travel stories

Podcast #118 — Danger In the Travel Bubble; Switching Back to Apple

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…

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Podcast #117 — Random Thoughts About Eggs, Scotland & Car Rentals

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…

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Podcast #111 — Seatback Recline Wars; Craft Beer Tourism

I tried to hold back, but I just couldn’t. I have to finally weigh in on the seatback recline wars. I’m stunned at the number of people who convert a couple of inches of seat movement into some sort of Manichean morality play. From that you can probably guess where I come out on this. On…

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Podcast #108 — Worst Travel Experiences Ever

We look back on a brutal travel winter with stories about how driving instead of flying probably wasn’t the best idea, and a completely awful United flight that ended up with a drive — but not by choice. I also talk about my recent trip to Beijing, China and my plans for a round-the-world-in-8-days itinerary…

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Podcast #104 — Status Free Fall; TSA Knife Fight

Travel has been a bit less glamorous since I’ve fallen from the top tier status, especially when I’m doing “stupid” travel — up-&-backs across the continent in 48 hours. One of my recent flights was on a new United 737-900; the interior is a significant step up. Prepping for a vacation in Spain, I find…

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Podcast #93 — Travel Stories from September 11th; Traveling with a Google Chromebook

Coming up to the 10th anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks, I repeat a segment from the September 2005 episode that tells the stories of travelers trying to get back home when all planes were grounded and all US borders were closed after the attacks. Also, we finish up the two-part review of new…

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Podcast #56 – Lines Around the World; Shedding Some Electronic Weight

Recorded in the San Francisco Airport Marriott, a recent city-a-day business trip through Europe allowed me to do a first-hand comparison of the European air travel experience to the much maligned state of US air travel. We also update our thoughts on the state of mobile computing devices. Is it possible to travel “PC-less” yet,…

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Podcast #55 – True Cost of Connecting; See More With The Family

Recorded in the Marriott Courtyard in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, the current “blogstorm” about United Airlines’ poor customer service provides the data to calculate the true cost of connecting flights. A recent combined business and family trip to New York City makes me realize that my family isn’t a burden in my travels, but instead…

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