No More "Stuffies"

No, not your child’s or your dog’s stuffies. If you spend your business trips in convention centers and hotels, you know the stuffies I'm talking about. When your sinuses are so dried out from the airplane and the dry air of the hotel that you feel like you're allergic to the place. Yes, those stuffies. Even if much of my event is outside, or in otherwise perfect climates, the hotel room always gets me by night two.

Enter, my secret weapon: A portable humidifier. When I say this was a game changer, I mean, I will take almost anything else out of my suitcase if I need to make space for my humidifier. I set it up on the nightstand, plug it in, and usually have it running anytime I'm in my room for more than a minute.

A while back I was managing a large convention every few months that was always held in some sort of convention center. Once we arrived, I would really only see the inside of that building and my hotel room until it was time to leave. One February, it was so dry, my skin hurt and my head was full of the stuffies. I literally ordered a jar of ointment for my raw skin and a portable humidifier while I was at the airport, to be delivered before I landed. At our next event, I felt so much better and I haven't looked back.

Portable humidifiers come in a variety of styles including this compact one that you can place in a large cup or bottle of water. The reviews on the durability of this style were a little hit or miss, though so I opted to take up a little more suitcase space and got this one. It comes in a bunch of colors, comes with an extra filter, and uses the same plug as my Kindle so I don't need to carry an extra cord or charger. I put it on the intermittent setting, and one fill will last two days for me.

If you get one and use it, I'd love to hear if it made your trips more enjoyable.