Limping Along

It's been over a month since my ankle injury in Texas.  I've hobbled along for brief day trips to San Francisco, Sacramento, and Minneapolis in the intervening weeks.  Before my heralded return to Canada (for a day), I am attempting to remember how to deal with the intricacies of the international aspect of travel.  Many years ago I used to travel frequently into Canada, and had many difficulties.  This time I'm fortunate enough to be traveling between a couple of smaller airports, so I think it shouldn't be too difficult.

Fortunately my travel schedule has become a lot more manageable.  The last round of constant travel over the past three years has made me realize that semi-retirement really wasn't a bad thing.  Anyway, it's time to get back to business.  It has been several years since my last opportunity to cross the border, and I am trying to remember where I left my passport and other documents while limping along.

Later.

The Longest Week Of The Year

I returned to my old schedule, just for a week.  It all started on an overnight New York flight on Sunday.  Since flights have been so inconsistent lately, I had to stop in Washington DC for a "quick" connection, which turned out to be several hours.  Delays are pretty common these days.  However, if you're meeting a large group of people from all over the country and no one makes it on time, it may be time to look at our air travel system. 

In the middle of the week, I rerouted myself to a last minute job in Texas.  I had a 20 minute connection in Cleveland, so the airline decided to reroute me through Chicago. It took an extra 10 hours to get to my destination, since I missed the last connecting flight.  In the tradition of a true road warrior, I decided to reroute myself to the closest available airport with a flight and drive through the night.

This was one of the few times that I didn't pack too much extra stuff for an "emergency" add-on trip.  After all, it's been almost a year and over 200,000 miles since I had to add a few days to an existing trip. At least I didn't tear the seam of my pants like I did in Cleveland several years ago.  Also, I didn't give the airline a reason to lose my luggage, as I carried everything on the plane.  However, I still needed to get the WalMart suit, and get some other extra clothes and stuff.  I did still manage to twist my ankle and wind up in extreme amounts of pain on Saturday.  Some things never change...

I finally limped my way back home, and I'm still limping along.  That was one of the longest weeks I've had in a while.  Let's not do that again.

Later

Back In Action

After all this time, it was great to get back into the field. While on a day vacation to San Francisco, I go rerouted to Dallas to a quick customer meeting. The following week, I had another customer meeting in Minneapolis, followed by a four hour drive to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, for a marketing event. It seems like old times, and it was during the last trip to South Dakota that I realized that it wasn't the travel or the airports or the hotels. It's all about your colleagues in the field, and the interaction, teamwork, and camaraderie that you experience during the different missions that you need to accomplish in the field. During dinner in South Dakota, I remarked that I had really missed working with some of my sales team on a regular basis.

I still have a few more places to go before this year is over, so I'm not quite finished just yet. For now, I have a week of desk duty ahead of me. I forgot about the late-night paperwork that follows the adventures on the road. The adventures continue, for a little while longer, at least. For now, I'm gearing up for a quick vacation to Hawaii in a couple of weeks. Travel safe.

Later.

Historical Events

Ok, the plan was great, but the execution fell short. As you recall, I was attempting to pack a few days before the trip. Well, fatigue caught up with me, and sleep won out. For the first time in many years, I actually missed my flight. It was a combination of way too many things -- fatigue, weather, lack of parking, traffic, and lack of stamina. I got to the airport a little late, thanks to an extra 45 minutes that I was stuck in traffic. On top of that, it took me an extra 3o minutes to find a parking space. I had three minutes to run the half-mile to the terminal from the parking area. I just couldn't make it this time.

It's a good thing that I still have some clout with an airline or two, and managed to get into the New York only an hour later than planned. Of course, I did resort to sprinting across terminals in Dallas just like the old days. I really have to give thanks to American Airlines this week. They actually connected my luggage correctly with a less than 20 minute transfer in Dallas. No luggage separation anxiety on this trip!

