After a weekend of exploring Social Media with my bro-ski, our Mom and I loaded up her car for the return drive down to the south ‘burbs. However, the Mom-mobile was dead this morning in sub-zero temperatures on the streets of Rogers Park, so we turned to a towing service and were subsequently hauled over to a Marathon Station on Webster and Touhy for a new battery and a quick going-over.

Fortunately for us, the work could be done while we waited, and involved only a two hour wait, which we passed at a Baker’s Square across the street.

There we were tended to by Pattie, who said she hoped she wouldn’t be getting off work any time soon, and who was looking after a roomful of us stopping in to get warm and fill our tummies.

Here’s to you, Pattie. Thanks for allowing me to take your photo and for the reminder that cheerfully pouring unlimited coffee while keeping up an amusing series of conversations with a bunch of strangers is a talent deserving both acknowledgment and celebration.

Just a few of our stop offs:

• Quick stop at the Green Mill, where we enjoyed an Irish Coffee and channeled the filming of High Fidelity and some jazz greats from eras long past.

• A search-with-a-happy-ending at Webster-Kennedy, purveyor of light bulbs for every imaginable situation.

• An evening with some amazing Chicago Bloggers (including Driftglass, StandUp8Times, The National Gadfly, LowCarbonHome, and the very sassy GoGalavanting. I traveled a long distance to attend this gathering, and it was so worth it!

Not all-inclusive, but representative. More in the days ahead.
  

While in Tucson we met a delightful couple from Grenoble, France, who were also guests at the Inn we have stayed at many times this Spring (Read more about the Sam Hughes Inn).

Our conversations with Alain & Pascale were challenging but lively, and after we told Alain the results of the final game over breakfast the next morning, he presented us with a bottle of French wine, saying “pour la victoire!” (or something like that: I hadn’t attempted to speak French in about 40 years and who knows what I conveyed in my halting efforts!?)

Even MORE Great news for Arizona: they’re the #1 seed in their divisional bracket when the NCAA field of 64 gets underway Friday.

Interestingly, they are the only #1 seed who isn’t also hosting a tournament. That means our boys head off to Ann Arbor in a couple of days to square off against Eastern Michigan (#4 see in the bracket), Kentucky (#3), and Michigan (#2, and host of the tourney).

Unfortunately, our family won’t be in the stands for this event, which starts Friday, May 30 and should wrap up by Monday, June 2. C’est la vie, vraiment?

After that, 16 teams will advance to the “Super Regionals,” locations for that as yet unknown. However, these games will all be televised by ESPN, so that no matter where our boys play, we’ll be able to watch the games when they are played June 6 – 9.

After that, 8 will remain standing to face off at the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska, June 14 – 25. We have been told that it’s about impossible to find a place to stay in Omaha, but, to be sure, if our boys make it that far, we will head off to Omaha and hope to find a place to sleep no matter where it is. (Mom, can we commute from your house near Chicago?! N_____, can you call your cousin Marg Helgenberger and find out if we can borrow her place in Omaha???)

Go ‘Cats. Merci beaucoup Alain et Pascale.

We found it this weekend at the Sam Hughes Inn.

We enjoyed the other guests, loved the layout of the property, and found it meets our needs perfectly. We explored this cool Historic District on foot daily, and walked to and from the campus, never using our car until time to head back home.

While there, we booked three additional visits and expect to continue to make the Sam Hughes Inn our Tucson home-away-from-home for the next several years while our youngest child finishes his education at the University of Arizona. Next time, we plan to bring our bikes so we can continue to explore the area.

If you go, please let the Innkeeper, Susan, know that we sent you! Maybe we’ll meet you there in the coming months!

To read the the previous articles in this series:

VA Fashionista Part 1: Review and Edit Your Wardrobe
VA Fashionista Part 2: Scrutinizing and Updating Your Wardrobe

In this installment, we’re going to talk about how to organize your luggage prior to travel.

If you’re an adult, you already know how to prepare for travel, right? Well, yes and no.

What are Your Travel Goals?

