Check out www.seatguru.com . It is a great way to check out the seat options on a huge range of airlines and avoiding some pretty uncomfortable trips.
Happy hunting!
Friday, October 3, 2008
A great solution for liquids and gels!
Thanks to the great suggestion from Lady Traveller (see link below) I have just ordered what looks to be the perfect bag that passes aiport guidelines - good by ziplocks!
http://www.businesstraveller.com/discussion/topic/Washbag-for-liquids-Creams-Gels-1
http://www.businesstraveller.com/discussion/topic/Washbag-for-liquids-Creams-Gels-1
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Tired and Grumpy!
Its midweek, I had a horrible nite last night at the hotel because I barely slept, I had too much jammed into one day AND now I am back in my room looking at a ton of things I didn't get done today that has to be finished tonight. All I really want to do is to crawl into bed and sleep - hopefully uninterupted!
So - why didn't I sleep you ask? The hotel, at my request, put me in another part of the floor so I was closer to the conceirge desk where I felt safer instead of being way down the hall, around the corner at the end. What a mistake that was! It is a much nicer room even thought its smaller but in my daze I failed to realize it was right beside the elevator - problem one. But worse than that, there is a large grate just about over my bed that allows for every clang, bang, thud and any other noise made by this beautiful old hotel and its plumbing and heating system to be heard like its happening right it my room! Then, there is this white noise that sounds like a faint TV program is playing in the very distant background. I don't do background noises well - at all! My husband might say I am "slightly" high maintence - OK truth be told he would say I am very high maintence - but thats not the point.
I woke up at 2:15, again at 3:52, at 4:59 and finally at 6:10am when I gave up and got up and went for breakfast. Now, beyond what was clearly a lack of sleep, you need to know that, next to my amazing husband, sleep is the most important thing to me. I need a ton of it - 10 hours makes me happy but I can deal with 9. The fact that I had very little, and had a crazy day of conference calls, client deliverables, important meetings and issues to deal with helped the day go by and I forgot how tired I was BUT when I walked out of the office at 6:30 it hit me and I wasn't a happy camper!
So here I am procrastinating - not getting around to what I know I need to do tonight, waiting for my room service (thanks Bob the room service guy for the good suggestion of some comfort food!).
What is wrong with this picture???
So - why didn't I sleep you ask? The hotel, at my request, put me in another part of the floor so I was closer to the conceirge desk where I felt safer instead of being way down the hall, around the corner at the end. What a mistake that was! It is a much nicer room even thought its smaller but in my daze I failed to realize it was right beside the elevator - problem one. But worse than that, there is a large grate just about over my bed that allows for every clang, bang, thud and any other noise made by this beautiful old hotel and its plumbing and heating system to be heard like its happening right it my room! Then, there is this white noise that sounds like a faint TV program is playing in the very distant background. I don't do background noises well - at all! My husband might say I am "slightly" high maintence - OK truth be told he would say I am very high maintence - but thats not the point.
I woke up at 2:15, again at 3:52, at 4:59 and finally at 6:10am when I gave up and got up and went for breakfast. Now, beyond what was clearly a lack of sleep, you need to know that, next to my amazing husband, sleep is the most important thing to me. I need a ton of it - 10 hours makes me happy but I can deal with 9. The fact that I had very little, and had a crazy day of conference calls, client deliverables, important meetings and issues to deal with helped the day go by and I forgot how tired I was BUT when I walked out of the office at 6:30 it hit me and I wasn't a happy camper!
So here I am procrastinating - not getting around to what I know I need to do tonight, waiting for my room service (thanks Bob the room service guy for the good suggestion of some comfort food!).
What is wrong with this picture???
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Four Wheels or Two?
Getting sick of dragging my increasingly heavy suitcase around airports I started to look at the “spinner” carry-ons. Spinners have four wheels and instead of pulling them with two wheels you simply push them upright. It certainly seemed like just the right solution – easy on my arm and made things like walking down a plane aisle easy.
