Lost Luggage File a report at the airport. As soon as you realize your bags are missing, go immediately to the lost-luggage counter and file a report. Get a copy of the report, and write down the name of the person who helps you and the report number. Obtain the direct phone number for the baggage counter. Airport personnel may give you a toll-free number to call to check on the status of your bags. Take the number, but ask for the number of the lost-baggage counter at the airport itself. Request compensation. Some airlines will issue a check on the spot to cover the immediate cost of your buying clothing or essentials. Or the airline may give you a toiletries bag to cover your grooming needs until your bag is retained. Call the airport baggage counter regularly. Do not assume the airline will call you. Be prepared for a two-day delay. Do not assume that your bag will be put on the next departing flight to your destination: Airlines place recovered luggage only on their own planes, not on those of other carriers. If the next flight is not until late the following evening, you may not see your bag for two days. Purchase necessary items before you leave the airport. If you arrive at your destination on a holiday or late at night, you may not be able to shop for essentials in town. 1 2 8 3 4 5 6 Cheap Hotel Request a room with a quiet location. Avoid rooms near elevators, vending machines, the ice maker, the parking lot, or a noisy bar. Ask for a room at the end of the hall so there is less foot traffic outside the door. Check the mechanicals and plumbing. Before unpacking, check air conditioning, heat, television, lights, and water pressure. If any are not working properly or are otherwise unacceptable, request a new room. Remove the bedspread. Cheap hotels do not regularly clean bedspreads. Use towels for warmth. Call the front desk to request extra towels if there aren't enough in the room. Clip the curtains closed. If the curtains do not fully close, secure the two sides together using whatever you have on hand-paper or binder clips, tape, or pins and needles from a sewing kit. Check the mattress firmness. If the bed is too soft, place the mattress on the floor. Check the clock. Make sure the alarm is not set to go off in the middle of the night. Avoid the wake-up service-it is 2 3 4 1 Be Aware . If luggage is lost rather than just delayed, an airline's liability in the United States is limited to $1,250 per passenger, no matter how many bags have been lost. On international flights, the liability limit is about $9 per pound of checked baggage. Reimbursement may take months. . To make your bag easier to spot, place a colored ribbon on the handle or a distinctive strap around the bag before checking it. . Watch the bags as they come down the conveyer belt to the carousel, even if you do not have immediate access to it. You will be able to see if anyone else takes your bag. . Write your name and the phone number of the place you will be staying for the first two days of your trip on two business cards. Place one inside your luggage and one in a card holder on the outside of your bag. (Never place your home address and phone in a visible identification tag. You do not want to advertise that you are away from home.) . Dress for the worst-wear clothing on the plane that you can live in (and with) for two days. Anticipate that you might be giving your presentation or attending the meeting in what you are wearing on the plane. . Carry essential medical and hygiene items, as well as any irreplaceable presentation materials, in your carry-on luggage. 5 6 notoriously unreliable in cheap hotels. Set the alarm clock, or carry a travel clock with an alarm. Avoid the morning shower rush. Cheap hotels may run out of hot water anytime between 7 and 9 A.M. Shower earlier or later. Be Aware . Travel with lightbulbs bright enough to use for reading. . Travel with two small rubber doorstops. For security, wedge one firmly under the door to your room and the other under the door that adjoins the next room. . Travel with snacks, including protein bars and instant hot cereal. Cheap hotels may have no restaurant, no in-room coffee, and no vending machines. Even if there is a restaurant, the food might be terrible. Dull Town Ask the locals for recommendations. Ask the hotel clerk (or better yet, a porter) for a restaurant where you can "sample the local flavor." Most towns have at least one dish, restaurant, or tourist attraction that residents consider special. Adopt an alias. Pretend to be someone else when you go out. Be a secret service agent, an astronaut, a mime-whatever your fantasy is. Pretend you have an accent. Cross dressing is not recommended for all towns, however. Do the opposite of everything you normally do. If you usually go to bed early, stay out late. If you usually drink beer, drink coffee. Talk to the people you would normally ignore or avoid. Play cards. If none of the above works, obtain a deck of cards. Solitaire is a great time killer. Build a house of cards, or try to toss as many as you can across the room and into the waste basket. 7 J J J J Avoid long or excessive lunch dates. While it is acceptable for colleagues to eat together, extended or repeated outings may attract notice. Maintain the lunch routine you practiced before you started dating your co-worker. Avoid arriving and departing together. Unless you are in a car pool with others, stagger your arrival and departure times. Use discretion. At company picnics or parties, or at off-site meetings, do not drink excessively, dance intimately, or openly display affection with your office significant other.
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