Author: mark
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Podcast #87 — Sick on the Road; What’s in My Briefcase?
I skipped the Midwest’s “snow-pocalypse” by flying to Phoenix where it was unseasonably cold — in the 20’s and 30’s F — but without snow. It’s been a cold winter and I came down with some nasty bug while visiting Dallas, which reminded me how miserable it is to be sick while traveling. Before my whining, though, I give a… Continue Reading →
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Winter Travel Tips — Things to Remember When The Snow Starts Flying
Last week’s winter storms in the Northeast and the South resulted in 70 percent of the US being covered in snow — shutting down airports across the region, canceling thousands of flights and trains. So it seems like a good time to recap some of the travel tips we’ve covered in past episodes of TravelCommons. Fly Direct — This is… Continue Reading →
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New Year’s Travel Resolutions
I’ve never been a big New Year’s Resolution guy. Mine seem to have a 3-week half-life — they don’t even last to February. However, in the spirit of “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results” (a quote which has been attributed to Benjamin Franklin and Albert Einstein), here are the resolutions… Continue Reading →
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Podcast #86 — Fun with Layovers; Story Behind the Closing Tune
Finishing up the year in front of a warm fire in the TravelCommons studios outside of Chicago after a couple of warm-up trips to Phoenix. I carved myself out an mini-vacation during one of the trips and worked at the summit of Squaw Peak for part of an afternoon. My MacBook Air — my perfect travel PC — turned itself… Continue Reading →
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Podcast #85 — Importance of Hotel Bathrooms; Maximizing Miles
Safely hunkered down in the TravelCommons studios during the busiest US travel week of the year, I don’t know how I can call this a travel podcast if we don’t talk about the TSA‘s “junk touching” patdowns. The general traveling public is finally catching up with the frequent traveler set. The TSA’s claim that it’s groping vs. safety is a… Continue Reading →
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Podcast #84 – End of Year Status Calculus; TSA Porn
Walking into the TravelCommons studios for this episode felt like walking into a confessional — “Bless me Father for I have sinned; it’s been 6 months since my last podcast…” I talk about the new TravelCommons web site and the new Facebook fan page. I talk about some recent WiFi experiences — at 35,000 ft and while on vacation in… Continue Reading →
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“Now That I Have My Visa, Where in the US Should I Go?”
As the US dollar continues to swoon, non-US friends, colleagues, and podcast listeners are doing the math and thinking it might just be worth getting fingerprinted and photographed by US Customs in exchange for a cheap holiday. The question I’ve been asked over the past 3 months is “Where should I go?” Not an easy question — the US is… Continue Reading →
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Video – Impressions of Vietnam
After returning from a 10-day visit to Vietnam, friends and TravelCommons podcast listeners asked me a lot of questions about our trip. In this video, I answer the most common question — “How did they treat you when they found out you were American?” — and give my impressions of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), HoiAn, Hanoi, and Halong Bay. Continue Reading →