It was a historic week on many fronts. That election thing also happened this week too. I really don't get too deep into politics, but it was kind of nice being in the middle of Manhattan during this election day. For the last couple of days, I attended a leadership summit with some of the most powerful global leaders and corporations. It's been a great session, and it has made me think about sticking around for a bit longer. There will be plenty of time for retirement later. Life is a journey, and I'm going to enjoy the ride. Later.

The Road Warrior Recovers . . .

I was looking back at the last time I took a vacation, and it seems that it was a little over two years ago. Coincidentally, the last real vacation that I took in 2006 also revolved around my best friends. I guess history does repeat itself, only this time I had a bit of an expanded version of the vacation.

First, my friend Jon got married halfway across the world in Shanghai. That was an event that I wasn't about to miss, so I got an extra few days off from work, even at the end of the fiscal year. Last vacation in 2006, I think Jon and I went in search of hot dogs at a shopping mall in Buffalo. Unquestionably, this vacation (well, it was a vacation for me, at least) was one of the best adventures that I've been on in quite a while. I got to play best man for the first time, and managed to look decent in a tuxedo. Who could ask for anything more, right? Shanghai was a great adventure, especially the taxi rides which reminded me of a cross between demolition derby and the Indy 500.

To top things off, my young friend James graduated from high school, and it was time to take him on a tour of the USA -- a day after I returned from Shanghai. We managed to tackle Dallas, Worcester, New Haven, Redmond, and Atlanta in less than ten days. We even returned to the same hotel in Redmond from two years ago. I knew we would return there someday. I think I even mentioned that in my post from 2006. It was a lot of fun, and I can still keep up with a teenager, which was surprising to even me. We both really, really, really needed a vacation. That was our tagline. I think it was just what we both needed before he goes off to college.

In both cases, it really wasn't the destination that mattered. What mattered most was the fact that I got to catch up with my friends. So, now it's time to return to the perils of the day job, and start planning the next set of travels. I have some time in Orlando next month, and perhaps a few more adventures before that. I also know that I'm not going to let another two years pass without scheduling some time with my friends. Again, I've been listening to too many movies lately, but I remember someone saying that if something is important, you need to make the time.

Later.

Ultimate Road Warrior

I've been neglecting this blog for a bit, so I'll need to relate some of the adventures at a later time. Right now, I'm in the middle of an "ultimate road warrior" challenge. I've managed to keep up with a teenager for the last week, and we've had quite an adventure so far. Based upon past history, this is probably the last time we'll be able to do this type of trip to this extent. So, I'm enjoying the moment for now. I'm sleepless in Seattle at the moment, on the way to Dallas and Atlanta when day breaks again. Later.

The Best Kind Of Magic

There truly is some sort of magic to this road warrior game. Sometimes you get the worst possible outcome -- well, maybe that happens most of the time. Throughout all of those visits to Arizona in the middle of August, all of the slippery ice patches, flat tires, condemned buildings, and other traveler nightmares, I always managed to get those complementary upgrades and other perks on those nights that I happened to stay at a hotel for less than four or five hours. Foolish as it seems, one begins to wonder if you ever get to the point when you get to experience a comfortable room, on-time flights, and successful meetings.

Travel can't always be perfect, but I did manage to get a very nice room upgrade for the next few days. That's kind of nice to have during a week-long meeting in Dallas. I did also manage to get here on time. Who knows? If the meeting actually turns out well, then there may be some sort of magic involved with this trip after all. Later.

Voice Of The Traveler

I finally got that podcasting dream started. The Road Warrior Podcast is now live, and if the iTunes people let it pass through, you might even see it out on the iTunes Music store, too. How neat is that? Anyhow, I just got back from a quick trip to Orlando, with a detour into Salt Lake City. I did manage to make it back on Saturday morning, when I remembered that I had a few things to do in Los Angeles. I just made it back home in time to finish up the publication of my first podcast. Now I have to get ready for a quick trip to Dallas tomorrow, and Philadelphia the next day. These weekends seem to be getting shorter and shorter. Seems like old times... Later.