A. Do you want to enjoy your trip without spending time worrying about the condition and quantity of your garments, and leaving room for items purchased while traveling, therefore filling up as many bags as you own before every trip? You may be an “Overpacker.”

B. Do you prefer to pack at the last minute, just tossing whatever is clean into a duffel and dash out the door? You may be an “Underpacker.”

C. Do you try to haul a minimum of luggage, with all outfits already planned? Maybe you are an “Efficiency Expert” or “One Bagger.”

D. Are you more into the toys you’ll bring (camera gear, skis, golf clubs, etc.) than what you’ll wear? You may be a “Mess.”

What NOT to do

When I was the mom of young kids, I encouraged them to do their own packing, so they would learn the important life skills of planning and prioritizing. If they needed help, I was available. Otherwise, they were free to make their own choices (and I would just sneak a peek before leaving to make sure they had their toothbrushes, etc.).

Good idea in theory, but you can’t abdicate your parental duties completely. One time I failed to eyeball what my youngest child had packed and discovered he was definitely a “D.”

Only after we arrived for our stay on the beach did I discover that his little bag was crammed full of stuffed animals … and nothing else.

While at the beach or in town, his wardrobe was limited to the jeans he had worn and one of my tee-shirts: the clothes he had dressed in the morning we left. Fine for a 6 year old, but, really, what was I thinking, not checking his bag before we left home!?

Ok, so I’ve done nearly the same thing as an adult when I was particularly excited about an R&R style trip. But, generally, I take way too much gear and way too much clothing. This year, I’m hoping to change that approach.

Naturally, your destination and season influence your preparation. Also, the purpose and mode of your travel will dictate some required items as well as space limitations.

But really, no one wants to look all sloppy when you get where you’re going, so some forethought and editing are called for.

Come up with a Strategy

Generally speaking, whenever I travel and know I will be away for more than three days, I begin my packing process about a week ahead of time. Having the luggage open enables me to add and subtract items as I either fold laundry or change my mind.

Rather than making a written list, the physical presence of my open suitcase helps me remember the smallest items (electronic charging devices), and ensures that I won’t forget essentials (undies, makeup, travel documents, itineraries, tickets, etc.) by waiting until the last minute to pack.

Plus, just looking at my open suitcase filled with clean clothes stirs up excitement about the impending travel activities! That makes it fun, not so much a chore.

For my Next Number…
This week I am off on a week-long road trip. Going to a convention with a friend, sandwiched on both ends by a little visit with family. My approach:

I packed first for the convention, using my recently created outfits, output from the “scrutinizing and updating” part of my recent wardrobe assessment activity. These items were put into a garment bag and then into my suitcase went the corresponding accessories and shoes. There are three outfits (for three days at the convention).

I rounded out my choices with some casual tops and jeans that will work for the family time at the beginning and end of my trip. These all go with the convention outfits, too, in case some mixing and matching happens. I don’t like the idea of being locked into a week’s worth of outfits without allowing for some spontaneity.

I added one set of work out wear (optimistic?) and shoes for same.

Here’s how some readers approach packing for a a trip:

Terri Orlowski:
“I start with pants – what’s appropriate, comfortable, and versatile. Then I make sure I have tops to go with the pants for each day, with some variations for weather, mood, etc. Then shoes, and the rest of the accessories (socks, undies, etc).”

Skyla Higgins:
“I calculate how many days I will be there and make sure I can either do laundry wherever I am going or that I pack enough undergarments for the trip. Jeans/pants can be worn a couple times so generally I pack 2 pairs that fit well. Take clothes that you can switch up to create more outfits, and of course make sure you have shoes to match!”

Dana Fortier:
“To travel, I go for comfort, not style. Comfortable pants & shirt and
slip-on shoes (security reasons). What I pack, I make sure I don’t have to iron anything once I get there. My favorite items to travel with are: chocolate wool blend straight-leg pants, floral print, butterfly-sleeve top in crinkle fabric; black pants and off-white cashmere short-sleeve shell sweater and khaki trousers with either a red cashmere/wool sweater or red tuxedo style shirt. All of these
items require no ironing, they’re all mix & match and comfortable in most all climates.”

