Gail Carriger and Piper J. Drake discuss things each of them hoard when they travel.

But first! Where has Gail been?

Impromptu reunion and abbreviated writing retreat to the Boston area.

Reasons for traveling carry-on only whenever possible. Piper is mildly concerned regarding Gail's shoe choices for this trip.

Piper's Hoard-able Items:

• Clean napkins and tissues
• Hotel disposable (not cloth) laundry bags
• Hard boiled eggs
• Condiments (tiny jams and tiny ketchups) - especially ones Piper hasn't encountered before
• Shoe polish, because steampunk-y boots
• Hotel toiletries, if they are nifty and high quality

Gail's Road Trip thoughts:

• Baggies (including hotel laundry bags, shopping bags, etc.)
• Snacks to go from ... a buffet
• Condiments (especially mayonnaise, hot sauce, tiny jams, etc.)
• Hotel toiletries, if they are nifty and high quality
• Pain killer packets

Gadgets:

• Gail's gadget is a large plastic bag to use as a poncho for luggage
• Piper's gadget is space saver or compression bags

– – – 

Special thanks to Kelly for editing this episode!

Thanks for listening. Travel smart. Pack the snacks! 

– – – 

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Gail Carriger and Piper J. Drake discuss travel by car as an option to get to where one is attempting to go.

But first! Where have Gail and Piper been?

Both Gail and Piper were in North Carolina, BUT they were not in North Carolina at the same time.

Piper shares a few tips for handy things to have in case one becomes ill while traveling and Gail adds her thoughts for a medical kit.

Piper's Road Trip Thoughts:

• Summer of 2022 air travel issues resulted in a lot of travel vloggers recommending the road trip option, whenever possible
• Enjoys a road trip with at least one other person, and loves the option to include Corbin the Corgi in the trip.
• Make frequent stops and keep circulation going.
• A brief admiration of people living the "van life" but wouldn't want to try it for too long of an extended trip.

Gail's Road Trip thoughts:

• Can sit a 6 to 8 hour flight with no problem but finds a few hours in a car to be quite boring.
• Would not opt to embark on a lone road trip.
• Memories of experiencing New Zealand via "van life"

Gadgets:

• Gail's gadget is a portable charger, ultra slim
• Piper's gadget is a solar rechargeable power bank

– – – 

Special thanks to Kelly for editing this episode!

Thanks for listening. Travel smart. Pack the snacks! 

– – – 

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Gail Carriger and Piper J. Drake discuss international travel considerations.

*This episode was recorded in April 2022. We had encountered technical difficulties and had to await a new motherboard, but we are back!

But first! Where has Piper been?

Piper joined authors K Tempest Bradford and Alethea Kontis for almost the full month of December in Egypt, visiting both Cairo and Luxor with Horus Rising Tours.

Gail's international travel thoughts:

• Holding off on international travel due to varying testing and quarantine requirements
• Carefully research and get appropriate travel vaccinations (not just COVID)

Piper's international travel thoughts:

• More locations around the world are implementing changes to tourism and increasing precautions for preservation and conservation of natural destinations
• Travel vaccinations and protective masks were things Piper already did pre-COVID pandemic
• Long haul flights wearing masks is absolutely doable, not just for protection from allergens and viruses - Piper's introduction to masks in flight was in 2008 on a flight to Japan as a "personal humidity device"
• GoogleFi and/or Google Voice worked well to communicate with travel companions. 

Gadgets:

• Gail's gadget is a magnetic card wallet/holder
• Piper's gadget is an Insta360 GO 2

– – – 

Special thanks to Kelly for editing this episode!

Thanks for listening. Travel smart. Pack the snacks! 

– – – 

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Gail Carriger and Piper J. Drake discuss travel by sea as Piper prepares to board a cruise again for the first time in years.

But first! Where have Gail and Piper been?

