Category: Travel Tech
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AI Travel Planning: The Good, The Meh, and the Almost-Magic
Can AI really plan a better trip? After testing ChatGPT, Claude, and other AI models on a Burgundy vacation, I found they’re surprisingly good at building itineraries and weather forecasts—but they’re no substitute for local research, good judgment, or the instincts of an experienced traveler. Continue Reading →
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Podcast #197 — Renting a Tesla; 2023 Traveler Gift Guide
It’s the sustainability episode of the TravelCommons podcast, talking about my experience renting a Tesla from Hertz and my road-tested list of Christmas gift suggestions for the frequent traveler(s) in your life. I also talk about some new TSA biometrics equipment I faced (literally) in Nashville and yet another update on the EU’s ETIAS system and the US’s Real ID.… Continue Reading →
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Podcast #190 — My Travel Tech Stack; Imbibing for Introverts
Tracking lost luggage with AirTags; what’s changed in my travel tech stack; talking with Jeff Cioletti, author of the new book “Imbibing for Introverts”, about the art of drinking alone Continue Reading →
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Podcast #181 — Travel Potpourri; 2021 Traveler’s Gift Guide
No travel since the last episode, so just talking through a random potpourri of travel stuff. There’s more travel planning; this time for a couple of weeks split between London and Wales which means sorting through a new set of COVID travel requirements. We look at some stats — Uber’s latest financials and how deeply last year’s lockdown hit Nashville… Continue Reading →
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10 Best Travel Gift Ideas To Survive Post-Pandemic Travel
If last year’s gift guide was all about helping folks travel while dodging last-minute lockdowns, this year’s guide is stacked with the best travel gift ideas to help the frequent traveler in your life cope with all the major airline meltdowns. Or, if you are the frequent traveler, here’s a list of hints you could strategically drop on family members… Continue Reading →
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Podcast #169 — Pandemic Holiday Gift Guide; Year-End Status Offers
No travel since the last episode, so I had some time to think back through my post-lockdown travel and come up with my top 10 gift ideas for your pandemic travelers. We look at the start of the year-end efforts by airlines, hotels, and credit card companies to keep their grounded travelers, unpack the work-from-hotel offerings from Marriott, Hilton, and… Continue Reading →
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10 Best Travel Gift Ideas for These Unprecedented Times
With public health officials saying things like “it will be easily by the end of 2021 and perhaps into the next year before we start having some semblance of normality,” I figured this year’s travel gift guide would need to be a bit different. Here are my top shopping ideas for your pandemic traveler. Comfortable Masks — If your traveler… Continue Reading →
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Podcast #160 — Disappearing Seatback Screens; Shrinking Difference Between Ride-Share and Taxis
Is this the IMAX seatback screen? Trying to watch the Super Bowl while flying from Durango, CO to Chicago via Denver got me thinking about the fading away of seatback entertainment. We also talk about the continuing evolution of ride sharing. Uber and Lyft are looking more and more like the taxi companies they fought to replace. All this and… Continue Reading →