The headline says it all. I have several travel tools that keep me productive and engaged on the road. They are mostly electronic, but you may be surprised at what I consider to be a “travel tool.” Frankly, my travel tools range from computers and smartphones to credit cards. Here they are in order of preference.

1) 11.1″ Apple MacBook Air – I can’t say enough good things about this great computer. I’m not quite at a place where I control my own destiny yet, so I travel with 2 computers. One big boat anchor Dell and my MB Air. I’ll let you guess which is my favorite. Super thin and light, my MB Air literally slips into a file folder pocket in my briefcase.

2) Verizon 4G LTE Mi-Fi – It never crossed my mind that a Mi-Fi device might be for me, but I can’t say enough good things about it. Small, light, and providing blazing fast internet, I love my 4G Mi-Fi device. I no longer fret when I’m staying with a hotel chain where I’m not “elite enough” to receive free wi-fi.

3) American Express Platinum Card - I’ve been blogging for a long time about how much I like my Amex Platinum Card. The lounge access with American, Delta, and US Airways are reason enough to carry this card. The multiple benefits like the $200 dollar annual airline fee credit and the Cruise Privileges program are just icing on the cake. For what it’s worth, my Chase Sapphire Preferred Visa occupies the other permanent card slot in my wallet. The Sapphire Preferred card offers the great Ultimate Rewards program, and serves as a fabulous backup to the Amex Platinum Card.

4) TripIt – I love TripIt – The ease of aggregating my itineraries into an easy to follow format simply by emailing them to TripIt is just too fab to ignore.

5) Apple iPhone and iPad – My iPhone 4S is my go-to device for staying in touch on the road. Couple that with its much improved camera, and it’s the ideal tool for the intrepid blogger or businessman. My iPad, a company provided device, has quickly become a favorite. For short business trips I don’t even bother taking my boat anchor Dell laptop out of the dock at my office. The ability to carry multiple books and magazine on the iPad….divine.

6) Cranky Concierge – While I consider myself to be above average on being informed about all things travel, I really love reserving Cranky Concierge service when I’m traveling for leisure purposes with MrsMJonTravel. I’ve reviewed the service before, and I stand by that review now. Cranky Concierge belongs in every traveler’s toolkit. For me, basic business trips are handled on my own….but vacations….. I’ll let Cranky Concierge watch my back.

So there you have it, the six basics in my MJonTravel toolkit. What’s in yours? Comment to the blog!

Yes, you read that headline correctly. I went to Atlanta and did not stay at one of their 3 terrific W Hotels! No, I’m not defecting. It’s just that the needs of my one-night business trip outweighed my W love this time. That said, I was quite pleased with my first experience at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis and thought I would share a few details of my stay with you.

Getting There

The Marquis is located at the Peachtree MARTA stop and is connected to the station via covered walkway through the Peachtree Center “mall.” Atlanta’s MARTA rail charges a flat $2.50 per trip throughout the system, and is a very convenient way to get to downtown Atlanta from the airport. Taxis are a $34 dollar flat rate fare from the airport.

Checking In

Frankly, the lobby area of this 50-story hotel is massive and striking. It’s open to the very highest floors of the hotel and is very impressive. Approaching the front desk, I was immediately greeted by a very friendly representative who cheerfully checked me in. I was even thanked for my lowly Marriott Rewards Silver Elite status! Better yet, the hotel was offering a little promo deal. I was handed a scratch-off card that contained a prize. In my case, 1,000 bonus Marriott Rewards points. Sweet!! With that, I was off to my 35th floor room.

The Room

Room 3505 was nothing extra-special, a standard King guest room with everything a business traveler expects and needs for a short stay. A great desk with wonderful lighting and extra power outlets, nice LCD television, and a terrific bed. Wired and wireless internet were available for a fee, but I did not partake as I now carry a Verizon 4G Mi-fi device on all my travels…which I love, by the way. Here are a few shots of the room.

I didn’t bother with a pic of the bathroom because it was too small to get a good shot. There was nothing wrong with it, per se, it was just smallish. Heck, how much room does one man need in a bath anyway?! All in all, I was very pleased with my room. Marriott is just so darn consistent.

