Travel

The end of summer is near, and soon students will be heading back to the classroom. While they may be groaning all the way to the school bus, many parents are breathing a sigh of relief as the long days of “I’m bored” draw to a close. ...read more

July – the month of celebrating independence.   Here at Out of Office, we thought we’d stretch out the “independence” theme and bring you a new twist on the idea – achieving independence from your office and your usual routines. ...read more

The holidays are fast approaching and we wanted to give you a heads-up on how to take some of the hassle out of this holiday season. When traveling to visit family this Thanksgiving, avoid the seemingly endless lines at the airport by “checking your bags” at FedEx Office^®. Not only can you fly past the ticket counter straight to security, but your luggage will be waiting for you at mom’s house or the hotel when you arrive at your destination.   ...read more

When it comes to being productive at home or work, any little way you find is exciting. Add in business travel and productivity becomes a #1 goal. Each minute is scheduled, each task on a checklist, little to no room for error.  ...read more

Remember being a kid and the excitement you’d feel right before your family left for a vacation? It wasn’t just the anticipation of your destination, but the possibility of seeing so many new things from your backseat window along the way. For me, that excitement typically faded about an hour into our trip. By that time I was fidgety, a little car sick and definitely disappointed by the lack of exotic sites (which were, of course, right outside our city limits).

Traveling for business is no longer an excuse to miss an e-mail or two that comes your way – these days everyone is expected to work as though they haven’t even left the office. Whether you need to be accessible to clients 24/7 or prep for that big presentation while in the airport, these helpful tips will ensure you don’t miss a beat when hitting the road.

Think portability – Finding the right bag to travel with is key to helping you get through airport security quickly and to making sure you have everything you need for your time out of the office. Weatherproof bags with lots of pockets are ideal – the extra pockets will help you stay organized.

Be location independent – Keeping files on a USB flash drive or smartphone enables you to print from anywhere. FedEx Office Print & Go allows you to access these important documents from your flash drive or smartphone and print them on self-service copy machines at FedEx Office.

Get connected – Luckily, free Wi-Fi seems to be everywhere these days, even at FedEx Office. As a safety tip, don’t carry important documents on your laptop only. ...read more

When I was a fresh out of college, in my first “real” job with my first “real” paycheck, I remember that one of my first big purchases was a nice set of luggage. I agonized over the style, the brand, the features, the pieces I needed…I wanted it to be a quality set that I could use for many years to come. I finally settled on a sturdy collection of wheeled, expandable luggage. (I’m not a light packer!) With all those decisions and all the options for snazzy colors and styles available, you may be wondering what color I chose…Just basic black, along with the rest of the world, it seems!   ...read more

A few years back, I travelled a lot for work. I was criss-crossing the country and I often had need to find a quiet place to work where I could get on the Internet and really get some work done. Back then, my options were a bit limited...

First, you have your bookstores. But finding place to sit down in a busy store tends to be difficult. On the bright side, they’re usually pretty quiet.

Then there are the coffee shops. A place to sit is easy to find, but whether or not you can get work done is another issue entirely! People scrambling in to get their coffee fix, others pounding away on their own keyboards, and still more customers having a leisurely conversation over a cappuccino. For me, all that hustle and bustle doesn’t help me concentrate on that big presentation. Don’t get me wrong, I like that atmosphere when I’m not working and just hanging out, but not when I have a deadline!

Luckily for me (and others who work like me) FedEx Office has announced that it will offer free, unlimited Wi-Fi in virtually all of its Print & Ship Center locations by the end of October 2010. ...read more

As many of our Out of Office readers most likely already know, a business trip can be a great source of stress and nerves, particularly the night before you hit the road. Somewhere between practicing your presentation and packing just the right outfit, the anxiety hits hard.

But every good road warrior knows that the best offense is a good defense: be prepared. Good preparation for a business trip – whether it lasts two days or two weeks – can be the difference between basking in the glow of your boss’ praise or quietly wishing things had gone differently. By following these three tips for perfect preparation, you will not only survive but thrive during your time away from the office.

Guest blogger Marelenise Roberts is an educator in Dallas, and the wife of one of our FedEx Office team members. She made some terrific car travel books this summer that we just had to share with our readers!

For this year’s family car trip, we upgraded from the traditional “I Spy” game.

This summer, our family drove from our home in North Texas to Disney World in Florida. It was almost a 20-hour drive with three kids in tow! Needless to say, I was worried about how we’d keep all three kids occupied in the car and avoid boredom. 

I captured their enthusiasm for the trip and for Disney by making them themed activity booklets for the car. I bought simple pocket folders with brads and filled them to the brim with all kinds of fun games. You could also have these coil-bound or secured like book. Then, I laminated the folders and decorated them with each child’s nickname.  ...read more