5 Must Haves
By Collin Kupers, Fall Protection Training Instructor
When you spend more nights in a hotel bed than your own, it is important to prioritize your traveling supplies. Finding the right balance between too much and too little takes time and purposeful planning. I’ve made the mistakes of bringing more than I need and the greater mistake of not bringing what I would later need. Being stuck on a cold MSC ship in northern Germany with only jeans and t-shirts was a lesson hard learned. Having learned from my lessons, here are 5 items I always have with me on the road.
1. Weather app: Never again will I get stuck wearing inappropriate clothes. Whether that’s northern Germany, where I wish I had had my long johns to sleep in and rain jacket for working on the deck; or shorts and a tank top when I’m in Florida, and I break a sweat stepping out of the car.
2. A hobby: There is so much downtime when you’re away from home. I always make sure I bring something to occupy my time after work. Currently, I’ve been bringing my drone and have been trying to capture my adventures. Some bring video-games, books, skateboards, or small art projects they are working on.
3. The perfect bag: whether you prefer a carry-on or checked bag I will always advise someone to put serious thought and consideration into the luggage they choose. Organize yourself and have a purpose for every pocket and compartment. If you’re living out of a bag, it better be the perfect one for you.
4. Portable charger: The first time you’re watching a movie next to a crying baby on a 5 hour flight, and your phone dies, I assure you, you won’t let that happen again. I don’t know how many times my backup battery has saved my butt.
5. A watch: My job requires me to teach outside on 100’s of feet of tower, on turbines, ships, and entertainment platforms. Pulling out my phone or constantly asking students what time it is during class does not cut it for me. I never wore a watch until I needed to for the life of a traveling fall protection and rescue instructor.
Call one of our training advisors at 800.755.8455 to learn more!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Collin Kupers can be found enjoying outdoor sports such as trap shooting and recreational repelling. With several years of experience in communication and higher education lecturing, Collin is an asset to our fall protection training department. At Gravitec, Collin educates workers at height on fall hazard identification, mitigation and control techniques. Collin also instructs proper execution of industrial rescue.