Around the Hotel

I hate to admit this, but I never left the hotel. One night just wasn’t enough to explore, plus I was meeting with business associates in the evening. I did enjoy cocktails in the Pulse lobby lounge as well as dinner (a wedge salad with shrimp…yes, I’m feeling healthy) in the High Velocity Sports Bar. Service was very good in both locations.  The downtown Morton’s is an easy walk from the hotel and several other restaurants are a few more blocks away. Unfortunately, I did not make it to the fitness center, but did pass by and found it to be very well equipped.

The Bottom Line

I really liked the hotel. But be advised, it is HUGE, and frankly, busy. My room was standard Marriott, and not disappointing. Best thing about the hotel was the friendly staff, and easy access to MARTA. If business takes you to downtown Atlanta, don’t hesitate to stay at the Marriott Marquis.

My heart goes out to the families of those lost in last week’s tragic accident involving the Costa Concordia. It’s obviously disconcerting to read about such a tragedy, especially to those who have never cruised before. I have received numerous questions in the last few days about cruising safety and why I like cruising so much. I can’t comment to the safety procedures of Costa or Carnival Corporation as I’ve never set foot on one of their ships. Believe me, I wouldn’t hesitate to do so given the right set of circumstances, but I’ve frankly been so happy with Royal Caribbean and Celebrity that I just haven’t felt the need to. I’ve never felt anything less than well cared  for and safe aboard any of the cruise ships I’ve sailed on (26 cruises with many more to come).

Much the same as on any aircraft, I never ignore safety drills aboard cruise ships. While remote, there is always the possibility that something unplanned could happen, and I want to be ready. This accident, while tragic, has no deterring effect on my desire to cruise much like no aircraft accident has ever deterred my desire to fly. Fortunately, such accidents are exceedingly rare.

Today, I received separate emails from both Royal Caribbean and Celebrity reiterating their commitment to safety, a commitment I never doubted. A link to a video was included and I wanted to share it with you here. Is it one company’s opinion of itself? Yes. But I’m confident that it’s true. So yes, MJonTravel will continue to cruise and I hope you will too.

Hello from Port Everglades where MrsMJonTravel and I are waiting to disembark the beautiful Navigator of the Seas. I really didn’t mean to totally disappear this past week, but it sure was fun. Great weather, calm seas, no rocks. It was awesome. I probably should have put up a little “best of” content while I was away, but it’s too late now. It was a great week!

Reality returns tomorrow as I will be heading down to Atlanta for a one night biz trip. So look for a new hotel review this week, the Atlanta Marriott Marquis, and of course a few details on our cruise too.

An interesting thought to everyone, I know. I’m sorry I haven’t been doing much (anything) in the way of blogging this week. For whatever reason, I really wanted off the grid this week, so that’s where I’ve been, off the grid. I could get used to that. No, not the part of taking a break from the blog, the part about taking a real break from work, emails, being slightly over-connected. I’m feeling so great that I may even be ready go back to my day job (gasp) with a renewed spirit come next Monday. What a concept?!

So now that I’ve had a little time away, I’m feeling like plugging in slowly. Where in the world is MJonTravel? Here’s a clue.

OK…I’m really flying south until next Sunday, but still. I’m comfortably ensconced in seat 4B on an American Airlines flight from DCA to MIA right now. MrsMJonTravel is with me, and we are heading south to warm up for a few days. Today, we booked ExecuCar from our home in northwest DC to DCA, and I could not have been happier. Our driver arrived early and we were 1/4 of the way to the airport by the time our 2:30pm pickup time actually came. ExecuCar is reasonably priced and great for airport transportation.

Right now, I’m enjoying the GoGo inflight wi-fi on our flight to Miami thanks to the great folks at Cranky Concierge. I’ve reviewed Cranky’s service before, and I want to reiterate my thoughts now. I can’t think of a better service for watching your back when you travel. I usually book Cranky’s flight following service for vacation trips and this trip is no different. You should do the same! Cranky Concierge rocks!!!

Tonight, MrsMJonTravel and I are spending the night in Miami at the JW Marriott and enjoying dinner at the fabulous Truluck’s restaurant. Tomorrow…well, tomorrow….. we go off the grid for a bit, but I might be blogging here and there. So stay tuned.