As I took it for a walk around the luggage store it seemed like the perfect solution. There weren’t a ton of options in soft sided spinners and I couldn’t find anything in the two suitcase lines I have great luck with, TravelPro or Briggs and Riley, so I ended up with a Samsonite. It looked nice on the outside but wasn’t thrilled with the inside structure but I figured the benefits of four wheels outweighed the layout inside. It also balanced another bag nicely on top which I liked because I often carry a large tote bag with me that is open at the top and when I was putting it on my two wheeler I was always looking back to make sure nothing was falling out.
Off to the airport I go in my new spinner. Very quickly I realized this was not going to be as easy as it seemed! First, the spinners don’t handle bumps well at all and in some cases if it’s a high threshold on a door or "moving sidewalks" you have to spin it around like a traditional two wheeler to get it across smoothly. But it doesn’t stop there, the moment you hit anything other than hard flat surface, like a carpet – like the miles and miles of carpet that exist at airports, hotels and offices, the suitcase becomes very sluggish on its four wheels and you are pushing it hard to just move forward.
So, where does that leave me you are asking? I am learning to move from four to two wheels on the fly and enjoying the moments when I am in “four wheel gear” and adjusting to the awkward layout inside. Would I buy one again? Not sure about that. I think so but the real test will be when I take it with me to Europe on my next biz trip in a few weeks. If I can survive European travel then I will likely be willing to say I like it. When I decide, I will let you know!
As I took it for a walk around the luggage store it seemed like the perfect solution. There weren’t a ton of options in soft sided spinners and I couldn’t find anything in the two suitcase lines I have great luck with, TravelPro or Briggs and Riley, so I ended up with a Samsonite. It looked nice on the outside but wasn’t thrilled with the inside structure but I figured the benefits of four wheels outweighed the layout inside. It also balanced another bag nicely on top which I liked because I often carry a large tote bag with me that is open at the top and when I was putting it on my two wheeler I was always looking back to make sure nothing was falling out.
Off to the airport I go in my new spinner. Very quickly I realized this was not going to be as easy as it seemed! First, the spinners don’t handle bumps well at all and in some cases if it’s a high threshold on a door or "moving sidewalks" you have to spin it around like a traditional two wheeler to get it across smoothly. But it doesn’t stop there, the moment you hit anything other than hard flat surface, like a carpet – like the miles and miles of carpet that exist at airports, hotels and offices, the suitcase becomes very sluggish on its four wheels and you are pushing it hard to just move forward.
So, where does that leave me you are asking? I am learning to move from four to two wheels on the fly and enjoying the moments when I am in “four wheel gear” and adjusting to the awkward layout inside. Would I buy one again? Not sure about that. I think so but the real test will be when I take it with me to Europe on my next biz trip in a few weeks. If I can survive European travel then I will likely be willing to say I like it. When I decide, I will let you know!
Saturday, September 27, 2008
To room service or not, that is the question
ROOM SERVICE PROS
I can put on my yoga pants and t'shirt and just relax - don't know about you but I never feel comfortable showing up in a hotel restaurant looking like I should be curled up on the couch or in the lotus position. And some times those suits and high heels MUST be taken off after a long day.
I can eat and watch TV. Growing up the only time this was ever allowed was when we were at my Aunt and Uncle's house on a Sunday nite and Walt Disney was on. Other than that, meals were always served at the table and absolutely no TV in the background either. Its nice to "cheat" and the TV in a strange way feels like company ... how sad is that!
Silence! I can not handle screeching children, women whinning and loud dominating men while I am trying to enjoy a meal and for some reason when I travel on business this is when I am always plagued with this and generally speaking, its always right at the next table! But the worse, the absolute worse is the diner who can not eat quietly and needs to slurp, crunch, chew and make noises no one should never have to hear coming from another human being. All of this is of course magnified when you are dining alone. The only noises you hear when you order room service are your own - oh, and they couple beside you are having the second fight that week! But, at least that is muffled and you can turn on the TV.
