January 27, 2010
The most-viewed article on SmartWomenTravelers.com is Top 7 Tips for Packing Your Suitcase, but unpacking my suitcase is actually a bigger chore than packing it! This got me thinking about the different ways that people unpack their suitcases.
Upon returning from a trip, my husband immediately (and I mean immediately!) opens up his luggage, gets his dirty clothes into the washer and totally empties out his bag. I, on the other hand, roll the luggage into our bedroom where it sits next to my nightstand for a day …. or two … or more. I hate unpacking! Read more of this article »
Posted by Carol Margolis under Pearls of Travel Fun, Random Thoughts |
January 26, 2010
When it comes to my hotel stays, which are virtually every week, I classify myself as a ‘home-body’. Outside of going to work, attending a conference, or eating a meal, chances are I will be in my room. The hotel that I frequent does have a nice concierge lounge which I have access to, and I really should enjoy their red leather sofas more often. There is also a big lobby, but it is noisy and not conducive to relaxing in a quiet spot to read or get work done. As far as going to the hotel’s bar at night … that’s just not for me unless I’m going with friends. It is generally full of guys (as most hotel bars are) and not a comfortable place for a solo female to hang out on a regular basis … unless, of course, I was to be looking for an evening career … which I’m not.
I recently attended a conference at the Hotel InterContinental in Atlanta’s Buckhead area. What I discovered was the perfect lobby area that I could see myself becoming a fixture in if this was a hotel I frequently stayed at. There were plenty of sofas and chairs in a very warm, comfortable area. It was away from the main hotel desk and bar area, so peacefulness reigned. And what got me excited the most was that every table next to a sofa or chair had power outlets – several of them! I never would have thought that power outlets would get me so excited, but when I spend the vast majority of my life on my laptop, power outlets become a necessity. Finally, this was an area where I could sink into the nice cozy sofa, have a cup of tea or glass of wine, and get some serious work or socializing done online.
Unfortunately I was only at the Hotel InterContinental for a six-hour conference, so the sinking into the sofa with a glass of wine was only a nice dream in my head. But that is what I would love to find in the hotels where I stay. I’ll keep dreaming …
Posted by Carol Margolis under Hotel Living |
January 25, 2010
Each Monday through Friday, a Travel Gem of the Day will be posted at SmartWomenTravelers.com. These Travel Gems are tips that will help a traveler travel smarter, safer, handle home issues, be prepared and enjoy their journeys.
Here are last week’s Travel Gems:
Monday Jan. 18 - Free Passport Reminder Service: ItsEasy.com offers a free passport renewal reminder, which can help travelers avoid showing up at the airport or border with an expired or soon to expire passport. Register on their website and receive a renewal reminder via email nine months prior to your passport expiration date. This service is especially useful for families with children, since kids’ passports expire every five years (as opposed to 10 years for adults).They also provide expedited passport processing. Read more of this article »
Posted by Carol Margolis under Travel |
January 21, 2010
With the recent new round of increases for checked luggage fees, I return to a question asked by flight attendants: Why not charge for carry-on bags instead of checked bags?
I have no doubt the airlines would love to also charge for carry-ons rather than one versus the other. Nevertheless, the checked bag fee has been a huge revenue source for the legacy airlines so it will unlikely go anywhere anytime soon.
From the flight attendant’s side, here is the problem: More people than ever are bringing carry-ons aboard the plane. Many passengers max out with two and it is common they want to put both of them in the overhead compartments. Despite pleas that they put smaller bags under the seat, few passengers listen to this part.
Moreover, many of the carry-on bags are oversized, sometimes well beyond the 22″ limit which means going into the bins sideways. At some point, there is simply not enough room to accommodate everything. Usually the last people to board are out of luck and need to have their bags checked. This just adds to the boarding time and the attendant’s headaches as they try to get under way.
Under the present system, passengers still see this as a win. Even if their bag needs to be checked due to no overhead space, there is usually no fee. All they have to do is get to the gate with their oversize bags and they can get their bags checked for free. Read more of this article »
Posted by Carol Margolis under Travel |
January 20, 2010
Each Monday through Friday, a Travel Gem of the Day will be posted at SmartWomenTravelers.com. These Travel Gems are tips that will help a traveler travel smarter, safer, handle home issues, be prepared and enjoy their journeys.
