TravelCommons

TravelCommons

It’s As Much About the Journey as the Destination

  • Those 3-Letter Codes Are Important

    One of the first successes of the Web was on-line travel — the elimination (“disintermediation” was the term during the Bubble Years) of the travel agent, allowing you to book your own travel. I do this every week, though not always perfectly. There have been a few times when I booked a room on the Continue Reading →

  • What Was She Thinking?

    It’s been a few months since the liquid restrictions went into place, and not everyone flies as often as I do (I’m averaging 3 out of every 4 weeks in the air), so I can understand when someone in front of me in the TSA screening line doesn’t quite have the “travel-size toiletries in the Continue Reading →

  • Podcast #49 – Working Hard to Get Home, Wireless Apps That Help

    Recorded in the TravelCommons studio after a week in the Bay Area and a tough struggle to get back home in the teeth of the first winter storm of the season. A listener passes along the story of a trip as an inadvertent stowaway. I walk through the timelime of my efforts to get home Continue Reading →

  • Is It Possible To Arrive With My Bag?

    An article in today’s New York Times gives the “rest of the story” regarding the impact from the increase in checked luggage. The liquids ban increased the amount of checked luggage by about 25%, which significantly stressed an already strained system. While flight attendents and newspaper editorials have been calling for full bans on carry-on Continue Reading →

  • Podcast #48 – Frequent Flyer Strategies, Measuring Hotel Bandwidth

    Recorded in the Rancho Las Palmas Resort & Spa near Palm Springs, CA, we talk about a surprise at the rental car lot and some good and bad TSA experiences. My search for frequent flyer seats to South Africa leads to a discussion about how diversifying or concentrating your “deposits” into frequent travel programs yield Continue Reading →

  • Podcast #47 – Listener Travel Stories

    Recorded in the TravelCommons studios after a quick Chicago-San Francisco up-&-back and a 4-day getaway to London with my mother and daughter. We talk about the adjustment from BA Club World to AA domestic coach, the increased security precautions in London, and my continuing travails with tooth powder. Then, we devote the rest of the Continue Reading →

  • Podcast #46 – Long-Distance Guilt; Overheard in Bars

    Recorded in the TravelCommons studios after a 3-day Chicago-San Francisco-Boston triangulation, I left behind some torrential rains in Chicago, which flooded our basement, causing me a good bit of long-distance guilt as my wife was left cleaning up the mess solo. We continue the thread on solid toiletries — even with the recent relaxation of Continue Reading →

  • Pack Up Your Troubles in a 1-Quart Bag

    Effective Tuesday 25 September, the TSA is loosening its carry-on liquids ban. According to the announcement on the TSA web site, we can now “carry through security checkpoints travel-size toiletries (3 ounces or less) that fit comfortably in ONE, QUART-SIZE, clear plastic, zip-top bag” (TSA’s emphasis ) and “bring beverages and other items purchased in Continue Reading →

  • Podcast #45 – Waiting for Luggage, Enjoying Travel

    Recorded in the Renaissance Madison Hotel in downtown Seattle, we have some good stories about missing luggage. I have some problems with Orbitz’s live customer service, as well as an over-zealous TSA screener. I recalculate my fly-vs.-drive threshold given the added hassles and airport time caused by the TSA’s no-liquids security rules. Looking back at Continue Reading →

  • Newspaper Editors Don’t Need Carry-On

    This morning’s New York Times’ editorial page joins many of its ink-stained brethern in calling for a ban on carry-on luggage. While as wrong-headed in its conclusions as other editorialists, they’ve focused on the right issue — improved security — rather than the “improved speed of boarding” argument which we showed in an earlier post Continue Reading →