You don't look like you have no friends. This is the one everyone thinks about but I'm over it. I have never read more trashy paper back novels in my life than I have consumed over the last several years I have been on the road. Really, this dining alone thing is just a state of mind and the more we lift our heads and look around we will start to see that there are quite a few single diners out there just like us. A few weeks ago I was getting incredibly sick of the food at my hotel so I ventured out to a restaurant close by. Paper back novel and blackberry in hand, I picked up a magazine on route and walked into what seemed to be good place to enjoy a nice relaxing meal out. I settled into my table for one, had a long look at the menu - I was avoiding the book to early into the evening and decided I would save the magazine for back in the hotel room I made my choice. Waiting for my meal I started looking around and was shocked to see three other women dining by themselves and then I noticed two men on their own as well. Maybe there were 70 people in the restaurant that nite. OK, I admit it, I counted and all of the sudden I didn't feel like a total looser so I enjoyed the rest of the night out. I also made a point to walk by the three other women on their own on my way out and smile and say goodnight. Not as bad as I thought and only read a few pages of my book.
ROOM SERVICE CONS
Your room will never smell clean again. This is probably the worst for me. I can have as close to an odorless meal as possible and I still smell it for the rest of my stay. Can you tell the idea of breakfast in bed never goes over well with me? You got it - no food in the bedroom - every - accept when I am travelling on biz and I seem to break this rule - a lot. I have taken to carrying small scented candles with me which helps - sometimes.
How sad is that! It's bad enough eating alone in a restaurant - you have your book, your blackberry, the newspaper or worse comes to worse, the wine list just because you need to do something! Room service is depressing. From the time I speak to Bob who answers the phone in the "in room dining" department, who often knows my order before I even tell him lately, to the time I roll the cart out in the hall I feel like a the most lonely person on this earth. This pathetic person who doesn't want to go and eat alone in public but would rather sit and eat all alone behind the locked doors of the hotel room. There are times I just can not handle that feeling so I head out.
Never perfect - ever, OK rarely! And, if you want something done about it you will wait another 1/2 hour minimum. My beef lately is always ask for a jug of ice water with my meal - not a glass but a jug. I find hotel rooms incredibly dry so I find having a jug of water to drink throughout the evening helps. I've given up ordering hot water for my herbal tea - you might as well just run the tap because by the time you have finished eating and are ready for the tea - the water is warm at best. Oh, and you can almost guarantee that if you must have pepper on your salad, or ketchup for your fries its missing. Too cold, too bad. Too warm, so sad. Just deal with it.
You end up working all nite. Its true. Its early, you can't watch TV all night, you have a pile of work staring at you so you dive in and before you know it you are into this terrible habit of room service and endless hours of work. Its bad for your mental state. This was my life for well over the first month I was doing my weekly "commute" half way across the country. I was plowing through a ton of work but I also realized I was taking on work that others should have been doing just because I had time. Something was wrong with that picture. I still fall victim to this, I must admit but I am now aware of my bad habit and try to not to do it every night.
I can put on my yoga pants and t'shirt and just relax - don't know about you but I never feel comfortable showing up in a hotel restaurant looking like I should be curled up on the couch or in the lotus position. And some times those suits and high heels MUST be taken off after a long day.
I can eat and watch TV. Growing up the only time this was ever allowed was when we were at my Aunt and Uncle's house on a Sunday nite and Walt Disney was on. Other than that, meals were always served at the table and absolutely no TV in the background either. Its nice to "cheat" and the TV in a strange way feels like company ... how sad is that!
Silence! I can not handle screeching children, women whinning and loud dominating men while I am trying to enjoy a meal and for some reason when I travel on business this is when I am always plagued with this and generally speaking, its always right at the next table! But the worse, the absolute worse is the diner who can not eat quietly and needs to slurp, crunch, chew and make noises no one should never have to hear coming from another human being. All of this is of course magnified when you are dining alone. The only noises you hear when you order room service are your own - oh, and they couple beside you are having the second fight that week! But, at least that is muffled and you can turn on the TV.
You don't look like you have no friends. This is the one everyone thinks about but I'm over it. I have never read more trashy paper back novels in my life than I have consumed over the last several years I have been on the road. Really, this dining alone thing is just a state of mind and the more we lift our heads and look around we will start to see that there are quite a few single diners out there just like us. A few weeks ago I was getting incredibly sick of the food at my hotel so I ventured out to a restaurant close by. Paper back novel and blackberry in hand, I picked up a magazine on route and walked into what seemed to be good place to enjoy a nice relaxing meal out. I settled into my table for one, had a long look at the menu - I was avoiding the book to early into the evening and decided I would save the magazine for back in the hotel room I made my choice. Waiting for my meal I started looking around and was shocked to see three other women dining by themselves and then I noticed two men on their own as well. Maybe there were 70 people in the restaurant that nite. OK, I admit it, I counted and all of the sudden I didn't feel like a total looser so I enjoyed the rest of the night out. I also made a point to walk by the three other women on their own on my way out and smile and say goodnight. Not as bad as I thought and only read a few pages of my book.
