I’ve had a month off from travel, which has been nice. It’s been an interesting time catching up on things at home, and a nice break from the disruption to my schedule that travel entails. However, all good things come to an end, and last week I headed out on Thursday morning for another trip, this time to Slovenia and the UK.
I found myself woefully unprepared. A list of things I’ve forgotten:
- two pairs of bluetooth headphones
- phone charger cable
- usb adapter for phone cable
- two pairs of wired headphones
- external mouse
- HDMI wireless adapter
- gloves
- belt
- naproxen
At least I remembered to pack my laptop charger, wallet, and passport, something I haven’t always done. I also did get sneakers packed for the gym.
In the last month, I did spend a few nights in the mountains, and had some long day trips around Denver, during which I’d slowly moved a few things from my laptop bag, or roller bag, to use for a few hours. In the past I’ve been good about putting those things back in bags right away, so I’d be ready to travel. I usually keep my main luggage and laptop bag ready to go, since I travel so much. Often I can just throw a few changes of clothes in the bag and leave.
With a busy week last week, I was slightly worried I might have forgotten something, but I was in a hurry Thursday morning as I packed and didn’t double check myself. I did look for the wallet and passport, since with those I can likely replace anything I need.
When I got to the airport, I realized that I’d left the bluetooth headphones charging on my desk. I’d used one pair for a meeting while cooking, and grabbed another for the gym last week and didn’t put them back. Worse, I’d taken some of the wired headphones from a jacket and bag and used them at different times, getting lazy about putting them back. Same for the phone charger cable. I used that while cooking, and it’s sitting in the kitchen now.
These are minor issues, and I can certainly survive. Fortunately I’ve kept a spare pair of wired headphones and charging cable in my luggage for emergencies and pulled them out. I survived Slovenia without gloves, though it wasn’t that cold. I did have to buy a belt and some pain meds for an injured wrist, and I can live without the mouse.
This is the same type of thing I’ve seen in an office at work, where myself or someone deviates from a routine, gets lazy and then starts taking more shortcuts to get around the other shortcuts I’ve taken. I need to stick to a routine, and certainly adhere to any expectations I’ve set for myself and others. Hopefully I’ll remember to do this in the new year, with quite a bit of time off.