Karin Wilson:
“I travel really light. I wear clothes that can be mixed and matched. I also layer a lot. I don’t ever bring bulky or fluffy stuff. It takes up too much room. I try to get by with one pair of shoes. This is all easier with casual travel.”

Amy:
“When I pack for traveling I pick out what I am going to wear each day and from there I am able to pick out little thing to add to my outfits like scarves, belts, long necklaces, and fun earrings. When I travel I also try and bring something from my closet that I wouldn‚t normally wear, something totally out of character, because you‚re on vacation, no one is going to judge you!”

Online Resources:

One Bag: The Art and Science of Traveling Light Wait ’till you see the incredible packing list this site offers! Wow!

Fodor’s 11 Tips for Smarter Packing

Tips to Organize Life’s Travel Packing Tips article

Keep an eye out for wrapup piece: catch-all advice from readers about being a VA Fashionista (or, for that matter, just a woman who feels comfortable and happy with what she’s wearing). The wrapup will appear on the morning of January 23, 2008.

Puerto Peñasco is experiencing tremendous growth and the number of WIFI spots has at least quadrupled since the last time I was here. Most seem to be secured so it took a few days of trying to locate a place where I could do about a half hour’s worth of work for a client.

Using a very Ameican style bistro to sit and blog for a bit seems against the grain of why my husband and I come here in the first place, so this will be brief. Suffice it to say: you can blog anywhere in the world today!

For now, I am heading back to the beach!

Amber first captured my imagination when she took her business on the road for a year, along with her husband and kids (see her home below, left). I thought my parents were spunky when they loaded up my brothers and me and moved to the Philippines in 1966, but I find Amber’s adventure even more exciting.

Amber’s a total pro, but it’s her energy and sense of adventure that led me to invite her over for this interview.

ktcosmos: When you first decided to relocate, how did you inform your local
clients?

Amber Drake: The majority of my clients have not been local. At the time of relocation, I only had one local client, who was also my personal REALTOR, so she was already aware of the relocation because she brokered our home sale and hooked us up with a terrific REALTOR in the area we finally settled in.

ktcosmos: When you became a mobile VA, did you feel it necessary to tell your clientele of your new status; did you lose any of those as a result of moving out of the area?

Amber: I definitely shared “our dream” with my clients and received very positive feedback. Again, since almost all my clients were not local, going mobile didn’t change the way we already worked. The only real difference was that sometimes I was in their time zone. Business progressed as usual, and I didn’t lose any clients as a result.

ktcosmos: I’m sure choosing your new home was based mostly on personal selection criteria. Was any of it determined by business requirements you had in mind? I’m thinking zoning, tax structure, technology infrastructure, real estate law in your new state (since that’s your niche) demographics matching your target market?

Amber: Even prior to going full time in our RV and traveling the country, we were avid travelers … usually, by auto or plane. By the time we saw northern Idaho, we had seen parts of almost every state. Our decision to land here was 100% based on criteria such as the natural beauty, culture, people, cost of living, recreational activities, neighborhoods, schools, etc.

That’s the greatest thing about being a Virtual Assistant supporting non-local clients … as long as you have adequate Internet access, you can live anywhere your heart desires! And, today, that high speed Internet access is available almost everywhere — if not via local cable or phone lines, it’s available via Hughes/DirecWay satellite.

ktcosmos: Did you have to jump through any regulatory hoops to get set up in your new location?

Amber: None at all. As a matter of fact, coming from California where everything is regulated, it was easier and less costly here.

ktcosmos: Well, we already talked about this a little bit: the fact that only one of your clients is local. Is it your goal, then, to work only with remote clients?

Amber: Having 100% of my clientele distant is perfect for me. Other than my one local client who I love, I prefer servicing non-local clients because my time is utilized much more effectively.

Early in my virtual assistance career when I was more of a generalist, I serviced local clients primarily. I found the in-person meetings, picking-up or them dropping-off work, and the meetings at their office or my home was very non-productive on many levels. There were times I was scrambling for childcare or spending time cleaning my home to prepare for the, “How about I just stop by on my way downtown and I’ll drop it off” scenarios. Those are non-paid activities.