ROOM SERVICE CONS
Your room will never smell clean again. This is probably the worst for me. I can have as close to an odorless meal as possible and I still smell it for the rest of my stay. Can you tell the idea of breakfast in bed never goes over well with me? You got it - no food in the bedroom - every - accept when I am travelling on biz and I seem to break this rule - a lot. I have taken to carrying small scented candles with me which helps - sometimes.
How sad is that! It's bad enough eating alone in a restaurant - you have your book, your blackberry, the newspaper or worse comes to worse, the wine list just because you need to do something! Room service is depressing. From the time I speak to Bob who answers the phone in the "in room dining" department, who often knows my order before I even tell him lately, to the time I roll the cart out in the hall I feel like a the most lonely person on this earth. This pathetic person who doesn't want to go and eat alone in public but would rather sit and eat all alone behind the locked doors of the hotel room. There are times I just can not handle that feeling so I head out.
Never perfect - ever, OK rarely! And, if you want something done about it you will wait another 1/2 hour minimum. My beef lately is always ask for a jug of ice water with my meal - not a glass but a jug. I find hotel rooms incredibly dry so I find having a jug of water to drink throughout the evening helps. I've given up ordering hot water for my herbal tea - you might as well just run the tap because by the time you have finished eating and are ready for the tea - the water is warm at best. Oh, and you can almost guarantee that if you must have pepper on your salad, or ketchup for your fries its missing. Too cold, too bad. Too warm, so sad. Just deal with it.
You end up working all nite. Its true. Its early, you can't watch TV all night, you have a pile of work staring at you so you dive in and before you know it you are into this terrible habit of room service and endless hours of work. Its bad for your mental state. This was my life for well over the first month I was doing my weekly "commute" half way across the country. I was plowing through a ton of work but I also realized I was taking on work that others should have been doing just because I had time. Something was wrong with that picture. I still fall victim to this, I must admit but I am now aware of my bad habit and try to not to do it every night.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Pain Points
To room service or not, that is the question
Are four wheels really better than two?
My day is made with a bulkhead aisle!
Bose noise reduction headphones are a life saver ... along with my iPod.
My schedule says I am good at 2pm - eastern, no mountain time, no wait you are in what time zone?
I have never eaten so well at breakfast before in my life!
Dripping taps, not enough hangers, air fans that sound like freight train, thermostats that like to tease us,
Nighmares of trying to working in your hotel room - power outlets, chairs, lighting - nothing is ever right!
I didn't know where to begin so I thought I would start with a list - that quite frankly could have gone on and on but we will start here. In no particular order I will share my thoughts, rants, tips and complaints. For now, its 9pm and its the Grey's Anatomy seasons premier and I need to zone out a bit. I have to checked out, in the office and on a conference call for 2 hours as of 8am tomorrow ... and I am not a morning person!
Are four wheels really better than two?
My day is made with a bulkhead aisle!
Bose noise reduction headphones are a life saver ... along with my iPod.
My schedule says I am good at 2pm - eastern, no mountain time, no wait you are in what time zone?
I have never eaten so well at breakfast before in my life!
Dripping taps, not enough hangers, air fans that sound like freight train, thermostats that like to tease us,
Nighmares of trying to working in your hotel room - power outlets, chairs, lighting - nothing is ever right!
I didn't know where to begin so I thought I would start with a list - that quite frankly could have gone on and on but we will start here. In no particular order I will share my thoughts, rants, tips and complaints. For now, its 9pm and its the Grey's Anatomy seasons premier and I need to zone out a bit. I have to checked out, in the office and on a conference call for 2 hours as of 8am tomorrow ... and I am not a morning person!
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