The Conference Coach™

Carolyn Bradfield

Last week, I flew to Denver then to Houston and then to Atlanta.  Because I run a conferencing company, I know the value of using audio and web conferencing to minimize the need for these types of trips.  But sometimes, you have to go pay a personal visit.  During the summertime, you pay a high financial as well as a personal price to get on an airplane.

Maybe it’s just because I’m older and my kids are older.  I just get terribly annoyed with the way families travel these days.   They clog up the airports with their strollers, their stuff and their kids.  They slow things way down at the ticket counter, through the security line and getting onto the airplane.  Now I know everyone deserves a vacation, a family trip or time to see the relatives.  But I beg you to please respect those of us who need to travel to make a living.

If you are not a frequent traveler, then here are some hints for those of you lugging your kids off to Disney World or to see grandma:

Pack lighter
You see families lugging toys, stuffed animals, pillows and giant sized diaper bags through the airport and wonder how they will manage this load of stuff.  Leave some of this stuff at home.  If you really need it at your destination, visit Goodwill or Wal-Mart, buy the extra stuff and donate it before you go home.  Better yet, send money ahead and have the grandparents do some pre-visit shopping.

Dress for the airport
You are going to have to strip down to go through security and so are your children.  When they have tennis shoes with complicated laces, it slows up the process.  Consider a cheap pair of flip-flops to get through the airport.  Stuff those jackets, jewelry and belts in your carry-on bag before you get to security.

Set your kids expectations in advance
If they are old enough, tell your kids the process they will go through in the airport.  Let them know what they are responsible to carry, how they will have to stand in line and what is expected of them as they go through security.  Let them know what type of behavior is acceptable in the airport and how to behave in their seat on the airplane.

Be prepared
Invest in a travel folder and put your documents and identification where they are in one place and easy to get to.  Long before you get to the security officer, have this folder in hand and ready to give to them.  If you think your kids will be bored, have plenty of things to do and snacks packed in advance.

Remember, they are not as cute as you think they are.
I’m sure you have the cutest kids in America.  However, business people don’t really want to engage with them.  If they kick our seat or if they turn around to wave at us, we’ll be polite, but we really just want to be left alone.  It’s not cute when they horse around with each other in line either.  I know that you think they are cute, but don’t look to us frequent travelers to validate that.

The business traveler often grinds it out in the air week to week and we are just looking for a peaceful ride to wherever we are going.  We have kids of our own and are not just mean and grumpy people.  Respect our space, learn the rules of the road, be prepared, manage your kids and we can all fly the friendly skies together in peace.

Carolyn Bradfield is the CEO of Copper Conferencing, a provider of easy-to-use audio conferencing and web conferencing communication tools. You can try Copper’s affordable web and audio conferencing services — and get a discount for using our nationwide Local Dial-In network. Just sign up now.