In The District

These field reports are starting to get a bit rare. I'm reporting from within the beltway. Yes, I'm actually staying in the District. You know, Washington, DC. That's right. I'm back to my old habits. I've probably overextended myself again, and am living on that miracle drug, Dayquil. I decided to try to get back in training again, and overdid it before I got on the plane. I always seem to have that bad habit of forgetting that I'm not eighteen any more. Anyhow, I'm here until Wednesday morning, and back for a couple of days at home before I leave again for Hawaii. I am one of many people in my group from San Diego at this conference in DC. It was strange that we all seemed to take different routes to get here, and we all seem to have different disaster stories of how we all got here. One person connected in Los Angeles, another in Atlanta, someone else in Chicago, yet another in Cincinnati, and someone went through Phoenix. Just about everyone experienced some sort of flight delay. I connected in Dallas without any flight delay, but getting out of the airport was an adventure. Let's just say it involves a minivan and step ladder... Anyhow, this is a long update, so I'd better get some rest. After all, I should probably sleep this cold away. Later.

The Marathon Begins

I've started one of those crazy trips that even I can't believe. I'm reporting from the Boston area tonight. I spent the greater part of the day trying to get here. For the first leg of the journey, I've decided not to drive anywhere. For Boston and Houston, I'm catching taxis. Assuming the weather holds out, my journey continues tomorrow in Houston, assuming I don't get stuck in Atlanta for the evening. I'll be home for a few hours, assuming I don't get stuck in Dallas on the way. Then, it's off to Raleigh-Durham, Los Angeles, Honolulu, and Milwaukee, in that order. A standard marathon is a little more than 26 miles. I'm logging a little more than 26,000 miles over the next 10 days. It may seem twisted, but even though I still have the vocal chord problem, I'm kind of enjoying the journey. I'm going to slow down a bit this year, at least on my travels. After all, I have a department to run, and a few other responsibilities these days. Later.

Preparing For The Journey Ahead

Another year begins. For the first time, I'm not feeling up to the challenge. In fact, for the first time, I have backed out of a trip to Northern California tomorrow. I'm still planning on being in Monterey on Friday morning for a quick sales call, and then it's a journey into Norfolk, Virginia for a week, followed by a quick stop in Dallas to do another brief talk.

The adventures don't always begin on the road. It seems that more often, the greatest part of the adventures begin at home. With every trip, there's always a degree of preparation that needs to be done beforehand, and there is always the inevitable aftermath of expense reports and other miscellaneous paperwork that has to be completed in a timely manner before the next trip begins, usually on the next day. Let's take today, for instance. I had to get myself to the dry cleaners to pick up my suits. As I travel quite frequently, I need to make sure that the suits that still fit are not all at the dry cleaners at the same time. During excessive travel periods, this can become a challenge. Then there is the work preparation that takes time away from the normal desk job. At the request of some of the field personnel, I spent the greater part of the day chasing after equipment, and shipping it to Monterey before I left the office. I never managed to get my normal work done.

I guess it's not as glamorous as getting cavity searches in the greater metropolitan airports, or slipping on an ice patch and tearing a huge hole in the back of your pants. Still, the preparation work is a necessary part of the road warrior game. After all these years, I still manage to cut a few corners here and there. When that happens, the real adventures begin...

Later.

Temporary Insanity

I keep telling myself that this is only temporary. You see, things usually pick up at the end of year and end of fiscal year due to requirements in my particular segment of the market. Translated, that means I've been on the road again like crazy, alongside the craziness of the holiday travelers. Standard road warriors and holiday travelers mix like oil and water. There are some things that the holiday traveler just doesn't appreciate about those of us that have to do this year round.

Anyhow, I just got back from Atlanta, a relatively uneventful (but long) trip. Before that, I had a quick trip to Portland and Houston. Unfortunately, I had a cancellation in Houston, so I had to make a u-turn in Dallas. There were many strange adventures along the way. I had sushi at the Portland airport, and it still shocks me that you can get sushi at an airport. There was a series of incidents with many of those holiday travelers in the last couple of week, ranging from stepped on toes to hecklers in the ticket line. It annoys me that some of these travelers have developed attitude problems, and just don't display common courtesy any more. So much for the holiday spirit. This road warrior has one more trip left this year. Let's see how it goes...

