Hello Cynthia,

At the Ohio Genealogical Society Conference this past April (2009) an excellent presentation was given on just this subject by Ms. Charlotte Bocage.

Her title was "Don't Waste Your Time: Making Your Research Trip Count". She covered practically all of the areas mentioned in your post.. from transportation to dining facilites, materials to carry and time allotments.

Charlotte's bio in the conference syllabus reads "full time genealogist, lecturer, author and Louisiana specialist. She serves on various committees for the South California Genealogical Society and is vice president of the Pasadena Area African American Genealogical Society". Charlotte's contact information listed in the syllabus is:
Charlotte Bocage
P.O. Box 291792
Los Angeles, CA 90029
charsroots@yahoo.com

I'm sure she would happy to share with you some of her helpful hints and genealogical items needed to insure you have a meaningful and worthwhile research.

Hope this helps,
Art Thomas