This week I drove to Dallas.  It is very strange to me how much easier and less stressful it is to get ready for a car trip than a plane trip. I fly almost everywhere I go for work. It’s not that I stress about packing, exactly. It’s just that I know in the back of my head that when I fly everything has to fit in my suitcase in a certain way. And my bag of liquids has to be easily accessible, as does my notebook, and I have to wear shoes that are easy to take off and put on.

When I drive I can just toss whatever I want in my suitcase. Bag of liquids? Check! Makeup? Check! Container of soymilk for the road? Check! Tennis shoes? On my feet! And I know I don’t have to lug everything around everywhere, so I can take my jacket just in case, instead of weighing whether or not I want to carry it.

It is also nice just to have my own car. I drive so many rental cars, and I often forget which one I have and what it looks like. Sometimes I have to wander around the parking lot pushing the button to make the lights flash in order to figure out which one is mine. It was very comforting on this trip to have my precious Prius (and yes I got jokes about unintended acceleration. sigh) since I basically haven’t seen it in three weeks, and won’t for the next two.

I enjoy having a little more control about when I leave, too. This past week we had some CRAZY weather in Texas. I was supposed to leave Wednesday morning at 5am for Dallas, but there was snow and ice all over the roads (and remember, I don’t do well with snow and ice on roads). I was able to shoot an email to the office letting them know that due to inclement weather I would be arriving at 12 instead of at 9. I could change my travel plans without any change fees, or long hold times with the airline, or waiting at the airport for three hours.

I know it’s not feasible to drive everywhere, but I sure enjoyed it. Next week it’s off to New York! Flying, of course.