editor jess recommends...travel stuffs

Have mask, will travel!

Ready for takeoff!

I've just returned from my first international book signing (#fancy) and everything is still fresh in my mind, so you get all the travel tips and tricks as they come pouring from my head.

I'm gonna try to keep this concise, but we'll see how it goes...

Context: I went to the RARE22 Edinburgh signing as rom-com author Pippa Grant's assistant. Then I popped over to Stockholm (as one does when one has already crossed the Atlantic) to visit an Army buddy for a few days. This trip was half work and half play.

Tip #1 - get the travel insurance. Especially right now, when a negative covid test is required to re-enter the US. And especially especially if you'll be around a lot of people at a group event like a conference or convention. I had to get a negative test on Friday to be able to fly home on Saturday. If I'd been stuck at a hotel for the additional ten days a positive test requires, that would likely cost me another $1000-$3000 just for accommodation. Travel insurance will normally reimburse that cost. Check your policy to be sure.

Tip #2 - the signing table. I'm sharing some of Pippa's "lessons learned" and I hope she doesn't mind. She brought one suitcase full of swag and books. It was heavy. It was also old and falling apart, so we threw it away at the end of the signing. We did manage to give away everything she brought with us, but by the end of the second day, I was telling people, "No, go ahead and take seven stickers. Do you want this hot sauce also?"

Note: Scottish people don't generally want the hot sauce that comes with your sticker order.

Pippa's swag

• Pippa recommends taking half the number of freebie/swag items you think you'll need. When it comes to dragging that stuff onto planes and around the world with you, it's better to run out than to have to drag or ship it all back home. (That second line is a filterless Editor Jess thought, not Pippa :)
• If you have the time/ability/wherewithal to do it, create a QR code to a landing page for readers that can sit on your table for them to scan as they walk up. Readers can get a list of recommended books if they haven't read you before and also have the opportunity to sign up for your newsletter or link to your store from there.
• Ensure your swag has your name or website on it so when readers find it at the bottom of a bag three months later, they know who it came from.
• Check to see what the conference organizers will have at your table for you already. Whether they are providing it or you're bringing it yourself, we recommend: extra markers and pens that dry quickly, a pair of scissors, tape (both Scotch and duct/shipping), a refillable water bottle, snacks, tissues, a battery pack to charge your phone.
• If you're selling books or other items, give readers as many ways as possible to pay - Venmo, Zelle, PayPal, cash (have plenty of change), carrier pigeon, etc.

Tip #3 - arrive early. Travel is draining even if all you're doing is sitting on a plane for seven hours. ​

Edinburgh Castle outside my hotel window

Crossing time zones plays havoc with our sleeping and eating schedules. And all of that leads to exhaustion and crankiness. If you have an important meeting or event that you need to be coherent for, I recommend trying to arrive at least two days prior (though I know that's not always possible). The signing was on Friday and Saturday, so Pippa and I left the US on Tuesday and arrived in Edinburgh on Wednesday at noon. That gave us an afternoon to get our bearings and walk around the hotel neighborhood a bit, find some food, rehydrate after too long with too little water, and be ready for bed around 10pm even though it was still pretty light outside and our bodies thought it was 5pm. 

Getting onto a "normal" sleep and food schedule as soon as possible will help you recover faster. We both took the days after the signing as a vacation - she and her family stayed in Scotland to tour while I flew to Sweden to spend a few days with a friend.

Tip #4 - my favorite travel items. My Idea List on Amazon is full of the things I most appreciate when I travel - likes shoes that I can walk miles in but that still look cute, or an inflatable travel pillow that keeps your mouth from hanging open when you sleep on the plane. And who can ignore the magic of a Kindle Fire that lets me critique and developmental edit on the Word app, line and copy edit with a Bluetooth keyboard, listen to music, watch movies, and play color matching games before bed?

That Samonsite suitcase in the photo is my go-to, and I use for nearly every trip I take. I normally travel carry-on only, and that little beast has served me well for almost five years now. If you'd like to see what I brought on this trip - two carry-ons, but I checked one due to the amount of Bisquick and Fritos I was taking (no, that's not a euphemism or codeword) - you can watch the TikTok video I did the night I packed.

Tip #5 - find the fun. The first half of this trip was legitimately work for both Pippa and me. She's not a huge extrovert, so signings like this - even though she loves meeting readers - can be really draining for her. I brought skin care face masks that we put on before popping into her reader group on Facebook for a live chat with members on Wednesday night. We looked absolutely ridiculous and had a blast chatting with her Pipsquad.

The hotel we stayed at had a "thermal suite" that we booked for Thursday evening before we even really knew what it was - we just figured it would be a big hot tub and that sounded relaxing. It turned out to be a three-hour experience that I'd recommend to anyone staying at the hotel! There were half a dozen wet and dry saunas, two programmable showers that cycled through hot and cold water while running a light and sound show to imitate a thunderstorm, a giant indoor pool, and a heated, jetted pool outside on the rooftop.

We booked tea on a yacht with author pal Lucy Score and Mr. Lucy, I made my own gin blend, and Pippa got to meet up with friends she hadn't seen in years.

Work travel doesn't have to be all work, even if you're going to Omaha for a sales conference rather than Scotland for a book signing. Ask the hotel staff for a trendy restaurant recommendation, choose a convertible rental car instead of the sedan, check out a local museum, browse an independent bookstore. Find the fun no matter where you are and you'll bring home great memories as well as some souvenirs.

Editor Jess & Pippa Grant