Winter Traveling Tips
When I first moved from Texas to Minnesota,
I was actually looking forward to the cold.
Naively standing in my driveway wearing cowboy boots and a leather
bomber jacket, I looked to the horizon and wished for snow. I got it!
My first year here, it snowed 32 inches on Halloween night, and I was
vastly under-prepared. Take it from me, a
light bomber jacket and Armadillo skin cowboy boots are no match for blowing
snow. As weeks went by and as the
temperature kept dropping, I kept buying coats, shoes, boots, gloves, hats;
each time thinking, “This is it, I got it covered. There’s no way I can get cold now!”
Travelers have to be
prepared for any kind of weather. Snowbound
citizens of the north who might be traveling to Florida wonder, “Should I take this heavy
coat to the airport? I won’t wear it on
the trip…” and what about the average southern traveler who gets sent to a
Winter Wonderland to work a few days?
What can they do to prepare? Here
are some tips:
- ? When
I travel from a cold winter climate to a warmer one, I leave my car and my
coats at home. With my car tucked safely
in a warm garage, I don’t have to worry about the battery or about brushing a
ton of snow off of it when I come back.
I wear a few layers of light clothing that I can also wear in warmerclimates. That’s enough “warmth” to get
me to the airport in a cab.
- ? Faithful
readers know I’m a fan of Keen brand shoes.
They go with jeans, Dockers, business casual wear, etc, they slip on sothey’re airport friendly, and they’re super supportive and comfortable. They have a winter shoe out that has a wool
liner all around the inside, a heavily lugged sole for walking in snow/ice, and
waterproof leather uppers. This
is my winter traveling shoe. It doesn’t
make sense to pack boots in your suitcase (too big), but it’s crazy to walk 10
blocks through New York’s
wintery slush in good shoes, too.
- ? I
never pack a coat. Ever. They take up too much room in the suitcase. If it’s cold enough where I’m going, I’ll
where a coat to the airport and carry it with me on the plane. Southerners, get yourselves a good windproof,
rain resistant outer shell with generous room, and wear layers underneath it. There’s no sense in buying a parka for a week’s
trip, but a waterproof outer shell is useful almost anywhere, and it breaks
down to pack lightly. If you must buy a
coat, get one with a removable fleece liner. It’s actually two coats and you might actually
wear the individual pieces on southern chilly days.
- ? Thinsulate
is your friend. Hats, gloves, mittens,
ear protection, etc, that have “Thinsulate” in them will be plenty warm, I
promise. They’ll also be much lighter,
thinner, and easier to pack and travel with.
- ? Sunscreen
is more important in the winter, than the summer. UV rays reflect up off snow and ice and you’ll
be surprised at how quickly you can sunburn when it’s freezing outside. Lip Balm is important, too. The dry air will crack your lips in no time. I like Burt’s
Bees lip balm. The stuff works like
crazy.
Ultimately, I won the
battle against old man winter. I walked
out of the store with an empty wallet, and Columbia’s best coat. Confidently wearing the “Mount Everest
Expedition” parka, I actually enjoyed the walk from the store to the 4wd truck
that had replaced my car. Like Scarlet
O’hara who famously vowed not to ever go hungry, I silently took an oath, “As
God is my witness, my teeth shall never chatter again!”
EXTRA: If you have questions for Ken regarding
business travel, hotels, airplanes, etc, please send an email! Your questions
will be recorded and Ken will answer the best ones in his Ask the
Expert podcast show.
