Pearls of Travel Wisdom

Carol on KHOU Discussing New Airline Fees

Carol Margolis — Thu, 24 May 2012 11:57:35 +0000

Carol was recently on KHOU Houston discussing new airline fees that may affect you.

Some airlines have initiated a new fee for aisle and window seats, so making sure your family can all sit together could cost you. Carol offers her perspective on the changes and even a few tips on how to avoid the fees.

More tips in this area of flight savings are in Carol’s new book, Business Travel Success: How to Reduce Stress, Be More Productive and Travel with Confidence!

Order now! Business Travel Success…How to Reduce Stress, Be More Productive and Travel With Confidence!

To receive a free copy of our ebook, 70 Secrets to Safe Travel — Because Your Life Can Change in a Heartbeat, and for more travel savvy info to help you travel smarter, safer and with more enjoyment, visit SmartWomenTravelers.com and PearlsofTravelWisdom.com.

Cause for Alarm? A Hotel’s Actions Are More Alarming than the Initial Cause

Carol Margolis — Sun, 20 May 2012 23:10:41 +0000

It was a rough night at my hotel by LAX last night. A few different issues arose that could have been disastrous for the hotel. In the end, the hotel’s actions caused more alarm than I’m sure they intended and I ended up with almost no sleep.

First, the fire alarm got pulled and management made an announcement across the loud speaker that they were looking into this. This woke me out of a sound sleep when a deep voice came over the sound system in the hallway (though it might have been in my hotel room since the voice was very loud). “Looking into it,” they said. Should I be concerned and leave my room, or roll over and go back to sleep? I thought it was more prudent to at least get up and look out the window to see if I could see any fire or people leaving their rooms.

No, nothing looked amiss in the other part of the L-shaped hotel. I saw people in their rooms, one smoking out his hotel window, and no one appeared to be frantically preparing to leave their rooms. Since management said they were looking into the fire alarm issue, I thought there would at least be a short follow-up message that either all was ok, or not. But nope, no follow-up message.

I tossed and turned with thoughts of my escape route if there was a fire (I had chosen a higher-up floor to get easy access to the Executive Lounge vs. staying on floor 7 or below for fire-ladder access), how I’d take my laptop tote with me since I hadn’t done a hard-drive backup in a few weeks, and how I’d get dressed before leaving my room. It took awhile for the mind chatter to subside, but eventually I did fall back gto sleep again.

Second, an hour after the fire alarm incident, I was again abruptly awoken, this time by the phone ringing in my room. I tried to answer the phone next to me on the nightstand, but the portable handset didn’t work. By the time I got to the desk to reach the desk phone, the ringing had stopped. Most likely a wrong number, so back to bed I went again.

Third, just a few minutes after the phone call, a guy pounds heavily on my hotel room door. I asked what he wanted, but he didn’t answer… he just loudly pounded again. Then I hear him pounding on the neighbor’s door. Was there really a fire after all? Were they getting everyone to evacuate the rooms? I couldn’t find my robe fast enough so couldn’t open the door. Not that I wanted to open the door, but by now I was getting a bit freaked out. I grabbed the hotel robe off the back of the bathroom door and debated …. Open the door and take the risk that this guy shoves his way into my room, or keep the door closed and risk going up in flames? Neither option was appealing.

Since I had last heard the guy pounding on the neighbor’s door, I thought the risk low in opening the door for a quick peek. I didn’t see anyone in the hallway. No one was running out of their room due to fire either. I closed the door and went to the hotel phone (the working phone; not the dead handset). I dialed zero to get to the hotel operator. Ring . . . ring . . . ring. After about a dozen rings with no answer, I hung up. Were they all busy with the fire? What the heck was going on? I pressed zero again – and again no answer after about ten rings. I slammed the phone down. I was no longer freaked out, now I was mad. If there is a real emergency, the hotel should have been making a hotel-wide announcement or answering their phone directing people with what to do. If there was no emergency, then they should be answering the phone so we can deal with the safety issue of the guy pounding on doors.

