Traveling to detect

I just returned from a metal detecting event in Boston Massachusetts, and I learned a couple of very important lessons from my trip. 
I always believed that I was a well prepared treasure hunter, but I got caught short on this trip with a short window of opportunity to metal detect somewhere different.
The last time I used my two piece long handled travel scoop was on a Caribbean cruise, I did not break it down after washing and storing it for the last 7 months. 
My mistake led to the sleeve/ bolted connection completely locking up, caused by remaining sand and saltwater on the inside of the connection. 
Of course I did not discover my mistake until it was time to pack my suitcase, luckily a good friend was kind enough to lend me his spare scoop.
I will not get caught out again, and I will make sure I never forget to break down all of my metal detecting travel equipment, including my metal detector shafts.
Simple things make a big difference when you travel to beach or water hunt. 
Travel shafts, travel scoops and even find pouches have to be more compact, easier to pack and also lightweight to avoid extra baggage fees.
Another lesson I learned from my trip was one that I have written about in my treasure hunting books.
How a local beach hunter will always have the edge over strangers searching a beach for the first time. 
I experienced the local beach hunters edge first hand after spotting a guy hammering one site and quickly moving on to another spot much further from the first site he had just searched.
The wily treasure hunter showed all the signs of being a savvy local beach hunter, he knew where to hunt and when to move on. 
Even going so far as to avoid any kind of contact with me, I admired and respected his pirate style. 
On the other hand, I met a couple of local hunters who went out of their way to tell me ( a complete stranger) all about their finds in the area.
I may have been caught short with my travel scoop but my travel intel was spot on.
A little trick I relied on before traveling was to google posts by local beach hunters close to this beach on the metal detecting forums.
Thanks to the internet I learned that things had been slow for quite a while on the local beaches and the trend continued through my only early morning beach hunt. 
Lessons learned from my Boston trip, be better prepared to travel and detect, its good to be king of the local beach, and use the internet to find out what the locals are posting on the metal detecting forums.