Written by mark on November 22, 2016
An aggressive Uber Pool driver
Back from 10 days in Tuscany where, among other things, we thought we’d avoid all the noise of the US presidential election. We succeeded… almost. One of my latest travel hobbies has been to quiz Uber drivers for their life stories. It makes for interesting rides to and from the airport. We also continue the ongoing thread about travel safety. This time, we talk about using Bluetooth in rental cars. All this and more at the direct link to the podcast file or listening to it right here by clicking on the arrow below.
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Written by mark on September 28, 2016
I Think We’ve Bagged Our Limit
My son joins the podcast to talk about hunting down craft beers. I then talk about a few “a-ha” moments from my recent trip to Scotland, my on-going struggles with bitch tweeting, a VPN hardware product that could come in handy, and why I’ve come to hate the Rick Steves travel juggernaut. All this and more at the direct link to the podcast file or you can listen to it right here by clicking on the arrow below.
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Written by mark on August 13, 2016
Earning Status at Camp O’Hare
It’s been a tough travel month for a large portion of the traveling public. Between Delta and Southwest system outages and two straight Thursdays of thunderstorms in the east half of the US, dealing with travel delays has been a part of this month’s travel experience. In this episode, we think about ways to avoid delays, or at least minimize their impact. All this and more at the direct link to the podcast file or listening to it right here by clicking on the arrow below.
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Written by mark on July 7, 2016
Spring Break in Iceland
Watching Iceland makes its Cinderella run in the Euro 2016 soccer tourney got me thinking back to my March trip there. It is one of the hot travel destinations — maybe too hot? Could be, but the descriptor I keep coming back to is “dramatic.” And it seems that on every trip I make out of the country, I get surprised by the amount of data my iPhone consumes — in spite of flipping every Settings switch I can find. All this and more at the direct link to the podcast file or listening to it right here by clicking on the arrow below.
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Written by mark on May 30, 2016
This should be interesting…
After two vacations to Europe and some full-contact business travel in-between, I found my way back into the TravelCommons studios. I talk about these recent trips — the awful timeliness of an American Airlines‘ regional jet partner, an incredible string of lost luggage, a meaningless baggage strip tease with Wow Air, and being surprised to still find some quirks when using ATMs and credit cards in Europe. And it wouldn’t be a travel podcast if I didn’t weigh in on the TSA’s “line-mageddon” — their meltdown at O’Hare. All this and more at the direct link to the podcast file or listening to it right here by clicking on the arrow below.
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Written by mark on March 12, 2016
Just a Few Guidebooks….
Where do guidebooks fit in the world of apps, review websites, social media, and podcasts? Planning for a trip to Iceland got me thinking about how to make sense of the explosion of travel tips. And then, after giving my thoughts about my new Bluesmart “smart connected suitcase”, I talk about how idiosyncratic frequent travelers are about packing strategies and their choice of suitcases. There’s also follow-up about foreign exchange apps, and listener comments about digital travel security and Spirit Airlines’ growth. All this and more at the direct link to the podcast file or listening to it right here by clicking on the arrow below.
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Written by mark on December 20, 2015
Cat-based cyber-security solution
Here’s a little something to keep you entertained while you navigate the holiday airport lines. We talk about digital security on the road — what’s the right balance between hassle and hack? We also dig into JD Power’s latest airport satisfaction survey. They report a tick up in traveler experience and, for the most part, I think they have it right. We also cover Spirit Airlines’ growth and the planned expansion of US immigration pre-clearance. All this and more at the direct link to the podcast file or listening to it right here by clicking on the arrow below.
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Written by mark on November 8, 2015
This hotel door could use some work
A bit less of a random walk than the last episode, we talk about safety, physical safety, when traveling. While we sometimes put ourselves in the midst of dodgy surroundings, we usually feel safe when we retreat back into the “travel bubble” What about when the bubble is no longer safe? Smartphones are the frequent traveler’s most important tool. So when an upgrade to my HTC One killed its usefulness, I found myself heading back to Apple. All this and more at the direct link to the podcast file or listening to it right here by clicking on the arrow below.
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Written by mark on October 11, 2015
Did The Pope Have This Problem?
Apologies in advance because this is pretty much a stream-of-consciousness episode, with semi-strung together thoughts about eggs, car rentals, seeing the Pope, travel food, and stuff from my September trip to Scotland. I talk about how handy I found the new Revolut service for spending and sending money in Europe; recent good and bad experiences with Hertz and other car rentals; most bad experience with British Airways; and how true-to-life the Doritos Super Bowl commercial portrays the Southwest boarding experience. All this and more at the direct link to the podcast file or listening to it right here by clicking on the arrow below.
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Written by mark on August 26, 2015
Lost Without Translation
Back behind the microphone after an extended summer break highlighted by a two-week family vacation in Japan. We talk about traveling in Japan. It was a fantastic time, though we were lost without translation at times. But with the US dollar buying 124 yen, it was the right time to go. We also talk about frustration in using frequent flier miles, trends toward prettier and higher tech luggage, and a connoisseur of scrambled eggs. All this and more at the direct link to the podcast file or listening to it right here by clicking on the arrow below.
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