Monday December 21, 2009
I admit it. I drink too much coffee. Especially when I'm traveling. It's one of the little things that helps take the sting out of out schlepping my bags through an airport or hotel. Unfortunately, it's not always easy to wheel my bags through the terminal with my laptop bag swinging from my shoulder without spilling my coffee.
Luckily now, I don't have to worry about that. I just came across a pretty nifty little product that solves that problem.
The tugo drink holder is a trim little device that suspends a cup between the upright handles of a rolling bag or suitcase. The small, pliable cup holder simply attaches with little twister-tie-like connections to a bag's upright handles. Cups full of liquid automatically swivel to remain upright when a bag is moved. Presto--a free hand finally for digging out the passport!
Simple, cheap ($9.95!) and effective. What more could a business traveler want?
Thursday December 17, 2009
According to recent reports, the potential strike by British Airways cabin crew over the holidays will not go ahead.
Although the dispute isn't settled, a judge issued an injunction blocking the planned 12-day strike. While that might be bad news for the union, it's good news for travelers in general, and especially travelers who had tickets on British Airways.
Tuesday December 15, 2009
If you're a business traveler set to fly on British Airways in the near future, now's the time to rethink those plans.
On December 14, BA's cabin crew union voted in favor of a strike between December 22, 2009 and January 2, 2010. Clearly, not a great time for travelers.
The airline is planning on continuing to operate flights as normal, but at the same time is reworking its flight schedules for the strike period and will be announcing changes as they are decided. BA will be notifying affected customers directly via email or text messaging, using the contact details supplied at the time of booking.
If you're planning on flying BA in the next few weeks, you should probably do a few things. First, make sure your contact details are correct.
Go to the BA website to manage your booking and contact info.
If you have the option, change your travel dates to another period. BA is allowing customers traveling during those times and up to 48 hours on either side the option of rebooking the flight within the next twelve months at no cost.
If your flight is canceled because of the strike you can obtain a refund or rebook your flight.
For more tips in coping with the potential travel impact, read this short LA Times article on dealing with the proposed strike.
Monday December 14, 2009
More and more people are viewing their cell phones as extension of themselves. From sliders to skins to cases to ringtones and applications, cell phones (even business ones) are more personal than ever before.
At the same time, I've noticed that a lot of people take their cell phone service pretty personally as well. Most people either love the carrier they're with or they don't. Some of it may have to do with all those advertisements we see or super deals on nifty new phones. But sometimes it's about price, coverage and roaming.
When it comes down to it, we may all have our personal favorite cell phone providers for different reasons. But interestingly enough, the readers of Business Traveler Magazine recently selected their favorite cell phone provider. They chose AT&T as having the "Best Mobile Phone Coverage in the World" in their 21st annual Business Travel Awards survey. It's the third year in row that AT&T has won.
And although I certainly haven't tried all the network providers, I'll have to admit I agree. I've been using my AT&T mobile phones around the world for years now, from Nokias and Sonys to Apples. Thanks to AT&T's GSM support they've all worked great, and the coverage has been good. Of course, as with any international roaming, it's not cheap. Watch your minutes and make sure you sign up for an international plan before you leave the country. Make sure to review some good ways to stay connected internationally.
Even just a few years ago other major carriers required you to get (or even rent) a special world phone because their networks didn't support the generally international 3G standard. Not so with AT&T. You could use many of their existing phones and plans internationally. So, while I don't always agree the winners of the Oscars or the Grammys, in this case I'm all for the selection made by the readers of Business Traveler magazine.