Podcast #132 — Travel Apps on My Phone

Written by mark on August 27, 2017 1 comment

How Are Their Yelp Reviews?

It’s a listener request podcast. A fellow Peacock, this one named Jack, asked “What travel apps do you have on your iPhone?” Paging back through the TravelCommons archives, I’ve covered different categories of travel apps,  — in the most recent iteration of my Top 10 Travel Tips I recommended some flight tracking apps and way before that, did a bake-off of trip management apps — but never covered walked through what’s in the travel folder on the home screen of my iPhone. I’ve now remedied that oversight. We also continue talking about overseas phone SIMs; the impact of the new EU ban on roaming charges. Also, my first encounter with some new TSA scanning equipment.  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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Podcast #131 — Twitter Concierge Customer Service; London Tube Story

Written by mark on July 30, 2017 1 comment

I have a craft beer problem…

This past week in Atlanta Hartsfield Airport, when I traveled across four terminals to find a restaurant serving a nice selection of local Atlanta beers, I finally had to admit that I have a craft beer problem. In addition to this confession, I talk about about taking the London Underground back from the big Adele concert in Wembley Stadium. The experience proved out some of the positive stereotypes about the English — queuing well and muddling through without complaining. I talk about hotel room flat screen TVs and using Twitter to quickly get Hertz to fix a mistaken refueling charge. 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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Podcast #130 — Notes from Hungary

Written by mark on June 24, 2017 Comments Off on Podcast #130 — Notes from Hungary


It’s a Mitteleuropa episode, talking about last month’s travels through Vienna and Hungary. I came away with good first impressions of Austrian Airlines and the Vienna airport. And, for the first time in many visits, saw Hungary through a tourist’s eyes, spending time in Budapest and the Tokaj wine region. We also talk about how Google Translate has become pretty much indistinguishable from magic and the potential impact the privatization of the US air traffic control system might have on the general aviation industry. 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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Podcast #129 — Airport Fight Club; The Bourdain Effect

Written by mark on April 27, 2017 Comments Off on Podcast #129 — Airport Fight Club; The Bourdain Effect

Scottish Food Tourism can be an acquired taste

Difficult to do a travel podcast without talking about this month’s incidents on United and American Airlines. The videos that hit social media were damning, but as more of the facts came out, the stories around each incident became more complex. On a much lighter note, we also talk about the explosion of food tourism, called by some “The Bourdain Effect” after Anthony Bourdain’s TV travelogue series. Also, listener suggestions for visiting the Budapest baths, and compliments on the terminal improvements at San Francisco Airport (SFO). 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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Podcast #129 Uncut — The Video Version

Written by mark on April 27, 2017 1 comment

Pulled out the GoPro again for the recording of the latest episode. The GoPro is a bit too far from me for good audio, so I cut in the podcast audio from the Zoom recorder when it was available, hence the change in audio quality. I’ll post the final audio on Saturday.

Podcast #128 — Hunt for Experiences; Pop-Up Entertainment

Written by mark on March 31, 2017 Comments Off on Podcast #128 — Hunt for Experiences; Pop-Up Entertainment

One of the Four Major Food Groups

It’s a very Paris-centric episode; I’m still trying to drop the weight I picked up on our 10-day stay. I talk about hunts for beer and pastry took us out of the usual Notre Dame-to-Eiffel Tower-to-Louvre tourist triangle, some of the interesting buskers we saw along the way, and my surprise at Munich Airport receiving an airport award. I also continue our on-going discussions about buying international SIM cards and ride-sharing. 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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[Finished] NordVPN 1-Year Subscription Giveaway

Written by mark on February 20, 2017 1 comment

Thanks to the folks at NordVPN, we’re giving away a 1-year VPN subscription so that one lucky TravelCommons listener can work/play safer on the Internet.

We’re using Rafflecopter to run the giveaway:

  • You only have do one of the types of entry listed below, not all of them.
  • Each entry type (follows, blog posts, etc) counts as 1 additional “ticket” except for an iTunes review which counts for 2 “tickets”
  • I verify every winner, so if you don’t follow instructions (e.g., when you post a comment you don’t answer the question, you didn’t actually leave an iTunes review) you will be disqualified.
  • Due to the volume of entries I get, I am unable to verify that entries worked or “went through” properly ahead of time.

And now for the Terms & Conditions:

Terms & Conditions: The prizes for this giveaway was provided free of charge by NordVPN. Giveaway ends March 2, 2017 at 11:59 PM Central Time. Winners will be selected at random by Rafflecopter.com and verified by TravelCommons. Winner will have 72 hours to respond before prize is forfeited and a new winner is selected. TravelCommons will not be responsible for a winner’s inability to activate the prize. No purchase necessary to enter. 

Podcast #127 — Critiquing My Top 10 Travel Tips; Reviewing VPNs

Written by mark on February 20, 2017 Comments Off on Podcast #127 — Critiquing My Top 10 Travel Tips; Reviewing VPNs

Last generation digital security

In this episode, I talk again about digital security on the road, especially the use of a VPN. I review three VPN products, including NordVPN which is giving away a year’s subscription to a TravelCommons listener. I dig into the process of generating the Top 10 Holiday Travel Tips listicle I do every couple of year, and follow up on stories from Uber and Lyft drivers. 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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