Another look out the window at the other wing of rooms and all looked calm. I gave up trying to reach the hotel’s front desk. I gave up worrying about there being an actual fire. I gave up trying to figure out why some guy was heavily pounding on my door. And unfortunately, I gave up on getting back to sleep.

As for the hotel:
Why didn’t they do a follow-up broadcast to their initial message about the fire alarm?
Why don’t they routinely check the in-room phones to ensure they are working? (Lesson to me: Earlier in my stay I realized the portable handset wasn’t working and I didn’t report it.)
Why didn’t they answer their phones within a dozen rings? Or call back a guest when they see they’ve missed two calls?

I will talk with the hotel and update this post with their response.

In the meantime, what would you have done?

Order now! Business Travel Success…How to Reduce Stress, Be More Productive and Travel With Confidence!

Who Are Business Travelers and What do They Want?

Carol Margolis — Fri, 11 May 2012 11:14:24 +0000

The Global Business Travelers Association (GBTA) is a wealth of information for those traveling for business. In a new study sponsored by Concur, they offered a lot of insight into the world of the business traveler.

For example, we learned that the average business traveler is 42 years old, college-educated, and most likely to be male (67%). But we also learned from this study why they travel. The most frequent trips were for meetings (33%) while another 21% were necessary for training, seminars, and conferences, followed by a slightly smaller percentage for sales.

Nearly half of all business travelers are under managed guidelines from their corporate or government travel departments. However, one-third operate with no guidelines at all while 1 in 5 are managed by more structured policies with tighter budget constraints, often limiting their business travelers to certain travel vendors. Perhaps not surprising, this last group was said to be “significantly less successful.”

Overall, three-quarters of the respondents said they were “highly satisfied” with most of their business travel, with almost one-half saying they would like to travel more. More ominous for firms, this means that one out of four business travelers are somewhere between only satisfied and not satisfied with their travel. In addition, more than half have no desire to increase their travel.

The study concluded with a comment that “more needs to be done to help business travelers plan and reduce stress.” A couple troubling aspects identified in the study are in-transit travel and combating the personal hardships that one endures while traveling.

Echoing words similar to mine, Rajeev Singh, president and COO of Concur, noted that “the most important – and for far too long, the most under represented – component within the corporate travel industry is the business traveler.” Virtually all the companies participating in this study, as well as those that didn’t, would do well to review the study’s findings. With simple training techniques, all firms can benefit from reducing employee business travel stress, and perhaps turnover, while increasing productivity and morale.

Disclosure: I am a member of GBTA. Non-members can purchase a copy of this study here at GBTA.org.

As for you, are you in the 75% of travelers who are highly satisfied with their business travel? If not, what would make it better for you? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Order now! Business Travel Success…How to Reduce Stress, Be More Productive and Travel With Confidence!

Travel for business? Then Business Travel Success is for you!

Carol Margolis — Thu, 10 May 2012 17:38:10 +0000

My new book, Business Travel Success – How to Reduce Stress, Be More Productive and Travel with Confidence is now published! This book has been written over thousands of miles and from many hotel rooms around the world with tips that I’ve learned over years and years of business travel.

Business Travel Success offer strategies to become healthier, less stressed, more productive and confident, all without sacrificing the personal relationships that make coming home worthwhile!

Jack Canfield, co-author of the Chicken Soup for the Soul® series and author of The Success Principles^TM, says that “this book is the bible for business travelers, even if you only do one business trip a year.” I’m so honored that Jack wrote the Foreword to my book. And I love his story of how a typical bad travel situation (a delayed flight that so many of us have experienced) totally changed course with the actions of one person. Amazing.

Utilizing the tips in Business Travel Success, you will learn ways to help conquer traveling hurdles like:

Packing
Solo travel
Flying and driving
Family relationships
Safety
Health & fitness
… and so much more!

Business Travel Success is now available online at on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and more in both printed and ebook format. You’ll be able to find the book in bookstores and airport stores over the next few months.

