I am often asked if I am treated differently when traveling because I am a woman. Do I feel pressure to fit into a man’s world, especially as so few business travelers are female? The first thing I do is correct whoever I am speaking to. Women make up almost half of business travelers, and…
Travel Observations
American Airlines charging for award tickets? Lame.
I am flying to Chicago in a few weeks to see my sisters, and today as I tried to redeem miles for a ticket I made an unhappy discovery. In the last two months (since the last time I redeemed miles for a ticket) American has started charging for awards. $20 if you are outside…
My Teeny-Tiny New York Hotel Room
This past weekend I was in NYC for TBEX. I waited until just a few weeks before to find a hotel, which meant that they one I got that was halfway affordable was in the Upper West Side, while the conference was in the Village. Commute time was about forty minutes, which I guess isn’t…
My Insane Day of Flying
You know how there are sometimes those days that just don’t go well? Yesterday was that day for me. This weekend I was in New York for the Travel Bloggers Exchange (TBEX–if you follow me on Twitter you probably saw the gazillion tweets with that hashtag). It was a great experience–I learned a lot, met…
Yes, you’re flying home from Vegas. But please don’t get drunk on the plane.
I think my title says it all, but I’ll give you the story. I’m not going to say that the flight home from Vegas on Tuesday night was the worst flight I’ve ever had. Flight-wise, it was very comfortable. Not too bumpy, only two and a half hours, Home Warrior and I had a row…
Good News, Bad News: Airlines
Welcome to the first edition of Good News, Bad News. Today we will be focused on airlines, specifically American and Continental. Good news: MSNBC is reporting that American Airlines is expanding its use of “mobile boarding passes” to 19 new airports. I have never used this service, but it sounds very cool, and incredibly convenient.…
Allowing Non-Frequent Fliers to Purchase Exit Row Seats? I don’t think I like this
According to the New York Times, some airlines are going to start allowing anyone to spend a little extra money and get an exit row seat. These seats, with their extra leg room, have long been one of the perks of being a frequent flier. And in my opinion, it’s a win-win. The FF gets…
The Tour of NPR Fundraisers
This week I am in the New York City area. I have meetings on Long Island two days and in the White Plains area two days. However, because of my general ignorance of the Greater NYC area, I chose to stay in one hotel, in the White Plains area. I didn’t realize that Long Island…
Car Trip vs. Plane Trip
This week I drove to Dallas. It is very strange to me how much easier and less stressful it is to get ready for a car trip than a plane trip. I fly almost everywhere I go for work. It’s not that I stress about packing, exactly. It’s just that I know in the back…
Manila Drivers
Manila is a very interesting city, full of contrasts. I am not going to go into an entire socio-political-geographical discussion, but instead focus on one specific contrast. Their roads look just like ours—they are mostly well maintained, with overpasses, green and white street signs, and lane stripes. There is a difference though: drivers in Manila…