Gail and Piper had a small writing retreat together in Vegas, while BTS was in Vegas for concert performances, and the two of them did not go to the concerts or even interact with the "Vegas Experience" - they wrote. A lot. And they ate a lot of food, mostly from off the strip, particularly some very good Thai food.

Travel by Sea - Tips, Tricks, and Considerations:

• Piper prefers the larger cruise ships, because she is less effected by motion sickness on these
• Writing Excuses Writing Workshop and Retreat on Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines
• Food - all the food - any time. 
• As long as food is not wasted, order all the entrees! All the desserts!
• Piper and Gail often get dishes to share so they can enjoy more variety without getting too full
• Piper tends to avoid the crowds and only goes to the pools and hot tubs on port days when most other passengers are off the ship
• But! Take into consideration health and safety protocols
• There's something to be said about everything taken care of for you (especially food), so you can focus on writing
• Gail has experience with shorter cruises on river boats and catamarans.
• Gail is a tour group guide's nightmare, because she will inevitably wander away from the group
• Both agree writers are tour guide nightmares when it comes to random, chaotic questions
• Both also agree cruise ships are great setting inspiration for space ships or murder mysteries

Gail's Gadget Pick!

• Travel Chopsticks: aluminum, screw-together, portable chopsticks like these 

Piper's Gadget Pick!

• Portable Charger (not a power strip) - extra powerful with 2x USB-C and 2x USB-A ports like this Razer Wall Charger. Note: This is not a battery pack.

Extra Shoutouts:

• Piper's novella is available exclusively in the Happily Ever After Collective starting September 2022

– – – 

Special thanks to Kelly for editing this episode!

Thanks for listening. Travel smart. Pack the snacks! 

– – – 

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Gail Carriger and Piper J. Drake discuss toiletry bags (also known as the 2-1-1) and what they include in these particular kits.

*This episode was recorded in October 2021. We had encountered technical difficulties and had to await a new motherboard, but we are back!

But first! Where have Gail and Piper been?

Gail attended a writer's conference in Denver, CO and managed to alarm Piper with the makeup Gail used.

Gail's toiletry bag notes:

• prompted by Gail's foray into Japanese / Korean skincare routines (that's a lot of steps!)
• Neutrogena Rapid Tone Repair Vitamin C Serum Capsules 
• Packets of coconut oil as skin moisturizer
• Returning to traveling with her own shampoo and conditioner

Piper's toiletry bag notes:

• Trying to replace liquid with solid options to reduce the amount of liquids she has to pack, so she's trying out Ethique shampoo and conditioner bars in place of liquid. She's also trying out the body butter stick. 
• Also Kanebo Suisai Beauty Clear Powder as cleanser to reduce liquid items
• Adding sunscreen to her kit: ANESSA Perfect UV Skin Care BB Foundation (アネッサ パーフェクトUV スキンケアBB ファンデーション)
• Changes to makeup - Piper only wears primer (Fenty primer Mini Pro Filt'r Hydrating Primer) or a tinted moisturizer/BB cream, rather than a full coverage foundation.

Extra Skincare + Travel Tips!

Gail Tips:

• Dentist has travel sized samples
• Try to use a product that is multi-use to reduce how many products you need to pack
• Choose powder based make up to reduce the liquid 

Piper Tip:

• use a never-used, clean, contact holder for serums or sample containers from a store like Sephora or Ulta
• the The Original MakeUp Eraser from Sephora as a make up removing wash cloth instead of makeup remover wipes
• Cosmetic moisturizing face masks are not considered liquids by TSA and can really make a difference on travel

– – – 

Special thanks to Kelly for editing this episode!

Thanks for listening. Travel smart. Pack the snacks! 

– – – 

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But first! Where have Gail and Piper been?

Piper travelled to Carlsbad, CA via San Deigo International Airport.

Gail and Piper's Anticibated Updates to Travel Habits

Gail's changes

• Stompy boots as travel shoes
• New laptop! (plus updates to tech on the travel checklist)

Piper's changes

• Nude toned flats 
• MacBook Air vs iPad Pro

Gadget Picks!