Feeling Generous With Your Miles? New Travel Dating website MissTravel.com

Carol Margolis — Tue, 01 May 2012 17:38:04 +0000

I met serial online dating entrepreneur Brandon Wade last week. We were both in New York City meeting with major tv networks, magazines and radio shows to promote our respective businesses. Brandon’s latest business misstravel.com is a new dating site that promises to match “generous” travelers who hate to travel alone with “attractive” travelers who’d love the opportunity to travel the world for free. The name got my attention … anything related to travel does. (And no, I wasn’t in NYC to promote an online dating site, but rather my newly-published book, which you’ll read about in my next post.)

According to the press release for MissTravel.com, this site “is the first of its kind travel dating website that matches Generous travelers, who hate to travel alone, with Attractive people who love to travel but lack the funds to do so.”

If you’re a Generous traveler, you’re willing to pay for the Attractive traveler’s travel expenses, or gift frequent flyer miles for her or him to use. Hmmm, an interesting way to burn through your accumulated miles and points.

This site just went live a week ago and it’s already making big news and attracting many Generous and Attractive travelers. Though what I don’t see in my non-member viewing of the profiles is what would get my attention: DDMPPHG seeks U1KHDEEE* for communal sharing of elite privileges around the globe. I’d like to really see what the potential travel gifter has to offer … Show me only silver and the relationship is over before it’s begun! Alternatively, if I played the Generous traveler with my millions of miles and points, I’d want to match up with someone who at least knew the basic travel procedures. If they embarrassed me by pulling out a K-Mart plastic bag of full size liquids, I’d be ending the relationship right in front of TSA eyes. J

All fun aside, be careful with any online dating site. To its credit, misstravel.com has posted Travel Safety Tips that should be observed. I am not promoting this site, just letting you know that it exists. Since you’re a traveler too, this site’s name is likely to catch your attention as well … any maybe some of your miles.

*Delta Diamond, Marriott Platinum Premier, Hertz Gold traveler seeks someone with United 1K, Hilton Diamond, National Emerald Executive Elite status.
Order now! Business Travel Success…How to Reduce Stress, Be More Productive and Travel With Confidence!

As a Solo Diner, These 2 Words Really Tick Me Off!

Carol Margolis — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 20:50:46 +0000

I’m proud of the fact that I’m very comfortable dining alone in any restaurant. Whether a casual outdoor lunch, a snazzy wine bar or a fancy “black or white napkin” kind of place, I am very ok with dining alone. Sure, I’d rather have my husband sitting across the table from me, but he’s not with me on the majority of my business trips. While colleagues are with me on some of my trips, I’m a solo diner the majority of the time, and I am quite content with this.

What I’m not content with . . . and downright ticked with . . . is hearing these two words as I enter a restaurant: “Just one?”

These two little words, asked so innocently, really get my goat.

I’ve often wanted to respond to “Just one?” with:

Yes, put me in the pity section please.
No, a table for 3, please. Me, my book and I.
I have my imaginary friend with me – you don’t see him?
Yes, I couldn’t decide which husband to bring along so I brought neither.

I know the question isn’t meant to offend, but dining solo is one of the most uncomfortable situations for many women. These words just make it more uncomfortable. I walk away feeling that the host thinks I have no friends, or no special person in my life . . . that I’m a loser who can’t find anyone to dine with. I want to defend myself, to say that I’m proud to be so comfortable in my own skin that I don’t need a companion to complete me, that I do know how to order a great glass of wine all by myself, but it’s not worth it. They wouldn’t understand anyway, since they meant no harm in their little question.

How about we turn this little question into something more empowering (and create more raving fans for a restaurant):

“A table in the successful women section?”

“A table where you can see and be seen?” or

“Table for one . . . let me take you to our preferred seating.”

Here’s a toast – to the power of one!

PreOrder now! Business Travel Success…How to Reduce Stress, Be More Productive and Travel With Confidence!

