May 24, 2012
Carol was recently on KHOU Houston discussing new airline fees that may affect you.
Some airlines have initiated a new fee for aisle and window seats, so making sure your family can all sit together could cost you. Carol offers her perspective on the changes and even a few tips on how to avoid the fees.
More tips in this area of flight savings are in Carol’s new book, Business Travel Success: How to Reduce Stress, Be More Productive and Travel with Confidence!
Order now! Business Travel Success…How to Reduce Stress, Be More Productive and Travel With Confidence!
To receive a free copy of our ebook, 70 Secrets to Safe Travel — Because Your Life Can Change in a Heartbeat, and for more travel savvy info to help you travel smarter, safer and with more enjoyment, visit SmartWomenTravelers.com and PearlsofTravelWisdom.com.
Posted by Carol Margolis under Current Affairs, Radio/TV/Media appearances |
May 10, 2012
My new book, Business Travel Success – How to Reduce Stress, Be More Productive and Travel with Confidence is now published! This book has been written over thousands of miles and from many hotel rooms around the world with tips that I’ve learned over years and years of business travel.
Business Travel Success offer strategies to become healthier, less stressed, more productive and confident, all without sacrificing the personal relationships that make coming home worthwhile!
Jack Canfield, co-author of the Chicken Soup for the Soul® series and author of The Success PrinciplesTM, says that “this book is the bible for business travelers, even if you only do one business trip a year.” I’m so honored that Jack wrote the Foreword to my book. And I love his story of how a typical bad travel situation (a delayed flight that so many of us have experienced) totally changed course with the actions of one person. Amazing.
Utilizing the tips in Business Travel Success, you will learn ways to help conquer traveling hurdles like:
- Packing
- Solo travel
- Flying and driving
- Family relationships
- Safety
- Health & fitness
- … and so much more!
Business Travel Success is now available online at on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and more in both printed and ebook format. You’ll be able to find the book in bookstores and airport stores over the next few months.
To receive a free copy of our ebook, 70 Secrets to Safe Travel — Because Your Life Can Change in a Heartbeat, and for more travel savvy info to help you travel smarter, safer and with more enjoyment, visit SmartWomenTravelers.com and PearlsofTravelWisdom.com.
Posted by Carol Margolis under Current Affairs, New Travelers, Radio/TV/Media appearances, Travel |
March 19, 2012
Most frequent fliers say the crown jewel of status benefits is the free upgrade to first class by legacy carriers. But this year the boards are lighting up with common complaints of no upgrades at the early window (usually 4-5 days before) while others are saying they are simply not receiving upgrades at all. The loudest chants come from United and Delta FFers but this should be no surprise. Often looking more like twins than competitors, these are the two largest elite status programs.
Of course, this varies depending on factors such as airline, airport, route, day of week, and time of day. Nevertheless, increasing chatter suggests looking to see if the dots connect.
So what changed? Read more of this article »
Posted by Carol Margolis under Current Affairs, Travel |
January 29, 2012
Orlando International Airport (MCO) has been my home-base airport for the past twenty years. But did you know that Orlando also has a second airport? Orlando Sanford International Airport (SFB) is about 50 miles from Disney World, about double the distance from MCO. Though great for me, SFB is only 10 miles from my house, compared to 30 miles to MCO. It offers close proximity to the Lake Mary, Longwood and Altamonte Springs areas.
I flew out of SFB for the very first time last night. A business trip to Reykjavik had me searching Delta and Continental, though with 3 to 4 connections and very high fares, a direct flight to Reykjavik out of Sanford’s airport was a quarter of the price in a quarter of the hours! Granted, getting no miles towards my Diamond or 1K status may have me regretting this flight later in the year, but its practicality won me over for this trip.
Read more of this article »
Posted by Carol Margolis under Current Affairs, Places to See; Things to Do, Random Thoughts, Travel |
January 13, 2012
Fairmont Hotels is offering an interesting promotion. Choose the deal that most appeals to you:
- Up to 30% off the room rates
- Free breakfast for two
- Stay for a free night
All of these deals include 10% off Air Canada flights, and some of them include bonus air miles. This promotion applies to their resort properties worldwide so it may appeal to US travelers as well as Canadian and international travelers. Some properties may have blackout dates so verify the qualifications before booking.
I love Fairmont Hotels (Lake Louise is my all-time favorite!) and all of these deals sound good to me! Choices, choices!
This promotion is good for travel through April 30, 2012 but note the hotel must be booked by February 7, 2012, so act fast if you are interested.
