Do you know your ORD from your MSP from your MIA? Then Up in the Air – a movie starring George Clooney as the ultimate frequent flier – is for you.

Actually Up in the Air, directed by Jason Reitman of Juno and Thank You for Not Smoking,will appeal to more than the Platinum Elite set. Set for limited release on Dec. 4, with full opening on Christmas, the movie captures emotional freedom that comes from life on the road, as well as its flip side, loneliness.

(Disclosure: I saw it as a free advance screening last night. It’s also played at the Toronto and Telluride film festivals).

An executive whose job as a corporate executioner takes him to offices around the country, Clooney lives in Airportland, that sterile slice of  real estate consisting of the Airport lounge/first class cabin/chain hotel which nonetheless has an orderly appeal.

With nearly 10 million miles under his belt, Clooney’s character is king of this world. Anyone who travels frequently will enjoy his precise packing (carry on only, of course), his split-second method of sizing up the fastest way through airport security and his unfettered delight in using the elite check-in line. At times, I felt like I was overhearing a conversation on Today in the Sky or FlyerTalk (or between my frequent traveling coworkers, who have their own definite opinions about these issues).

But Clooney is about to get grounded, replaced by a video conferencing system – a move right out of USA TODAY’s Tuesday business travel page (the timeliness of this film, with repeated testimonials from people about to get fired, can be a little unsettling). He’s told to teach a newbie the rules of the road and much of the movie’s emotional core comes from his sharp and sweet interactions with young Natalie (played by Anna Kendrick). 

On his travels, Clooney also meets Alex, a female miles junkie – and their recognition of finding a kindred road warrior is fun to watch. The movie really captures the camaraderie that can develop during business travel. Drunken karaoke! Random hookups! Overzealous sharing of personal information! I’ve heard enough stories from always-on-the-road consultants in their 20s and 30s to know this stuff rings true.

Yet what happens on the road sometimes needs to stay on the road, and the most heart-breaking moments come when Clooney realizes that the emotional distance that serves him so well in Airportland doesn’t always work in the real world. Luckily, Reitman is a director that doesn’t play in easy answers and we don’t get the typical Hollywood ending. The movie brings you to the brink of the sentimental, but never falls over – making it a more credible and enjoyable experience.

I’m a Clooney fan, and he’s such a good choice for this role. He’s world-weary enough now that his face can say so much, and that’s used to great effect in this movie (he has some fantastic one liners as well). Up in the Air doesn’t have nearly as much substance as Michael Clayton, but I actually liked it better, mostly because of the glimpses of vulnerability that Clooney shows us.

Bottom line: If you like to travel, see it. If you like George Clooney, see it. If you like well-written and well-acted films with more than a hint of bite, see it. And if you are none of those demographics – well, then I’m not the one you should ask for movie recommendations.

Up in the Air is a post from: Chris Around The World: A Journalist's Travels on the Road

Some friends and family members have expressed surprise that I can travel for up to two weeks without checking luggage. I’ve been strict about keeping things light since last year’s trip to Costa Rica, where we lost a precious day of travel due to bag delays. And honestly, having less comes in handy when you move around as much as I do when I travel. When you have just one major bag, it’s easier to catch a bus, hop on a boat or manuever a tight train corridor.

Here are 8 tips on how to pack light.

1. Choose a dominant color scheme. Almost all of my clothes fit into the “black” or “brown” family. After considering my trip’s itinerary, I then decide which scheme will work best. If something doesn’t match, out it goes.

2. Lay out all potential items of clothing on the bed. Then take away at least one-third. A good travel wardrobe is all about the editing. Think about pieces that can do double duty, such as jeans or ankle-length black capris that can be worn touring during the day or out to dinner at night. If you have three dresses, cut one. If you have six tops, cut two.