A Fun Way to Teach Junior About Flying

Carol Margolis — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 12:15:59 +0000

Ever need to explain the ins and outs of Aviation to kids? Have a young one gearing up for their first flight? Need something for kids to do while in flight? Junior Flyer offers all of this and more.

Junior Flyer is written by industry insiders, and includes the basics of flying in terms that kids can understand. Find out how an engine works or what keeps planes up in the air. You can even submit your own questions if it is not already covered on the site.

PreOrder now! Business Travel Success…How to Reduce Stress, Be More Productive and Travel With Confidence!

Keep Your Boarding Pass (Paper or Electronic)!

Carol Margolis — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 12:23:33 +0000

Whether it’s an airline merger that has recently taken place, a new airline you’re flying or just a routine flight on an itinerary you fly every week, always keep your boarding pass!

Why? So when airline miles come up missing on your mileage account or you need to apply your recent flight to a new airline, you have the proof necessary to get the mileage credit.

How? Saving the paper boarding pass is easy, but many of us have now switched to paperless electronic boarding passes. So how do you save that? Easy. Snap a photo of it on your mobile phone before you head to the airport. This not only serves as your copy of the boarding pass, but it’s also usually quicker to display a photo from your mobile phone than it is to go to your airline’s website to produce your boarding pass (and no worries about an internet connection being bad just as you walk up to TSA or the boarding pass not being available on a future date).

How long do you save your boarding pass? Just until you see the miles correctly posted to your mileage account. I say correctly posted because I recently received only partial credit for an international flight so now I’ve got a case logged with the airline to get the rest of the miles posted – so I’m hanging onto this boarding pass until resolved. Once correctly posted, toss that paper boarding pass into the recycle bin or purge the photo from your phone.

Here’s a video on this topic from my site Smart Women Travelers.

PreOrder now! Business Travel Success…How to Reduce Stress, Be More Productive and Travel With Confidence!

To receive a free copy of our ebook, 70 Secrets to Safe Travel — Because Your Life Can Change in a Heartbeat, and for more travel savvy info to help you travel smarter, safer and with more enjoyment, visit SmartWomenTravelers.com and PearlsofTravelWisdom.com.

What’s Happening to the Frequent Flier Upgrades?

Carol Margolis — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 16:50:37 +0000

Most frequent fliers say the crown jewel of status benefits is the free upgrade to first class by legacy carriers. But this year the boards are lighting up with common complaints of no upgrades at the early window (usually 4-5 days before) while others are saying they are simply not receiving upgrades at all. The loudest chants come from United and Delta FFers but this should be no surprise. Often looking more like twins than competitors, these are the two largest elite status programs.

Of course, this varies depending on factors such as airline, airport, route, day of week, and time of day. Nevertheless, increasing chatter suggests looking to see if the dots connect.

So what changed? First, the airlines moved from a yield management operation to revenue management. We are all familiar with baggage fees et al but the fee that now often stands between frequent fliers and those highly desired first class seats are upgrade fees. Some airlines allow any passenger to purchase what appears to be a discounted first class seat, sometimes for less than a hundred dollars.

In truth, it is not quite that simple. Passengers can purchase upgrades to first class by paying the difference between their expensive coach fare and the first class fare, sometimes at a discount. Frequent fliers who purchased low fare buckets are losing out to non-status passengers who pay much more for their seats. Very simply, it means more revenue for the airlines and fewer seats available to elites.

How can the airlines get away with this? Because another thing has changed: Capacity.

In recent years, carriers have been operating at around 70-80% capacity, sometimes as low as 60%. That left many seats open on flights, especially those coveted first class seats. They were great times for frequent fliers but airlines were losing a lot of money.

Today, airlines have ceased or reduced operations for certain routes. In some cases, they have substituted smaller aircraft which means fewer first class seats. The end result is airlines are now at about 85% capacity, sometimes 90%. That means most flights are quite full, indeed often overbooked.

With fewer flight options, any airline delay or cancelation now has a magnified effect. Sometimes these displaced passengers are already flying first class on connecting flights, sometimes they are coach fare passengers rewarded with first class seats on a later flight. Since these events are unplanned, it is increasingly common for airlines to hold back on releasing upgrade seats early.

