I’m a consultant. A pilot. A tech guy. A dad. A dance dad.
I used to travel more than 200 days a year. Short notice. International. Quick turnarounds. I still travel a lot.
Band kids heading to San Antonio. We are a traveling band. New consultants heading to a client site. Same lessons apply to both.
Spend Money on a Rolling Suitcase
Don’t grab one at Target, Walmart, or Costco. Wheels snap. Zippers give out. Handles bend on the first bad curb.
Get a rolling suitcase. I like Travel Pro. Lifetime warranty, and it’s what flight crews use. A traveling band deserves real rolling luggage. Buy it once, cry once.
Space Is Gold, So Make Everything Earn Its Spot
Look at every item before it goes in. If it doesn’t add value, it stays home.
- Clothes go in mesh bags. Ziplocks trap air. Mesh lets you cram everything down tight.
- Liquids go in ziplocks. Febreze, shampoo, sunscreen. Push the air out before sealing. Leaks stay in the bag.
- Dryer sheets are magic. Toss a few in the suitcase, shoes, and garment bag. They fight moisture and smells.
- Save those little silica gel packs. Drop one in the suitcase, garment bag, or shoes. Keep them away from food. They say “do not eat” for a reason.
- Wear the bulky stuff on travel day.
- Skip what you can borrow or buy cheap there.
Don’t Pack the Last Slice of Deodorant
Please don’t. Don’t send a kit with a nearly empty stick, half a tube of toothpaste, or a dried up bottle of shampoo.
Nobody is climbing Everest. There’s a Walmart near almost every hotel. But time is the problem. Buses leave. Schedules are tight. You may not get a store run.
- Pack these full or almost full: deodorant, toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, body wash
- Hair ties, bobby pins, and a brush
- Check the kit a week before the trip
- Replace anything under half full
- Keep a go kit that lives in the suitcase. Restock it right after every trip
Chapstick Everywhere
Lips crack fast in hotel air, buses, and Texas wind. Put one in the toiletry bag, the go bag, the suitcase, and your pocket. Buy a multipack. It’s cheap, and you’ll lose a few.
Pack Pain Relief Before You Need It
- Bring Tylenol and Advil both
- Headaches, sore feet, and cramps show up at bad times
- You don’t need 100 pills. Use a small travel pill case
- Keep the original bottle or label for anything prescription
- Check the trip’s medicine rules first. Many bands want meds handed to a chaperone
Pack a Small First Aid Kit
- Hand sanitizer. Bus seats, shared snacks, and hotel rooms spread germs fast. Pack it. Use it. A travel size works in carry on (3.4 oz or less, TSA)
- Keep it small. A pouch or pencil case is plenty for the rest
- Alcohol wipes
- Band aids. A few sizes, plus extras
- Blister bandages. Marching shoes and long days are rough on feet
- Small tube of antibiotic ointment
- Your pain relief from the pill case goes right in with it
Get Your Flu Shot Today
- My rule for Bandtober: get the flu shot. Do it today
- Buses, shared hotel rooms, and crowded stands spread bugs fast
- One sick kid can take out a whole room
- It takes about two weeks to build protection, so sooner is better
- Questions about allergies or health? Ask your doctor or pharmacist
Eat When You Can, Keep the Bottle Full
Don’t wait until you’re hungry. Eat when food is in front of you. You never know when the next meal shows up. Delays happen. Buses run late. Pack snacks for late nights and for when travel goes sideways.
Keep that water bottle full. Always. Plain water gets old by day two, so toss in a few powder packets. Liquid I.V., Gatorade, or Propel all work. They weigh nothing and fit in a shoe.
Pick snacks built for a suitcase or backpack. Three rules:
- Crush resistant. Bags get stacked, sat on, and tossed
- Still good when smashed. Crumbs taste fine. Squished is okay. Ruined is not
- Heat tolerant. Buses and trunks get hot. Skip anything that melts
Power Is the Hidden Problem
Hotel rooms have two to four outlets. None are in a handy spot. Four kids in one room means a fight over them.
- Bring a travel power strip. Flat plug, a few outlets, USB ports, a long cord, and surge protection. One per room is plenty
- Pack a backup charging cable
- Chargers go on the strip. Hair dryers and irons go straight in the wall
- Hotel rooms usually run on two 20 amp circuits, often shared with neighbors
- Take turns with heat tools
- Tripped breaker? Tell an adult. Don’t hunt for the panel
| Item | Typical Power |
|---|---|
| Blow Dryer | About 1,800 watts |
| Flat Iron | 50 to 150 watts |
| Curling Iron | 25 to 100 watts |
One blow dryer eats most of a circuit. That matters most for color guard.
Pick One Charging Standard
- Think of it as your ecosystem. Pick one charging standard and stick with it
- USB-C is the one. Most new gear uses it
- Buy things that charge over USB-C: earbuds, power banks, lights, and more
- One cable and one charger can run almost everything
- One less cable to pack, lose, or fight over
- Easier than hunting for AA batteries on the road
- Still carry one backup cable for older gear
Hotel Wi-Fi Gets Overwhelmed
A whole band on one hotel network is a lot. It slows to a crawl fast. Many hotels hand their Wi-Fi to a third party, so the front desk can’t fix it.