Believe me, my reaction was probably the same as everyone else’s when I glaced at the WSJ headline about Delta sniffing out the idea of a business deal for AA. “HUH?!” I’m not surprised that Delta, US Airways, and any other equity investment firms are doing their homework on the possibility of buying AA. Any smart businessperson should be looking at all possible scenarios, and my complaints about SkyMiles aside, I think Delta’s executives are among the smartest in the business.

That said, there are a lot of air miles between today and any kind of acquisition of AA by Delta or anyone else. Management has yet to present its own plan of reorganization which it has an exclusive right to do for several months. Then there’s the not so small issue of a Delta purchase of AA’s impact on the Oneworld alliance. The downlow on that – I don’t think there’s a snowball’s chance in hades that British Airways doesn’t find a way to keep AA independent and part of Oneworld as opposed to letting Delta buy the assets they can with the rest being parted out to other airlines. Long story short, no AA, no Oneworld, and I just don’t see it happening.

It’s going to be one heck of an interesting 2012.

I was perusing my blog reading list today, which of course includes The Frugal Travel Guy. Today’s post caught my eye. In it, Rick notes that he’s been asked to add the term “Limited Time Offer” to the Chase Sapphire Preferred ads on his site. I think we’ve all known that the 50,000 Ultimate Rewards bonus points offer would not last forever. I don’t think anyone (except Chase) knows when (or if) that signup bonus is going to be reduced, but if you are thinking about getting this great card, don’t wait. Do it now.

Hat tip to Rick.

Just a friendly reminder. As I mentioned in yesterday’s post about hotel promos, Starwood’s latest promotion is now open for registration. I just registered, and so should you!

Click here to do so.

One of my MJ on Travel resolutions for 2012 is to put myself on a “get well” plan for paying better attention to hotel bonus promotions and sharing my experiences with those here on the blog. All of this has already been widely blogged about, but just in case you missed it, here’s a summary of the latest promos from the 3 programs I frequent most. Not to mention… practice in posting makes better posts.

Starwood – Double SPG points on 2-night stays and triple SPG points on 3-night stays. Registration opens tomorrow (1/9). According to this FT thread, the link to register is here. Should work tomorrow.

Marriott – Q1 Megabonus. Varies by account. Go here to see what your offer is. Mine was 1 free night after every second paid stay with a max of 2 free nights.

Hilton – More Points promotion. 1,000 bonus points per night, and a 2-night weekend stay earns 5,000 bonus points. Click here for the terms and registration.

These are the 3 programs I’m likely to use. Feel free to comment to the blog if you are aware of other great promos at these chains and especially others.

Hat tips to Points, Miles & Martinis as well as Loyalty Traveler.

I’ve seen a lot of posts lately about mileage earning plans for credit cards, travel, and general predictions for 2012. Being an opinionated guy, I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to pontificate before we’re too far into 2012, so here goes.

My credit card portfolio will revolve around my Chase Sapphire Preferred card and my Amex Platinum. I predict that the majority of my travel and dining expenses are charged to my Chase Sapphire Preferred card, with the Amex Platinum card being used for certain travel or general purchases where necessary to take advantage of some of the card’s superior benefits. I don’t plan any major changes in my card portfolio in the year ahead, and will, in fact, refrain from any new applications for the next few months. Interest rates are flirting with levels that might lead the MJonTravel team to consider a “re-refinancing” of our mortgage, and I don’t want a bunch of new credit applications hanging on my credit report right now.

I expect my travels in 2012 will be much like 2011. My business travel will be less than some previous years, and my personal travels will remain even or perhaps increase. Of course, any of this could change at the drop of a hat, and I could find myself on the road for work more than I imagined. Only time will tell. Depending on my schedule, I could envision a little more mileage running than I’ve done in the past just to make sure I hit my elite status goals for the year. The MJonTravel team will return to Europe this year as well…..and we are both looking forward to that!! We are planning on only 2 cruises in 2012. One sailing on Royal Caribbean in mid-January, and one on the then brand new Celebrity Reflection from Venice to Barcelona in November.

Where will 2012 take you?