A third variable adds to the toxic mix. A couple years ago there were six legacy carriers. Due to a couple mergers, today there are only four. Reduced competition does not favor the frequent flier.

What used to be a slam dunk for receiving a first class upgrade by airline elite travelers is now in jeopardy for some. Before an airline even gets to the upgrade list pecking order, others have already cleared and they include passengers who purchased first class tickets, re-routed passengers, and those who paid the upgrade fee. Add in certain elite passengers who are allowed to upgrade to first class with certificates or miles or purchase full coach fares, along with possibly smaller aircraft, it is no surprise there are few – if any – first class seats remaining.

Yes, frequent fliers have been spoiled over recent years by purchasing low fare coach tickets while still receiving those prized upgrades. Those days are probably gone for many, especially for popular routes on heavy travel days which typically include Monday, Thursday, and Friday.

How well I know. I have been flying the same route week after week for the past five years and that precious upgrade was always there for me. That is, until this year when I joined the ranks as a surprised top tier flier who no longer impresses an airline with my status.

No doubt some will say just pay for a first class seat if you want it. It so happens that the airlines agree with you. This is all about revenue now so if you want to sit up front, plan to pay for it one way or another.

PreOrder now! Business Travel Success…How to Reduce Stress, Be More Productive and Travel With Confidence!

To receive a free copy of our ebook, 70 Secrets to Safe Travel — Because Your Life Can Change in a Heartbeat, and for more travel savvy info to help you travel smarter, safer and with more enjoyment, visit SmartWomenTravelers.com and PearlsofTravelWisdom.com.

First Flight out of SFB – Better than Expected!

Carol Margolis — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 17:04:16 +0000

Orlando International Airport (MCO) has been my home-base airport for the past twenty years. But did you know that Orlando also has a second airport? Orlando Sanford International Airport (SFB) is about 50 miles from Disney World, about double the distance from MCO. Though great for me, SFB is only 10 miles from my house, compared to 30 miles to MCO. It offers close proximity to the Lake Mary, Longwood and Altamonte Springs areas.

I flew out of SFB for the very first time last night. A business trip to Reykjavik had me searching Delta and Continental, though with 3 to 4 connections and very high fares, a direct flight to Reykjavik out of Sanford’s airport was a quarter of the price in a quarter of the hours! Granted, getting no miles towards my Diamond or 1K status may have me regretting this flight later in the year, but its practicality won me over for this trip.

SFB has two terminals, with about four airlines flying out of each. It’s an airport that if you blink, you may miss it. However, I was surprisingly very impressed with the airport.

Security was a breeze with only one other passenger going through the line with me. The airport is larger than it looks from the outside, with a huge seating area near the international gates, restaurants, Duty Free and other stores, and free wi-fi. Though what surprised me the most was the lounge for international travelers.

The Royal Palm Lounge is available to business class international travelers and those with Priority Pass. Day passes and arrangements with tour providers for access are also available. This lounge offers a bar area (2 free drinks of beer or wine included), a children’s play area and a Sony Playstation area. There is a separate behind-glass doors smoking area, which is very rare to see within a lounge. You can also order food from a nearby restaurant and the lounge attendant will deliver the food directly to you. Nice to be able to eat a full meal instead of just living on lounge snacks.

There is a bar/eating area, a big-screen tv room, as well as a good-sized comfy sofa and chair area.

Now that I am impressed with the airport, its lounge and the close proximity to my house, I’d love to see a few flights by Delta or Continental come into SFB. Can’t hurt to hope!

To receive a free copy of our ebook, 70 Secrets to Safe Travel — Because Your Life Can Change in a Heartbeat, and for more travel savvy info to help you travel smarter, safer and with more enjoyment, visit SmartWomenTravelers.com and PearlsofTravelWisdom.com. Watch for my new book, Business Travel Success – How to Reduce Stress, Be More Productive and Travel with Confidence, being published by Morgan James in early 2012.