A pearl revealed in each and every trip
I remember dealing with left-hander issues back in kindergarten. I am sensitive to whether an item was made left-handed or right-handed. I lived with years of ink on the side of my hand, bumping elbows with dinner partners and ladling soup out of the ‘wrong’ side of a ladle. I’ve gotten very adept at adjusting to a right-hand world but really struggle finding the perfect luggage that is left-handed. Read more of this article »
Here are my travel resolutions for 2010:
Obsession with our mobile phones, that is. Just observe the people around you the next time your flight is getting ready to take off. When the plane door closes and we need to turn off our phones, watch how many people keep on talking and checking their emails. I feel sorry for flight attendants. They often have to ask people several times to turn off their electronics, and have to listen to rude comments by passengers.
I sat next to a guy in first class last week and he never did turn off his phone. He set it to airplane mode instead, telling me that studies have shown that cell phones cause no interference for the pilots and their systems. Is this the time to be disputing studies, right before the all-important take-off? Personally, I’d rather not cause any unnecessary risk to the flight, whether real or not, so my phone is always off. (My husband will tell you that I always follow the rules and I get upset with him if his bag is not fully underneath his seat.)
Want to look back at your holiday travel with fondness this year? Here are my Top 5 Tips for Stress Free Holiday Travel that I recently passed on to fellow travelers as a guest blogger at FareCompare.com.
Enjoy this holiday season and have fun in your travels!
For the next two weeks, my luggage and laptop tote are taking a break. As much as I enjoy travel, both for work and for fun, I especially love being home. It’s all the more special because I haven’t seen a two-week period at home in a very long time . . . it’s been more than two years. I’m looking forward to sleeping in, cooking healthy meals (ok, maybe they all won't be healthy!), enjoying great wine, walking our dog and spending lots of time with my husband and our family.
I hope you have wonderful days with your family and friends over the holidays and that your luggage also gets a rest from all work-related travel. The time will come soon enough in January when we start collecting a new year’s worth of air miles and hotel points all over again.
Happy Holidays to all! Let us know what travel-related gifts you receive under the tree!
On the flight home last night, a pilot sat in my adjoining seat. While I wanted to take advantage of this and ask him for all of his ‘cockpit secrets,’ I waited until just about the end of the flight before I asked him this solitary question:
“What one thing would you like to say to
our frequent travelers that would help them
enjoy their journeys more?”
His answer was immediate. He said his most valuable words of wisdom are “Patience is a Virtue.” He said that when there are flight delays, cancellations, etc., it is not the fault of the crew. The crew is doing everything they can to depart and arrive on schedule. They also want to get to their destination, whether it be home or their hotel, just as much as we do. Getting angry or upset with the crew only makes the journey worse for everyone. He also said that the rush to get on and off the plane also causes the stress level of everyone to go up, and no one is going to be getting off the plane before the jetway gets opened anyway!
I agree with him completely. In the past couple of years, I’ve taken on the attitude of patience and gratitude, and I’ve found my journeys to be more enjoyable than ever, and also virtually stress-free! I always have an iPod full of music and audiobooks to listen to, as well as a book to read and work to do, and an energy bar in case I’m hungry, so I have been able to successfully get through any flight delays with ease. I’ve always made it to where I’m going, albeit every once in awhile a few hours late, or a day late . . . but I’ve always gotten to my destination. I am so much more relaxed about traveling, and never allow myself to get in the complaining mode with fellow-travelers. Even better, my stomach isn’t all tensed up and a major stress-line across my forehead is virtually gone (a bonus health and beauty tip unknowingly slipped into the conversation!)
On your next journey, heed this pilot’s words of wisdom. Let us know what positive differences you experience in your travels. I’m sure you’ll help improve the day of the flight crew as well!
Enjoy your journey!
I received this email today from Continental Airlines congratulating me on my 19 years as a One-Pass member.
It’s hard to believe that I’ve been flying around the world for that long. And actually, Continental was not the first airline I flew. I started with United about 22 years ago when I lived a few miles from O’Hare in Chicago. Just a few things have changed in the past 22 years 
While the new rules are a lot more restrictive than my early travel years, I’ve gotten a whole lot smarter in the areas that I can control. See smartwomentravelers.com/pack-n-go for articles on today’s pack-and-go lifestyle. Even with all of the new travel rules, most things have changed for the better.
And speaking of things getting better, I’m going to pour a glass of California Red and sit and wonder how the years have flown by so fast . . .
What is a Pearl? A smooth, rounded bead formed within the shells of certain mollusks and composed of the mineral aragonite or calcite, deposited in concentric layers as a protective coating around an irritating foreign object; valued as a gem when lustrous and finely colored.
Frequent business travel can be that irritating foreign object when your focus is on the challenges of balancing home and work and the effort of travel itself. Our innovative tools and resources dissolve these challenges and bring your journeys to life! Pearls of rich travel experiences will be revealed, and you’ll have unbounded confidence each and every time you step out the door.
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