Do you remember your first business trip? For me, my first business-related trip was during college, when I traveled from Boston to New York City for an interview to be an intern at Marvel Comics. I may have only been a college student, but the lessons I learned during that first trip to the home of Spider-Man, Iron Man and Wolverine have informed every business trip I’ve taken since:

• Take the train - Getting into the city I took the train, and it is still may favorite way to get into the Big Apple - there’s no traffic, I can’t get lost, and I can get other things done (read, write, sleep, dream) while someone else drives. With the introduction of Amtrak’s Acela Express the trip from Boston to NYC became faster, more comfortable and, with outlets at every seat, easier on my electronic devices.

• Pack lightly - I’m not sure what I was thinking, but I remember lugging a HUGE rolling suitcase with me (I think I was going home for Christmas break after the interview). Through subsequent business trips I’ve learned to pack lightly - reducing the size of the suitcase I need makes navigating through airports and city streets easier, and keeps me from sweating through my business suit.

I’ve also accepted that I’m not going to make it to the hotel gym, so the exercise clothing can stay home, and I figured out that if I plan my wardrobe properly I can get away with fewer pairs of shoes.

• Stash my bag - If I did have to travel with that much luggage again, I would make sure I figured out where I could stash my bag for the day - I swear I rolled it for miles! Turns out Pennsylvania Station, where I got off the train, has limited luggage storage available for passengers for a small fee.

• Have a plan - If I remember correctly, Marvel Comics was housed in a building on 28^th and Park Avenue. I’m also pretty sure I had no idea where that was in relation to Penn Station and was dragging my mega-huge suitcase around NYC holding a crumpled map of the city. Can you say tourist?

After living in the city for a couple of years, I obviously have a much better understanding of the geography of New York. I’ve also become more obsessive about planning my trips, door-to-door. During a recent walking tour of Boston I discovered that I could get turn-by-turn directions (driving, walking or public transportation) on my iPhone, which will really come in handy during my next business trip.

• Check the dress - I’m going to blame my mom for the fact that I showed up at Marvel, a place where most of the editorial staff were (and still are) guys wearing jeans and t-shirts, wearing gray wool pants and a gorgeous Burberry blazer. I’m sure I looked like I had stepped off the cover of my alma mater’s catalog - I did not, however, look like a future intern or comic book geek.

These days, I’m more careful about packing clothing that’s appropriate for the meetings I’ll be attending, because I hate feeling under - or overdressed.

• Be patient, and bring reading material - It’s been over 17 years since my first trip, but I can’t let my editor at Marvel forget that he never actually showed up for my interview. Instead, I sat in his office, reading comic books and talking to his assistant, for HOURS before the intern coordinator realized I wasn’t leaving until I got the job. (Did I mention that this was an unpaid position?)

We all know that a business trip can be thrown into disarray by mechanical failures, fog banks or other disasters, and the only way to survive these almost inevitable delays is to be patient. A good book and a glass of wine doesn’t hurt either.

Just thinking about my first business trip has left me with a smile on my face, and a desire to call my old boss.

What lessons did you learn on your first business trip?