To receive a free copy of our ebook, 70 Secrets to Safe Travel — Because Your Life Can Change in a Heartbeat, and for more travel savvy info to help you travel smarter, safer and with more enjoyment, visit SmartWomenTravelers.com and PearlsofTravelWisdom.com. Watch for my new book, Business Travel Success – How to Reduce Stress, Be More Productive and Travel with Confidence, being published by Morgan James in early 2012.
Posted by Carol Margolis under Current Affairs, Hotel Living |
January 6, 2012
It’s been talked about for a long time and the rules are finally changing – airlines will need to disclose government taxes and fees and other mandatory charges in their advertised fares. Baggage fees are another item that will soon be full disclosed.
Airlines to Disclose Ticket Prices Upfront gives more details on the rules that go into effect on January 24th.
Now we need the other two-thirds taken care of.
Read more of this article »
Posted by Carol Margolis under Current Affairs |
December 9, 2011
We’re down to just hours. By this time tomorrow the winning name will be selected. Enter now for your chance to win 2 nights at any Marriott Courtyard in the continental U.S. It’s easy, it’s fast and it’s a great holiday gift if you win. Go here for the details and I hope I’ll be contacting you shortly!
To receive a free copy of our ebook, 70 Secrets to Safe Travel — Because Your Life Can Change in a Heartbeat, and for more travel savvy info to help you travel smarter, safer and with more enjoyment, visit SmartWomenTravelers.com and PearlsofTravelWisdom.com. Watch for my new book, Business Travel Success – How to Reduce Stress, Be More Productive and Travel with Confidence, being published by Morgan James in early 2012.
Posted by Carol Margolis under Current Affairs, Hotel Living |
November 30, 2011
Signs were displayed all throughout the Hertz rental car lot in Houston’s Intercontinental Airport (IAH) this week announcing their GoldChoice program. This was the first time I’ve seen these signs in IAH’s Hertz lot, even though I’ve rented from this same location multiple times over the past few months.
Hmmm … GoldChoice. What’s this? It’s Hertz’s new program that is a combination of having an assigned car all ready for you (if you are a Hertz Gold customer) and being able to select your own car – kind of a Hertz Gold / National Emerald Isle combo.
I took a look at the GoldChoice aisle to see what types of cars were available. They were mostly mid-size and full-size cars, maybe 20 or so cars to choose from on a busy Monday morning. One lone SUV was in the GoldChoice aisle, maybe because others had already been taken. When in Houston, it’s always good to be up high on the road when you’re sharing the highways with lots of Texas trucks.
As I was checking out, I asked if this program was new and was it unique to Houston. “No,” said the attendant. “GoldChoice has been in Houston for a couple of months, and it’s now available in other cities as well.” I can believe the latter part of his statement but not the first. If it’s been in Houston for a couple of months, their signs have been invisible and their GoldChoice aisle must have been over at Avis. Like I said, I’ve rented from IAH weekly, all but Thanksgiving week, and there have been no signs of the GoldChoice option until now.
I like the idea of this new hybrid model. If there is a car more to my liking in the GoldChoice section, then I’ll take that car; otherwise I’ll keep what’s been assigned. The only challenge with this is that I’ll want to first see what I was assigned. This means first walking to the GoldChoice aisle to see what’s available, then walking across the aisles to find my assigned car. If I then realize that I’d like a GoldChoice car more, than I’ll have to do an about-face and head back to GoldChoice. Not the worst thing in the world, but time-consuming. I could also stop in at the Gold desk and ask for what car has been assigned. Or just take the assigned car. Or just go with a personally-selected GoldChoice car. Such decisions…
I’ll be curious for next Monday morning’s rental. I really need a minivan next week as I have several colleagues I’ll be traveling with. Do I reserve and pay the higher cost for a minivan or take a chance that the GoldChoice aisle has one waiting for me?
While I figure out what to do, why don’t you check out more details on Hertz’s new GoldChoice program and the available locations. Let me know your thoughts.
To receive a free copy of our ebook, 70 Secrets to Safe Travel — Because Your Life Can Change in a Heartbeat, and for more travel savvy info to help you travel smarter, safer and with more enjoyment, visit SmartWomenTravelers.com and PearlsofTravelWisdom.com. Watch for my new book, Business Travel Success – How to Reduce Stress, Be More Productive and Travel with Confidence, being published by Morgan James in 2011.
Posted by Carol Margolis under Current Affairs, Random Thoughts, Travel |
October 7, 2011
TSA’s new “trusted traveler” program, known as PreCheck, went into effect a few days ago. From the press release, “Eligible passengers may be referred to a lane where they will experience expedited screening.” This pilot program is the long overdue beginning of risk-based traveler assessment. Not surprising, there are many limitations to gain entry into this trial program:
- It is only available to American Airlines and Delta Airlines passengers.
