podcast

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

December 2, 2006 Podcasts

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…

Read More

Podcast #48 – Frequent Flyer Strategies, Measuring Hotel Bandwidth

November 3, 2006 Podcasts

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…

Read More

Podcast #47 – Listener Travel Stories

October 22, 2006 Podcasts

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…

Read More

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

October 6, 2006 Podcasts

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…

Read More

Podcast #45 – Waiting for Luggage, Enjoying Travel

September 20, 2006 Podcasts

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…

Read More

Podcast #44 – Dump Bucket of the Vanities, Leaving Behind the PC

August 28, 2006 Podcasts

Recorded in the Courtyard in Northwest Houston, we look at the decisions forced on travelers by the TSA’s restrictions around carry-on liquids and gels. Is it a trade-off between safety and vanity? Are frequent travelers really that shallow? Also, I talk about how “luggage economics” made me trim my technology load when packing for my…

Read More

Podcast #43 – Here We Go Again, Old World vs. New

August 14, 2006 Podcasts

Recorded in the TravelCommons studios, I look back on my trip through SFO as I try to navigate the new TSA rules on the first full day of the new regime and gird myself for 4 trips through the gauntlet this week. A listener tops my Heathrow lines (queues?) story, and we compare and contrast…

Read More