With distant clientele, my time and energy is spent on paid task-related items.

ktcosmos: Going back to your time spent on the road as an RVing VA, did you learn anything new or discover any new resources while on the move that informs your approach to your business today?

Amber: Primarily, my “anything is possible” attitude is stronger. Being 100% mobile requires quite a bit of “thinking outside the box” in problem solving.

For example, our generator stopped working once, and I was without electricity while we were somewhat “out in the middle of nowhere”. We found an old gas station that allowed us to pull around the side and hook into their electrical so I could meet a deadline.

Another time, we had trouble with the Internet satellite system and were on our way to a technician in Tulsa, Oklahoma for repair. At the time, incredibly, Tulsa had no Verizon phone or Aircard coverage, and the RV park had no wi-fi.

We found the cheapest Motel 6, and I rented the hotel room with wi-fi for $30 that day while my family used the inside pool while I worked. Some might think that’s a big expense; however, I worked 7 billable hours that day (and my kids had a ton of fun swimming), so it was definitely an ROI. If you ask any experienced traveling RV’er, “Stuff Happens” — often!

You overcome many obstacles while on the road, and you learn to be innovative, flexible, non-traditional and determined … attributes that stick with you after the journey is over.

ktcosmos: Any desire to return to the life of traveling VA?

Amber: Not at this point. We’ve found our “dream home” for this season of our lives, love the 2500 sq. ft. house and 1/3 acre yard to play in. We love attending our same church each weekend, having our friends over for dinner, and neighborhood children for the kids to play with.

These are all things one trades for a full-time adventure on the road … all things we’re really loving right now. Perhaps we’ll go for it again after the kids are grown!

ktcosmos: Do you typically combine work and leisure when travelling now days?

Amber: I can do that easier now that I’ve been on the road because I’ve learned to better prepare and we’re much more flexible now. The key to combining work
and leisure as a VA is an Internet connection and power for the laptop (mine sucks it up fast).

For example, if we were to go on a road trip, I would have no problem stopping in at a truck stop/travel center for a couple hours to use their wi-fi while my husband relaxes and the kids get energy out.

We’ve learned to be more flexible and have less of the “get to the destination as fast as possible” attitude. We’ve seen many little towns that we wouldn’t have necessarily stopped at, just because I needed Internet access … and it gave my family time to visit a local library, park, swimming hole or other fun place.

I’ve also learned different ways of getting electrical; for example, using an inverter in our car with a large cutting board on my lap as a desk. On the other hand, I will research an area prior to going to ensure I can work on the road.

However, I do also believe in taking some time-off where the laptop isn’t strapped to my hip so my family has my undivided attention and my brain gets a much needed rest.

ktcosmos: Do you have any advice for other VA’s or entrepreneurs who are considering relocating their business?

Amber: Establish your business with a solid base of non-local clients. If you can do that, the sky’s the limit. You can truly find your little piece of heaven without having to rebuild everything or be dependent on the local economy. Then, find your paradise and go for it!

______

In her years as a virtual assistant, Amber Drake has amassed an amazing list of tools and resources, which she shares here: Business Resources from Essential Admin.

Amber’s trusted list of Virtual-Friendly vendors is definitely worth a look.

For would-be VAs, you’ll also want to check out another resource on Amber’s site: Rebecca Trilfa’s guide to “How to Be a Virtual Assistant.”

You can start your search for your own paradise in Amber’s RV! Yes, her former home for a year, fully equipped for someone needing to use it as their virtual assistance office, is for sale! Read more about it here and contact Amber if you have any questions.

I have worked in both fields and, while there are clear benefits to support this way of thinking, it’s not as easy as it seems on the surface.

Before you have built a substantial client load, you can probably shield your business life from your personal life. Once you are at the half-time level, you will probably experience some “disturbance in the field,” so to speak, wherein your work overflows into family time and vice versa.