3. Be ruthless with your shoes. It’s no secret that shoes are a major space hog. And with outdoor and sporting stores suggesting a different shoe for each activity, it’s easy to believe you need an arsenal of footwear. Trust me, you don’t. One pair of broken-in walking shoes (I like Clark’s Priva Mary Jane style), along with a street-friendly sandal, are usually all you need. And forget about heels. Unless you are going to a wedding, you aren’t going to wear them.

4. Choose your accompanying personal item well. I carry a backpack as my personal item that also functions as a laptop/camera bag. I also have a Tumi daypack that I can flatten out and stick in either my luggage or my backpack while I’m in transit. That means I actually have three bags instead of the two allowed by most airlines (and I don’t have to pay ANY fees).

5. Throw out your fashion ego. I’m often working when I’m traveling. But with long days of walking, often in the heat or on uneven cobblestone streets, I need to be comfortable too. I’ve decided it’s OK if I’m not board-room ready. If meeting hotel biz types is on the agenda, I always carry a structured professional-looking sweater coat or light jacket that spiffs up a dress or more casual outfit.

6. Remember past packing mistakes. On the road, I always gravitate to the pieces that feel comfortable and easy. And when I get home and unpack, I almost always find at least two things that were never worn. That’s usually a sign those items should have never come along in the first place.

7. Take advantage of laundry when available. If you are visiting friends or family, remember that they often have washing machines you can use. Or consider renting an apartment that might have facilities, especially in European cities. In our Barcelona apartment this June, we were thrilled to be able to wash our sweaty clothes before going out for the evening.

8. And finally: practice, practice, practice. With all the trips I’ve taken this year, packing light has almost become second nature. My bag for Mexico came together in enough time for me to write this blog post. The more trips that you take with one bag, the easier it will get.

Got any tips to add? Write them below!

8 Tips for Packing Light is a post from: Chris Around The World: A Journalist's Travels on the Road

George, taken by Kitty Bean Yancey

Every workplace I’ve known at has had its own watering hole – with most on the dive bar end of the spectrum.

In New Orleans, members of the media took guest stints behind the bar at Molly’s On the Market, serving drinks to an equal number of bikers, journalists and literary types on the edge of the lower French Quarter.

In Philadelphia, the venerable Pen and Pencil  - which bills itself as America’s oldest press club – met in not so grandiose surroundings; its headquarters were essentially two stories of drab, wood-paneled rooms that featured free hot dogs as a major selling point.

And in working class York, Pa., reporters and editors who were most decidedly “not from around here”  took an almost expat delight in the scuzziness of the White  Rose Bar & Grill (now regrettably renovated under yet another revitalization attempt).

At my current workplace located in the heart of the suburban office park Tysons Corner, the ”FAA club” gathers occasionally at the McLean Hilton. It’s not a particularly attractive place, built to offend no one in a way that doesn’t particularly interest anyone. An interior atrium that rises several stories? Check. Restaurant with unremarkable and overpriced food? Check. The general atmosphere is one that almost guarantees that a travel-logged road warrior might take a look, then glumly retire to their room to order in, turn on the TV and work on the next day’s Power Point presentation.

But look a little closer and you’ll see signs of life stirring under the corporate soundtrack. There’s George and Rick, amiable bartenders that not only treat their regulars well, they make the PWC consultant in for one night feel comfortable. There’s the camaraderie of the British Airways employees who have clearly spent too much time on the road together, as well as the loneliness of a KPMG partner who has clearly been away from his kids too long. It’s a microscosm of the business travel world.

For those of us who cover travel as a beat, the Hilton couldn’t be a better gathering place. These are our people, the ones who know their IAD from their ORD, and desperately try to avoid ATL. We tell their stories, we feel their pain (and the occasional freedom of corporate travel). For us, the Hilton IS the dive bar, where the liberally topped Sauvignon Blanc serves the same purpose as a Pabst and a shot, even though the patrons are watching their Blackberries instead of reading free city weeklies. It couldn’t be more appropriate.

The “local,” or why I love hotel bars is a post from: Chris Around The World: A Journalist's Travels on the Road