- Expect slow Wi-Fi at night. Everyone is online at once
- Add tethering to your kid’s phone plan. It turns the phone into a hotspot for a laptop or tablet. Ask your carrier
- Expect higher data use. Video and uploads eat data fast. Check the plan’s limits first
- Cell data is often faster than the hotel. Many times it’s not close
- Download before you leave. Spotify, Apple Music, Netflix, and YouTube all have offline downloads. They are well worth it
- Download maps too
- Plan for nothing to work. Wi-Fi fails. Cell drops. Offline is your backup
- Still treat hotel Wi-Fi as untrusted. Skip banking on it
Put the AC in VIP Mode
Many hotel thermostats have a hidden mode that unlocks full control. Hotels limit how hot or cold you can go. VIP mode lifts the limit.
- Look at the thermostat for a brand or model name
- Google the name plus “VIP mode”
- You’ll usually find a short video. The steps take about 30 seconds
- Steps differ by brand, and some thermostats don’t have it
- If it fails, call the front desk
- Set the fan to “on” so air keeps moving over damp uniforms and shoes
Toss In a Few Plastic Hangers
Hotels only have so many. Four kids in a room means a hanger fight. Pack three or four plastic ones. They weigh almost nothing. Hang the uniform right away, outside the garment bag, so it can air out.
Photograph Everything That Matters
- Your packed suitcase. You’ll remember where things go. It also helps identify the bag if it gets lost
- Your hotel room number. Hotels all blur together. Just scroll your photos
- Your passport and ID. Store copies somewhere secure
Label everything with a name and phone number. Never a home address. Toss an AirTag in anything valuable. It’s a best guess tool, not a true tracker.
Money in Two Forms
Keep a little cash in the back of your phone case. Add a prepaid card too. The world is going cashless. Kids 13 and up can use Apple Pay.
Headphones: Pack a Wired Set Too
- Bring your normal wireless earbuds and the charger
- Also keep a cheap wired set in your bag. Just in case
- No battery, no pairing, no charging
- Wireless dies at the worst time, like a long bus ride or a late flight
- No headphone jack on your phone? Pack the adapter too
Always Pack One Extra Day
Travel goes sideways. Pack an extra day of clothes. Add one casual outfit you can rewear. Hotel lounging doesn’t need a fresh shirt.
Shoes: Hear Me Out
Crocs are great for travel. Shower shoes, water shoes, slippers. One pair does all three. Also, a small travel towel earns its spot.
Cheap Rain Ponchos Are Worth It
Those $1 ponchos from Walmart are great. They fold flat and weigh almost nothing. Toss one in the suitcase and one in your EDC kit. Buy a bulk pack on Amazon. Keep each one in a ziplock so it stays clean and dry.
Hand Warmers: Great Until You Fly
- Great on a cold bus ride, at a football game, or in a parked car
- Flying is where the rules kick in. It depends on the type
- Disposable air-activated ones are allowed in carry on and checked bags (TSA)
- Rechargeable ones have a lithium battery. Carry on only, same as a power bank
- Fuel or liquid types should stay home
- The TSA officer has the final say. Keep them in the original package
- Not sure? Ask the chaperones or the airline before you go
If It’s Empty, Broken, or Used Up, Toss It
Don’t haul trash home. Empty shampoo bottle, dead dryer sheets, snack wrappers, a cracked cable: trash. Your bag gets lighter every day. You make room for souvenirs and dirty laundry.
- Keep a small trash bag in the suitcase
- Do a mini clean out the last night
- Check under beds and in drawers before you leave
- Never toss anything that belongs to the band or school. When unsure, ask a chaperone
My EDC Kit
Colored gaff tape. A pen. A Sharpie. A small notepad. You’ll be shocked how often they save the day.
- Safety pins. Quick fix for a popped seam, a loose hem, or a broken strap
- Rubber bands. Cheap, tiny, and endlessly useful
- Hair ties. Not just for hair. Same jobs as rubber bands, with more stretch
It’s shocking how often these help. I once fixed a shower head that kept falling down with a few rubber bands. Nobody had a tool. Nobody had time. Rubber bands saved the day.
What I’m Putting in My Cart
- Travel Power Strip: ORICO Purple, 4 ft Cord
- Charger Block: Anker 65W, 3 Ports
- Backup Cables: Anker 10 ft, 2 Pack
- Powder Drink Packets: Liquid I.V. Sugar Free and Gatorade Powder Sticks
- Weekly Pill Case: AUVON 7 Day
- Luggage Tags: Silicone With Name Card
For Parents: Let Their Wings Spread
This is a safe place. Let the kids spread their wings. It’s tough. You want to see your kid. You want to be with them.
- Drop off: you see them at school
- The field: you see them perform, if you go
- Pickup: you see them again when they get back to the school
Everything in between belongs to them.
- Don’t expect to see them on the trip. They have places to be and things to do
- Don’t expect an hour phone call at night. A goodnight text might be all you get
- Let them be present. Let them be with their friends
The band isn’t known for planning ahead. Plans often land late. Be flexible. I know that’s tough with jobs, other kids, and full lives.
- Set a Plan A and a Plan B. Do it for both drop off and pickup
- Your plan can differ from the bus. You may travel before or after the kids for your own logistics
- Jobs want PTO requests 2+ weeks out. I know. Just go with it
This is a learning opportunity for them. Travel is a skill they will need in life. This is where it starts.
For New Consultants
- Keep a go kit packed with chargers, cables, and toiletries
- Pack the same way every trip. A repeatable routine beats a perfect list
- Use your own charger. Skip public USB ports
- Treat hotel Wi-Fi as untrusted. Use a VPN
- Power banks go in your carry on, never your checked bag. If a gate agent checks your carry on, pull the power bank out and keep it with you (FAA rule)
Pack smart. Travel light. Eat the snack.
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