Topics include:
If you would like a favorite travel tip of yours to be included in the Travel Gem of the Day, email your tip, name and website to travelgem@smartwomentravelers.com.
Here are last week’s Travel Gems:
Monday Jan. 11 – Organize your closet by type of clothes (pants, jackets, tops), then by color. This makes for very easy selection of clothes for packing.
I can pack for a 4-5 day business trip in a matter of a few minutes because of this organization and color-coordination. Another minute or so to pick out jewelry or scarves, throw in my work-out clothes and I’m packed!
Tuesday Jan. 12 – Avoid wearing mascara while traveling. Even snoozing on short flights, I always seem to find mascara under my eyes. Instead, put it one once you arrive at your destination. The same goes for eye shadows. I love bareVitamins Prime Time Eyelid Primer available at Sephoa. This primer holds eye shadow in place all day with no creases. When I do not have the primer with me, I skip the eye shadow until after my flight.
Wednesday Jan. 13 – When wearing bracelets/bangles through security, walk through the sensor with hands clasped in front of you, not at your side near the sensors. Less time in removing the bangles, and less chance that they’d walk away in someone else’s bag.
Thursday Jan. 14 - Use twist-ties or a round keychain to secure your luggage zippers. The TSA-approved locks work also, but they are expensive and often go astray when baggage personnel do not put the lock back on.
I have used the TSA-approved locks on my luggage and have always had them come up missing after checking my bag in my home airport of Orlando. Now I use simple twist-ties (and carry a few extras with me) to secure the zippers from opening up while in transit. And just where do these missing locks go to the same place as missing socks?
Friday Jan. 15 – Use a small video camera to capture snippets of something fun in the city you’re visiting or say hello to your kids from a historic or interesting place…maybe even from your hotel room as you tell them you love them. Email the video to the at-home spouse or your caregiver to show the kids, or post them on a family website.
Posted by Carol Margolis under Travel |
January 19, 2010
For frequent fliers who did not reach elite status by the end of 2009, your privileges will soon be expiring … typically by the end of February. That’s about the time the depression sets in. I’ve felt that pain before. Not only was it a miserable feeling to know that I would always be going to the back of the plane and walking by the ‘new elite,’ but it also shook up my entire travel methodology.
I was Delta Platinum for several years. When my kids were in high school, I worked locally and flew very little. I had my Platinum status with nowhere to go. After a year of my Platinum card collecting dust, Delta must have felt pity on me because they did not eliminate my status altogether. Instead they gave me Gold status. I was ecstatic! I thought I would have lost it all. The next year, however, I again had few flights and thus became part of the non-elite. No second year pity from Delta. It was so humbling to walk through First Class knowing that those used to be my seats!
What was most mystifying to me, however, was who to book flights through now that I had no elite status. Automatically I used to book Delta. It was all about status, status, status. But now that status didn’t matter and price did (since I was paying for my own flights), I was looking for the lower fares no matter what airline.
I began to fly a lot of different carriers for my domestic flights (United, Airtran, Spirit, etc…). Loyalty didn’t matter since status was no longer my main rationale, but on every flight I reminisced about Biscoff cookies, first class seats and 100% bonus miles. It was a very sad time.
Once my youngest child graduated high school, I was back on the road within weeks. Goodbye local job – hello weekly travel! I had to start my climb back up the elite ladder all over again. I had my first flight on Delta on August 4th and was able to reach Gold Medallion by the end of the year. I was back in the big seats!
I stayed at Delta Platinum for several years now, but will be soon getting my Gold Medallion for 2010. I dropped down a rung on the ladder again. Even though I have Platinum status on Continental now, I’m depressed that I will not also have it on Delta. I dread the day when my 2010 Gold Medallion card reaches my mailbox. At least I will never lose my Delta Elite status ever again. Achieving Million-Miler status assures me Silver Medallion for life.
