travel

Podcast #65 – New Ways to the Front of the Line; Southwest Skips Nickel & Dimes

Recorded in the TravelCommons studios outside of Chicago after taking a month’s break. We see if there’s anything to the TSA’s recent attempts to reduce security line waits — the Clear Registered Traveler and the Diamond Lane Self-Select programs. We also take a look at Southwest’s attempts to attract more business travelers. A listener story…

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Podcast #64 – Escaping the Travel Bubble; Mark’s Travel Tips

Finally recorded in the Brooklyn Marriott in New York after hauling my recording gear across the Atlantic to Amsterdam, over to Minneapolis, and finally to New York. In this episode, a number of listeners comment on airport security, we talk about breaking out of the “travel bubble” that insulates so many frequent travelers from the…

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Podcast #63 – The 733-Mile Stare; TSA Can’t Help Themselves

Recorded in the TravelCommons studios outside of Chicago after a week of skiing in Colorado. In this episode, we talk about some of the difficulties faced by today’s frequent travelers. A listener gives a blow-by-blow account of the myriad of lines he faced trying to get home from Newark. Another listener relates about the challenges…

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Podcast #62 – Flying Green; Evolution of Connectivity; Return of the Travel Agent?

Recorded in the Newark Liberty Airport Marriott in scenic Newark, NJ. We cover a lot of ground in this episode — why business travel and Disney resorts don’t mix, some choices that can make our personal air travel a bit greener, my experience with Southwest Airline’s new Business Select program, and the reason I’ve finally…

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Podcast #61 – Zen of Delays; Sneaking in a Vacation

Recorded in the TravelCommons studios outside of Chicago on a rare full week in town after trips to Amsterdam and Kansas City. In this episode, an unusual flight delay makes us think about embracing the delay rather than fighting it, and snatching a couple hour vacation in Amsterdam allows us to explore some high and…

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Podcast #60 – Tips for Holiday Travel; GPS as the Hot Travel Gift

Recorded in the TravelCommons studios outside of Chicago after I’ve finished up my business travel for the year. Since a number of listeners aren’t frequent travelers, we provide some tips on how to blend in, look like a pro, and generally reduce a little of the hassle of holiday travel. Also, GPS devices are hot…

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Podcast #59 – Trains to Planes; Renting a Rambling Wreck

Recorded in the TravelCommons studios outside of Chicago in the middle of the one week a year I refuse to travel — Thanksgiving Day week. With environmental and economic reasons to reduce unneeded car trips, how easy is it to take a train to and from the airport? The answer is mixed and it doesn’t…

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Podcast #58 – Who Raves About Their Airline; Powering Up in Airports

Recorded in the Gaithersburg, MD Marriott outside Washington, DC at the end of an intense week of travel that had me flying from the East Coast to the West Coast and then back east again… on four different airlines. With many airlines’ plummeting customer satisfaction scores, we ask the question “Who raves about their airline?”…

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