Friendly Skies : Traveling Tips
Monday, May 18, 2009 at 9:55AM 
Picture that last piece of luggage circulating endlessly on the baggage claim carousel at the airport. It has traveled from somewhere far away to get here and now it circulates round and round just getting bumped around. This summarizes more of my experiences when it comes to flying the friendly skies.
I really enjoyed reading workshifting.com this weekend. I think Chris's post offers a lot of comfort and objective tips to someone who is starting to take the skies by storm. I did really enjoy the share the power concept with the portable six outlet surge protector.
Airplane travel has never been my favorite experience and I will have to travel more via the friendly skies soon. The entire experience feels like an abusive experience so I am always overly prepared for potential chaos. I hate not knowing how the internal airline processes works and what the shortcuts and options are available when you need help from an airline / airport representative. What do you do when you get stuck? This includes lost luggage, redirected flights, missed flights, nasty attendants, unpleasant passenger in the seat next to you, etc. (Read more myths about lost luggage here.)
My own default for long trips is finding the Admiral's Club. You can relax, sleep, have meetings, find power outlets and sometimes they even have a spa-like set up with showers. Usually, there is a cost around $50.00 which I consider a business expense.
In fact, I think it would be great if individuals (Seth Godin, Guy Kawaski, David Meerman Scott, Gary Vaynerchuck and others who fly constantly would actually blog about their best / worst experiences and the shortcuts to safe yourself if you find yourself in a bind. ** Hint Hint**
What is your worst travel experience?
Are there any airlines you won't fly?
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Reader Comments (1)
Last summer in Europe, the alarm clock I had failed (perhaps that was from being joggled around too much in my bags? It was analog, not digital.) while staying in a hostel in Rome. Upon arrival at the train terminal to take the airport shuttle, I discovered that I had very little time to make my flight. I arrived at the airport about 30 minutes to prior to my flight. The place was packed. I got in line only to discover that I was in the wrong line and that they close check-in 45 minutes prior to the flight time. I had to shell out 295 Euro for the next flight back to the Netherlands. Upon arrival in the Netherlands, I had to pay for a bus ticket to take me to the train station. Because the bus workers were on strike while I was in Europe, my next cheapest option was the train. But the ticket machine refuses to take my debit card and it did not have a cash option. So I shelled out 110 Euro for a taxi back to where I was staying. The story is a whole lot more complex and terrible, but that's be too long.
I'm interested in reading other people's travel nightmares.