If your status is about to drop, there may still be hope. Know that it is always worth a letter or call to your airline to request a matching elite status. I have received matching elite status in the past (Northwest and Continental have both given me Gold status based on my Delta Platinum status). Or request an exception if you just missed a certain level by a small number of miles. It never hurts to ask. (The same goes for hotels also always ask if a hotel will honor or match your elite status.)
For those of you going down in status this year, I understand your pain.
Posted by Carol Margolis under Travel |
January 16, 2010
I just wrapped up a 5-day cruise with CEOSpace. It’s the first time I have ever cruised with a business purpose and it was great! We had meetings planned in the mornings so we still had the majority of each day for getting off the ship and doing our own thing.
Dinners were spent together, rotating tables each night so that we could network and do business with as many people as possible (there were about 115 of us in our group). It was just the right mix of business, networking and fun!
I collected several funny travel stories for my upcoming book (see http://smartwomentravelers.com for the details), talked with travel industry experts; discussed travel products and met with CEOs and entreprenuers from all walks of life. All in all, I was very surprised that so much business got done on a cruise ship. But that’s also the power of the CEOSpace group.
I’ve only been off the ship a few hours and I’m already thinking about my next working cruise!
Posted by Carol Margolis under Travel |
January 15, 2010
I have seen more photos of dogs and cats over the past few weeks than I have of kids! Maybe the travelers I’m talking to are empty-nesters rather than parents with little ones at home or their pet has an equal status in their household to their kids. Either way, get someone started on a discussion of their dog or cat and invariably the photos come out.
Our pet’s behavior when we are preparing to leave or their excitement when we arrive back home are the common topics of conversation. My dog Toby is usually sitting by the front door on Thursday evenings around the time that I am due to get home. My husband doesn’t have to say anything to him about my homecoming; Toby just knows. He also knows when I’m about to leave home again. As I pack my suitcase, he gets restless. His sad eyes break my heart. Read more of this article »
Posted by Carol Margolis under Pearls of Travel Fun, Random Thoughts |
January 14, 2010
Yesterday, I spoke about the four most irritating aspects of business travel and gave tips on how to overcome the first two, Flight Delays and Being Away From Loved Ones. Today, I look at a few tips I’ve picked up along the way to take care of number three and four. Read more of this article »
Posted by Carol Margolis under New Travelers, Random Thoughts, Travel |
January 13, 2010
According to a survey published in USA Today, what irks business travelers’ the most when they are on the road are:
* Flight delays 51%
* Being away from loved ones 33%
* Not getting a restful sleep 30%
* Airport security 27%
The USA Today survey was taken before the Christmas Day 2009 ‘underwear bomber’ incident, so airport security may rate a lot higher now, but the overall pet peeves will probably remain the same.
Our own survey taken at SmartWomenTravelers.com showed similar complaints; balancing home with work and travel as women’s biggest complaint and flight delays as the next highest travel issue.
What are some ways to help alleviate these pet peeves so you can enjoy your journey more? Read more of this article »
Posted by Carol Margolis under New Travelers, Random Thoughts, Travel |
January 7, 2010
I had a dream that it was already the end of 2010 and I was looking back at my year of travel. What I saw in my dream was a year where the travel industry really focused on female travelers.
I can feel the thick shampoo in my hair, the luxurious towels, a scent of lavender emanating from my plush pillow. I am healthier and fitter than I’ve ever been thanks to the Pilates and Yoga classes offered by hotels and the nutritional food enjoyed from hotel restaurants and mini-bars. I have numerous friends I have met through wine and food tastings, travel meet-ups and other events that hotels hosted to extract me and other women guests out of our hotel rooms at night. And the hotel’s security team has been wonderful in escorting me to my room when I arrived late in the evenings.
What a great dream. And dreams are meant to come true, aren’t they?
Some of these dream items came from my talk with Julie Moline of Women Entrepreneur magazine, so they’ve been on my mind a lot 
Read more on Travel Tips for Road Warriors–and Hoteliers.
Posted by Carol Margolis under Hotel Living, Radio/TV/Media appearances, Random Thoughts |
