March 11, 2010
An article by INC Magazine on Why Women Secretly Enjoy Business Travel shares survey results on the things that both women and men miss when they travel (men miss a home-cooked meal, women miss their own bed), along with what items travelers may sneak into their bags from a hotel.
I have yet to take any towels, sheets or bathrobes, but you will always find me wearing a soft pair of Fairmont Hotel slippers no matter where I stay (they just fell into my bag …. seriously!).
Posted by Carol Margolis under Current Affairs |
February 18, 2010
Dear Continental –
I first noticed that our relationship changed in January when the evening ‘snack’ in first class was reduced from a nice cheese and cracker plate to 2 tiny bags of pretzel sticks. That snack – so 2009-ish! – was my dinner on each Thursday night as I headed home.
Now I nab a few packets of cheese and crackers from the President’s Club to share with seatmates when they go into shock as the two pretzel bags are placed in front of them.
Our relationship further degraded when I asked for a cup of freshly brewed decaf coffee on Monday evening’s flight. The flight attendant shared with me the ugly truth – you are now serving us this:
I’m sure that decaf isn’t real popular on the morning flights, but evenings? This should be prime time for a pot of decaf coffee. Please don’t serve instant decaf coffee.
What other changes are coming in our relationship that I haven’t uncovered yet? (And yes, I did catch that increase on headset charges from $1 to $3 … sneaky, sneaky!). And different free baggage limits for Silver members compared to Gold and Platinum – who knew?
You’ve changed Continental. I’d like my old friend back.
Thanks,
Ms. Love-My-Fresh-Brewed-Coffee
Posted by Carol Margolis under Current Affairs |
February 9, 2010
That was quite the weekend of the Mid-Atlantic states getting dumped on with many feet of snow, and more snow is coming. Just because I live in Orlando doesn’t mean I can’t relate. I lived through years and years of tons of snow. I was born and raised in Chicago so I know what cold and snow and wind is! I had years of software projects all over Winnipeg, Ontario, Alberta, Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana . . . so I KNOW winter! I’ve seen more ice houses on frozen lakes in Ontario than I’ve ever wanted to see (how can they drive their trucks on the ice??)
I suffered through my share of rental cars that never had snow brushes (my credit card got used for scraping ice off of windows), getting extension cords with my car so I could plug-in at my motel, and hundreds of hours smelling the de-icing material used on the wings of my planes. Read more of this article »
Posted by Carol Margolis under Current Affairs, Random Thoughts, Travel |
February 4, 2010
Many of us save our air miles and hotel points for that special international trip or for retirement when we dream of having lots of time (and hopefully money!) to travel. In a perfect world, the day we expire is the day we’re on a trip enjoying the last of our rewards. But chance are, there may be a few miles, or million miles, in your account when you head to your permanent vacation spot in the skies.
So can you will your miles to someone else? Read more of this article »
Posted by Carol Margolis under Current Affairs, Health, Random Thoughts, Relationships |
January 5, 2010
Here are my travel resolutions for 2010:
- Enjoy more of each city or town that I visit, including more local restaurants, more local places of interest and learn more of their customs
- Talk with more people about their travel interests
- Be bolder in the foods that I order. Ask restauranteurs to surprise me with local favorites
- Talk to more people to learn more about where they are from and their cultures
- Pack even more Read more of this article »
Posted by Carol Margolis under Current Affairs, General |
December 8, 2009
I could not care less about the Tiger Woods stories running rampant through the news, but each time I read about Continental and United Airlines, I perk up. I know, it’s sick! As a Continental Platinum member, talks about how these two airlines interact are important to me. So I wonder …
United has many other airlines in their Star Alliance but all of the chatter in news reports and blogs is about their relationship with Continental, the airline who joined Star Alliance only six weeks ago. Both airlines announced enhancements to their frequent flyer programs beginning in mid-2010. If you have elite status on one airline, the other will honor it. Each will offer better seating, unlimited upgrades and the ability to accrue and redeem miles on the other’s flights. This could be in response to Delta's announcement about changes to their SkyMiles awards program, but what is significant is that these recent announcements have come from both airlines.
So why is it that we don’t hear United talking about similar programs with other Star Alliance members? Why is it that each enhancement or new program includes only Continental, the newest and brightest Star Alliance member?
We have been treated to many joint statements and photo ops, watching reps from both airlines meeting together in public, smiling – holding hands as it were, but there is no public talk about marriage, i.e., merger, because it begs the question: Which airline would be the swallower, which one the swallowee?