- It is only limited to a few airport hubs (Dallas and Miami for American, Atlanta and Detroit for Delta).
- And only some frequent fliers qualify.
TSA also built in some safeguards. They may at any time change their policy and make this separate line just like all the others. In addition, they do not guarantee that merely because of enrollment in this program that passengers will receive expedited service every time. At some point, I expect them to test this by denying access on a periodic basis. How frequently this occurs will likely determine the program’s success or failure.
I had the opportunity to try out PreCheck last week. Embedded information in the boarding pass barcode directs travelers to an expedited line. Anything metal like change or cellphones are either placed in a carry-on bag or one of the small buckets. Everything else – liquids, shoes, belts, coats, and laptops – remain in the carry-on bag or on your person. It was simply a matter of dropping my carry-on bag on the conveyor belt and walking through the metal detector. Total time to get through the expedited line: less than 60 seconds.
Needless to say, this is a dream for frequent travelers. It was such a pleasant experience that I thought about exiting the security area and going through the line again!
Some frequent travelers I spoke to expressed apprehension, reminding me that one bad apple could ruin this for the lot of us. We would all still walk through security with our shoes on if it weren’t for Richard Reid.
While other passengers may resent this “special” treatment granted to a select few, there is a benefit for them, as well. Moving frequent travelers to expedited lines means shorter lines for everyone else. When this program is successful (crossing my fingers), it will expand to more airports and shorten security lines for even more travelers.
Here’s hoping that the TSA’s new PreCheck program really takes off!
To receive a free copy of our ebook, 70 Secrets to Safe Travel — Because Your Life Can Change in a Heartbeat, and for more travel savvy info to help you travel smarter, safer and with more enjoyment, visit SmartWomenTravelers.com and PearlsofTravelWisdom.com. Watch for my new book, Business Travel Success – How to Reduce Stress, Be More Productive and Travel with Confidence, being published by Morgan James in 2011.
Posted by Carol Margolis under Current Affairs, Safety, Travel |
August 29, 2011
If you’re scheduled for a business trip this week and it involves a flight to or from the Northeast, check out this post on Passenger rights when flights are canceled by MSNBC.com. It’s going to take several days before all flight schedules are back to normal after Hurricane Irene.
To receive a free copy of our ebook, 70 Secrets to Safe Travel — Because Your Life Can Change in a Heartbeat, and for more travel savvy info to help you travel smarter, safer and with more enjoyment, visit SmartWomenTravelers.com andPearlsofTravelWisdom.com. Watch for my new book, Business Travel Success … How to Reduce Stress, Be More Productive and Travel with Confidence,being published by Morgan James in 2011.
Posted by Carol Margolis under Current Affairs |
August 23, 2011
CAROL: This is Carol Margolis from SmartWomenTravelers.com and PearlsofTravelWisdom.com and I’m here at the Global Business Travel Association Meeting in Denver and about to go in to a session with Jeff Smisek, CEO of United Continental Holdings, Inc. There is picketing going on outside by United Pilots and Flight Attendants. I’m here with Garth Thompson, a pilot from United Airlines.
Garth, want to tell us why you’re out here and what your message is?
GARTH: Well certainly. Thanks for coming out to meet us. It’s been 15 months since United and Continental announced their merger and although the senior managers took large compensation increases immediately after the announcement, the rest of the employees have yet to receive a contract that covers the integrated workforce.
We’re out here to say that the foot dragging needs to stop, the buzzwords such as “working together”, “changing the culture” and these kind of things need to stop and we need to have earnest negotiations at the table.
CAROL: And how does this impact business travelers sitting behind you at the back of the bus?
GARTH: Well it never bodes well for a service industry to have labor disputes between management and worker bees, and it’s gotten pretty contentious and only promises to grow unless we see some movement at the table.
CAROL: So is there anything that we can help with as business travelers?
GARTH: Certainly. Jeff.Smisek@United.com is, I believe, our CEO’s email address. I would love for our most frequent flyers to send him a message today that he took care of himself, and now it’s time to take care of your employees.
CAROL: Garth, your message is getting across and you have an audience out here. Thanks for your input today.
GARTH: Thank you for your time.
To receive a free copy of our ebook, 70 Secrets to Safe Travel — Because Your Life Can Change in a Heartbeat, and for more travel savvy info to help you travel smarter, safer and with more enjoyment, visit SmartWomenTravelers.com and PearlsofTravelWisdom.com.
Posted by Carol Margolis under Current Affairs, Travel |
