so early that I generally have a couple of hours to kill after making it through security and finding my gate, and this is intentional. Part of this is my own weird anxieties, to be sure, but mostly, I like to settle into travel mode before getting on the plane.
This includes pushing through work and emails that need to be completed before taking off. It also gives me time to drink a cup of coffee and plenty of water and then go to the bathroom a couple of times before boarding the plane, so that unless it’s a long haul I don’t have to get up in-flight.
The best tool to make all this airport time tolerable, and to shut up any naysayers, is Priority Pass. This service provides access to airport lounges all over the world, and in many airports where there isn’t a lounge that gives access to Priority Pass members, it provides a credit of up to $30 to use at specific onsite restaurants. Lounges have better WiFi than the terminal, making those short work sessions easier.
7. Always book the aisle seat
Because I fly economy class, the aisle seat is the obvious win over the window seat. You have added legroom because there isn’t anyone or anything on one side of you. You also have one armrest that is entirely yours and isn’t crammed up against the side of the plane. Standing up and moving about it easy, which is a major perk on long hauls.
As an added bonus, you can guide your row in proper travel etiquette by remaining seated after the plane reaches the gate until the appropriate time to stand up (when the people a few rows in front of you have made their way into the aisle). This ensures that no one in your row succumbs to the gaper move of standing up immediately following the “ding” that signals the dimming of the fasten seatbelt sign, only to remain awkwardly standing, heads abutting the ceiling and necks tilted in obvious discomfort, for 10 to 15 minutes.
Mountain Remote news and further reading
I reviewed Goal Zero’s Sherpa 100 power banks for Matador Network. For backcountry expeditions and general travel, there’s no better way to keep your phone, laptop, and other devices charged for multiple days. I now bring mine with me everywhere.
A new bank promises access to global workers, without the constraints of typical US banks. Welcome, Sammy.
We close this week with a good take on remote work and travel from Financial Times.
That’s all for now. See you next week!