Would a merger even be necessary if they continue working together this way? Are they strong enough to seriously compete against the Delta/Northwest giant as it is? Lots of questions, enough to make this soap opera endure for a while.
In the meantime, we will be treated to lots of these lovey dovey stories about the two airlines working together. Publicly, they sound like a wonderful relationship. Privately, they may be sharing a bedroom more than they tell us.
And you can bet this story will go on a lot longer than Tiger Woods.
Posted by Carol Margolis under Current Affairs |
November 15, 2009
Catharine Hamm of The Los Angeles Times fields a question about car rental drop-off fees. Do rental companies really charge fees? They sure do, catching unaware travelers all the time.
We will have a future article dealing with car rental agency fees but for more now — including some tips to avoid these drop-off charges — click here…
Posted by Carol Margolis under Current Affairs |
September 17, 2009
This flu thing has been bugging me (sorry about the pun). As a frequent traveler for over 20 years, I am used to traveling with strangers on flights and using hotel rooms and rental cars after them. However, this year the flu numbers are too telling to ignore.
The Orlando Sentinel recently ran an article about two women who died from the flu. Both were fairly young women – ages 46 and 53 – who never gave a thought to their risk anymore than you or I would. Nevertheless, they became fatal victims of this relentless virus.
Indeed, there have been nearly 100 confirmed flu deaths in Florida alone. Numbers like this are much too high to ignore.
To make it worse, we can’t control the behavior of others. I admit I was shocked and embarrassed to see how many women on a recent cruise failed to wash their hands after using the restroom. This is inexcusable on a ship with 2,400 passengers and almost that many crew members.
What can be done to protect travelers?
All travel vendors need to step up and do their part. Cruiselines have been particularly good about this, no doubt in part because of the frequent reported Norovirus outbreaks. Whatever the reasons, good hygiene is the norm on ships with very strong encouragement that passengers practice it as well.
Hotels vary on their commitment to hygiene but I was delighted with Bill Marriott’s recent blog about this problem. We can only hope that other hoteliers follow Marriott’s lead.
The airlines have not been so robust dealing with this. I have yet to see any comment from any airline addressing this serious health concern.
Fact is, the airlines have very tight turnaround schedules with no time to completely disinfect a plane. While the cleaning crews no doubt do a decent job given their time constraints, there is no suitable substitute for anything less than excellent hygiene with so much at risk for passengers.
UPDATE: Only hours after this blog was posted, MSNBC posted this article warning travelers that airline workers may actually spread the flu faster than the risks from other passengers. This warning comes from the Center for Disease Control. No comment yet from the airline industry.
As for restaurants, anyone involved in food preparation should be wearing gloves. Unfortunately, there is no way to know if this is done without examining kitchens. Otherwise, you can ask and hope they answer honestly.
What’s can travelers do for protection?
I am not a fan of wearing masks or gloves – good luck getting by TSA with a mask on – but if this flu outbreak reaches further deadlier heights, they may be necessary.
What you can do is cover your face if you cough or sneeze and wash your hands very frequently. I know this sounds a little Lady Macbeth-ish but there is no substitute for keeping your hands as clean as possible. Think about it, you touch your face and everything else hundreds of times each day.
Also, don’t walk around without slippers or socks on your feet. This is especially true for heavily traveled spots like hotel rooms.
If you are feeling ill, stay home. After all, you wouldn't want anyone who is sick flying in the seat next to you, much less walking around a mall or sitting at the next desk at work. If you are ill, avoiding contact with other people is critical to minimizing the spread of this disease.
Another thing: Consider getting a flu shot. Of course, check with your doctor first but for most people, they should be safe. USA Today made it easy for fliers to get shots by posting a schedule of airports and times the shots are available.
However, to complicate things this year, there is the normal flu influenza as well as the much publicized and more deadly H1N1 strain, often called swine flu. As of this writing, the H1N1 vaccine is not available but will be soon.
Nevertheless, the Center for Disease Control recommends both injections for those who are at high risk. For more information, check out the CDC here for the normal flu and here for the H1N1.
What else to do? Encourage others to do the same. It is much safer for all of us if everyone does their part.
Think this is not a concern because you won’t get the flu? I certainly hope it doesn’t happen to you, your family, or your friends but consider this sobering thought…
Remember the nearly one hundred people above who died from this bug? They never thought they would get it either. Look where they are today, leaving behind hundreds of grieving families and friends. And this is only in Florida. Do the math for the rest of the country, much less the world.
Please take care and be safe.
Posted by Carol Margolis under Current Affairs |