Gail's pick: Cloud-service for backup

Piper pick: Rothy's as travel shoes

– – – 

Special thanks to Kelly for editing this episode!

Thanks for listening. Travel smart. Pack the snacks! 

– – – 

Get your question featured on an episode by saying hi on social media:       Facebook.com/20minDelay      @20minDelay      @PiperJDrake      @GailCarriger

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Gail Carriger and Piper J. Drake discuss cities they have each traveled too multiple times and would like to return to in the future.

But first! Where have Gail and Piper been?

Each of them shares their experiences getting vaccinated earlier this year.

Gail's cities full of memories

• London, UK
• Boston, MA USA
• Florence, Italy

Piper's cities full of memories

• London, UK
• San Diego, CA USA
• Philadelphia, PA USA

Gadget Picks!

Piper pick: Handheld Portable Nebuliser

Gail's pick: Seagate Portable External Hard Drive

– – – 

Special thanks to Kelly for editing this episode!

Thanks for listening. Travel smart. Pack the snacks! 

– – – 

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Gail Carriger and Piper J. Drake discuss cities they each want to visit, someday, and have never managed to yet.

Gail's someday cities

• Montreal, Canada
• Bangkok, Thailand
  • (Gail and Piper are planning to go together in fall of 2022! Check out the planning episodes on 20 Minute Delay)
• Tokyo, Japan
• Wellington, New Zealand

Piper's someday cities

• Singapore
• Cape Town, South Africa
• Sydney, Australia

Do you remember the game that was a sort of precursor to Pokémon Go? Let us know!

– – – 

Special thanks to Kelly for editing this episode!

Thanks for listening. Travel smart. Pack the snacks! 

– – – 

Get your question featured on an episode by saying hi on social media:       Facebook.com/20minDelay      @20minDelay      @PiperJDrake      @GailCarriger

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Gail Carriger and Piper J. Drake are planning travel to Thailand, together! They share some of their planning stage thoughts.

Where has Gail been?

Gail went into a 2 week self-quarantine for family reasons and made the best of it as a writing retreat. 

Going to a remote, rural location was a nice change of setting and was great for easing back into travel without risking sensory overload.

Planning for Thailand

• Time of year
• Priorities: Fruit, Other Food, Points of Interest
• Key locations: Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Chonburi, possibly Ayutthaya
• Wardrobe and Laundry considerations

Gadgets

If there's one gadget Gail and Piper would test run on this trip, what would it be?

Gail: probably testing various face masks for travel, as well as wardrobe

Piper: Sarongs and versatile scarves

– – – 

Special thanks to Kelly for editing this episode!

Thanks for listening. Travel smart. Pack the snacks! 

– – – 

Get your question featured on an episode by saying hi on social media:       Facebook.com/20minDelay      @20minDelay      @PiperJDrake      @GailCarriger

Use the hashtag: #20mindelaypodcast

Gail Carriger and Piper J. Drake discuss the kinds of keepsakes and souvenirs they like to gather in their travels.

Souvenirs:

Piper's favorite keepsakes:

• Pressed pennies
• Collector coins
• Fountain Pens
• Jewelry

Gail's favorite keepsakes:

• Weird regional foods or candies with unique flavors
• Interesting scarves
• Locally printed, locally published history books of a place
• Jewelry

What do we do with our keepsakes?

Both ladies wear their keepsakes, for the most part, or use them as opposed to acquiring ephemera for decoration at home. Of course, they consume all the tasty food.

– – – 

Special thanks to Kelly for editing this episode!

Thanks for listening. Travel smart. Pack the snacks! 

– – – 

Get your question featured on an episode by saying hi on social media:       Facebook.com/20minDelay      @20minDelay      @PiperJDrake      @GailCarriger

Use the hashtag: #20mindelaypodcast