Let me illustrate this challenge with one of the mistakes I made early on after I left my teaching career and launched my virtual assistance practice: At first my office was just a little desk in the corner of my bedroom. My railroad car of a living room began to hold a lot of appeal since it was wide open, airy, had wonderful natural light and I could keep an eye on who was walking into my driveway throughout the day (kids, clients, delivery people, missionaries, etc.).

For all those reasons, it was a disaster. If I wanted to work late, the room was filled with kids and spouse, noise, T.V., etc. If I needed to meet with a client it was fine during the day while everyone was at work or school (far superior to meeting in the bedroom!), but when the kids were on vacation from school it was just an impossible situation whether I was working on a project, reinstalling my operating system (holy cow!) or trying to speak on the phone with a client. Never mind that my children thought that I was just playing computer games day and night. It didn’t work.

When you are just building a new business, you probably can’t believe that the day will come when you may need a virtual assistant of your own. Not just as a contractor to whom you hand off overflow work, but as the person who keeps some of your systems in place. If you are there already and you have already tried to solve your overload by hiring part time help with your children or housekeeping, it may be time to look for your own VA.

As a profession, we are selling sanity to our clients. THEY are in the rat race so they need us. Take a look at The Rat Race Rebellion‘s site and check out the table comparing those who are in the rat race versus those who are in “The Rebellion.” After you think about your clients who you’ve saved from that rat race, think about your own life for a few minutes. Are you ready to join that rebellion yourself?!

Becoming a virtual assistant just might be the way for you to get your life under control, but it is imperative that you plot out a well executed transition so that you don’t become a victim of your own success.

Image of ratrace upper right hand corner from digitdesign.com/blog.

Related material can be found here:
Virtual Assistant Resources
Life of the Virtual Assistant
Prospective Virtual Assistant F.A.Q.

On my way to Chicago Midway after a short weekend trip to Chicago, we rolled down the windows to snap a couple of quick pictures for the family on that drizzly cold day. But, Oh My! You could say the entire city was under a cloud of smoky bratworst. My brother (barely seen in photo) used the word “redolent,” but I can’t go that far to describe brats we smelled grilling. What a fragrant memory – Yum!

I did not travel there to see the game, though in fact I did see most of the first half at the airport, and got updates throughout my flight back to Arizona. These travel plans were made long before anyone even knew this would be a championship matchup on Jan. 21. My kids think I’m a chump, I’m sure, but I wasn’t really in Chicago for da Bears, anyway.

Our small immediate family has what we call a “clownfest” once or twice a year. Essentially we gather for laughs and nothing of great import transpires. Our mom oftens shows up with an Atomic Cake to commemorate the occasion. If you have no ties to ChicagoLand, you won’t get it, but here’s a picture of this year’s Clown Fest Atomic Cake.

Most of the time these days, one’s travel and vacations do not have to interrupt one’s professional availability. For once, however, I did not do any work on the road. Instead I completely enjoyed the chance to see my brothers and mom, and got to teach my nieces how to knit, between bites of cake, that is!

In our desire to be reached any time anywhere, we may lose that very important ability to connect fully with family while we are with them. It’s a struggle to unplug, but so worthwhile. Try it every once in awhile!

A caller asked whether he should update his OS (caller was a PC user) to Vista or just start fresh with a brand new machine. The caller was advised that changing out the OS is never a good idea on a PC platform.

Ahem. In a phased transition on my G5 Powerbook, I recently undertook the following:

a) maxed out my memory in September
b) purchased Tiger in October (yes, I know Leopard comes out in January, but I don’t need to be THAT up to date!)
c) ordered Adobe Creative Suite 2 Deluxe in November

The only hiccup was a perceived hiccup: I needed to wait until I had all client work done and delivered (including those unanticipated requests which arose during my winter month-long holiday) before performing the OS and software updates. I kept waiting and waiting, in case something went wrong. Happy to report that it was a breeze.

Note: these are not projects to be performed in haste, as you want to then make sure you have the latest updates of everything you just installed, test all software with existing files and create some new dummy test files, and then reset permissions. But, hey! It was as easy as pie and reminds me once more that it should be a Mac World every day, not just every second-week-of-January-in San-Francisco.