Back after a longer-than-planned absence, this episode is recorded at the Laguna Cliffs Marriott in Dana Point, CA. We talk about the TSA‘s return to a hard line on shoes, the thing I miss most when I’m off the road, and the latest way for airlines to raise cash from their frequent flyer programs. Here’s a direct link to the podcast file.
Here are the show notes from TravelCommons podcast #35:
- Intro music — Warmth by Makkina
- Recorded at the Laguna Cliffs Marriott, overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Southern California
- Direct Link to a Flickr picture looking out my hotel room window to the ocean
- Apologize for the longer-than-intended absence — caused by moving houses and then a crushing load of work
- A stay in the SFO Marriott gave me a sample of Marriott’s new “Revive” bed — nice but no threat to Westin’s “Heavenly Bed”
- Leo Vegoda talks about great flights on Quantas and a bad time in Frankfurt airport
- Bridge Music — Waking Hour by Lorena Mire
- The TSA seems to be going back to the bad old days of shoe fetish
- In some airports, though, the abbreviated secondary search is quicker than putting your shoes back on
- Bridge Music — One Day by Hollow Horse
- Talked with two guys within two hours who both told me they were changing jobs to reduce their travel
- I couldn’t not travel — I would miss the different things I see
- Bridge Music — Clear My Head by FIASCO
- Chris Chufo sent in note about United’s offer to sell Mileage Plus status through pre-paid airfare
- There have always been ways to accelerate your path to status, but travel companies seem to now be publicizing them
- Bridge music from Podshow Podsafe Music Network
- Feedback at comments[at]travelcommons.com, the comment board on podcastalley.com, or right here in the comments section below
- Direct link to the show
5 comments on “Podcast #35 – What I Miss About Travel, Milking the Status Seekers”
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I really enjoy your podcasts. Although, at present they are purely for entertainment purposes as I hail from north of the border. When I say north, I mean the real north and not the north where Toronto, Edmonton and Vancouver airports are dealt with – but further north where there are no TSA canadian equivalents – and in fact no security whatsoever – atleast for the 3 hour flight it takes you to get to Yellowknife where you’re then forced to get off the plane and go through a more gentle screening process. I amuse myself with the comparison of our two processes – and I find myself shamed into perhaps being a little less frustrated on future travels. Your shoe wars have nothing on the gentle act of deplaning in -40, marching across the tarmac and pushing your carry on luggage through a metal detector or on the more rare occasion flipping open a laptop to have it wanded.
Northern road warriors find themselves more concerned with the return flight – and keeping the kid’s goldfish alive or worrying about how to explain 5 cans of palm hearts stuffed in your parka pockets or the myriad of other products that are hauled back to tiny northern communities from big cities and make travelling light an unattainable dream.
While I anticipate that one day I’ll have to face the US TSA processes or similar ones in Canada – for now, your podcast is the gentler more kinder way of receiving that education. Keep up the good work.
Regards.
Thanks for playing our song, ‘One Day’ on your show . We do very much appreciate your support for our music.
We go on about TSA’s foot fetishes, but try the Evansville Regional Airport sometime. Nobody, and I mean nobody goes through without getting their feet dirty.
One thing equally nagging and nearly as pointless to me is why on earth I’m still forced to haul my laptop out of my case and send it through in its own bin throught the xray machine. We joke (wryly) how one sicko with a dangerous wad of gum on his shoe has brought us to minding our socks, what justifies endangering my electronics every time I fly? Anybody?
Keep up the great work!
I listened with interest to your comments about the TSA which I am in complete agreement with, but a more irritating problem for non US residents is the always awful experience of entering the US and encountering long long snaking lines to get through immigration. I wont even attempt to decribe the average demeanour of the uniformed staff towards us ‘aliens’. This has become quite a hot topic in the travel sections of the UK press with horrible stories of unwarranted body searches etc etc. Interestingly as a result of complaints about the transit experience at LAX for people flying from the UK to New Zealand, Air New Zealand have decided to cancel the route and from the fall will be flying from Heathrow to NZ via Hong Kong. UK tourist numbers to Florida are also down 20% and this is also being blamed largely on the hassle of entering the US.
I love vacationing in the US and pre 9/11 my wife and I would often travel to the east coast for long weekends but now we just dont think it worth the stress involved. I am currently planning a vacation on the west coast for later in the year and have decided that we will fly to Vancouver and enter the US at the checkpoint on Interstate 5.
Love the podcasts, I’m slowly getting caught up…by your Metra schedule, looks like we are not necesarily close neighbors, I’m on the Fox Lake line everyday when not on the road. So maybe we cross paths at Union station?
The TSA “Shoe carnival” is complete BS, couldn’t agree more. One question – has anyone ever seen the area around the metal detector disinfected? with all those bare feet, I worry more about athlete’s foot than anything else…