This week’s podcast is recorded in the bathroom of the Oldsmar, FL Marriott. In the midst of a bunch of work and a tough travel itinerary, why am I surprised that I just can’t get into the holiday spirit? A huge snowstorm blowing through Chicago threatens to strand me in Memphis — until another traveler…

Back on the road after the Thanksgiving holiday, this week’s podcast is recorded in the bathroom of the Durham, NC Marriott and edited in the RDU Admirals Club. A listener asks “What do you miss when you travel?” Also, some ideas on staying connected with the family — replacing those random bits of conversation while…

This week’s podcast is recorded in the bathroom of the Memphis Marriott. A day trip down to Indianapolis begs the question — how do you make the decision between flying and driving? Then down in Memphis, a nightcap at the Marriott bar provides some entertaining scenes. Also, we discuss the right and wrong ways that…

Another visit down to Memphis prompts a confession about my obsession with pork barbecue and thoughts on how to find the best food in a new city. Other topics include “voice of the travel company” — a letter from a British Airways manager gives his thoughts on the travel experiences of some TravelCommons listeners, and…

After a down-and-back trip to Tampa, this week’s topics include thoughts on the recently announced changes to America West’s and United’s boarding schemes — are they focusing on the right thing? Also, the need to stay home sometimes, and how Microsoft Research‘s personal black box project might change the way we think about travel pictures….

Recorded in the bathroom of Doubletree Club in Santa Ana, CA, this week we focus on what’s going on with the airlines. A listener story about the trials of getting from Wisconsin to Pittsburgh shows the importance of person-to-person interactions to the travel experience. Does Northwest’s latest cost cutting effort foreshadow the rise of the…

This week’s podcast is recorded in the bathroom of the Marriott Courtyard in East Memphis. I talk about the autumn tree colors coming visible from airports up North and worry about catching avian flu while breathing the same air as 150 other travelers. I talk a bit about some changes in Memphis since my high…

Emptying out my notebook with an odds-‘n-ends podcast. Traveling between Phoenix, Denver and Chicago this week, I manage a 50-degree temperature drop and have the TSA reject a checked chain saw. However, I haven’t had to take my shoes off for two weeks — are we seeing the end of the shoe carnival? We also…