Later.

Taking Inventory

It's that time of the year again. I'm taking inventory of all of those pesky frequent flyer and points accounts. All road warriors go through this around this time of year. You see, as a freqent traveler, we all need to actually go through our accounts to see where we stand in all of those frequent-use programs. I've discovered that I actually did cut back this year. I'm going to give up on one of the programs, and I'm about 15,000 miles short on two airline programs to keep my status going. That means that I need to fly at least 30,000 miles within the next couple of months. In the last few years, I would probably say that it would be no sweat. However, this time around, I am attempting to slow down, and it would be a bit of a stretch to come up with that amount of travel in a short two months.

So, the race is on. I'm traveling to Houston and Detroit this week, with all of the appropriate connecting flights. I have a San Francisco trip next week. After that, I've got a quick trip back to Detroit and Minneapolis. Then, I'm ending the month in Toronto for good measure. That should take care of the first airline, and maybe a little bit of the other one. Now, as for December, I've got a quick trip to Las Vegas and Norfolk, VA, so far. I might squeeze in a short weekend in the northeast to make up the difference, if any. After all, I'm so close that it would still be worth it to make up the difference for another year.

Whew. So much for semi-retirement from all of this. Maybe next year. . . Later.

Rings Of Hell Revisited

A historic event has occurred. I decided to end the boycott of Continental Airlines. Given the fact that they were the only carrier that could get me to Harlingen, TX, in less than three segments, I decided that it was also practical. The only problem was the fact that I never actually made it to Harlingen using Continental. You see, I never had an on-time flight on Continental this week, or in the last few years, as I recall. Anyhow, I wound up in McAllen after midnight, without transportation. So, I was forced to rent the last vehicle in McAllen -- a dirty pickup truck. In other circumstances, the sight of me climbing into the cab would have been extremely comical.

So what ended the boycott? Even though this was one of those really bad trips, and they really couldn't do anything to really help me much at all, they were still professional about it. That's all I ask of an airline -- or any other service organization for that matter. No floggings. No cavity searches. No other invasive procedures.

Later.

Back In Circulation

It's been quite a wild ride for the last few weeks. After several months of being office-bound, I returned to the field. When I return, I really go overboard. I've been to Salinas, Phoenix, Dallas, Detroit, Jackson, Tampa, Miami, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, and Philadelphia in the last couple of weeks. While it was nice being back in circulation, I am reminded that perhaps there is some sort of happy medium between the really nutty schedule of the last few weeks, and the total absense of travel in the last couple of months. Anyhow, I'm really tired right now. I think I need some sleep.

Boycott Continental. You know you want to.

Later.

Speeding Through San Diego

I've been traveling a lot less lately. I did have the opportunity to do a quick day trip to Dallas last week, though. It's still nice that the people at the San Diego airport have quickly gotten to know me over the past year. I always seem to just make it to the airport lately. I had a whole ten minutes to spare this time. Last time, I cut it a bit close with only three minutes to spare. It's a good thing I still have elite status with the airlines. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to get through the security lines at warp speed.

Boycott Continental!

Later.

Going To The Show

I just returned from a trade show in Dallas. Before that, it was a week's worth of a national sales meeting. To say that I'm tired would be the understatement of the year. Anyhow, it wasn't the show or the meeting that really drained me. It was the effort that I had to use to get out of the center seat that I was stuck in for the long trip home. It took six phone calls, three ticket agents, and finally a long begging session with the gate agent to get me out of the center seat. Hey, I wound up in the bathroom aisle. But at least it was an aisle.

Boycott Continental. I mean it, now.

Later.

Travel Nirvana

I experienced something new in my latest adventure to Dallas. I call it Travel Nirvana. It was the first time that most everything actually went right on a business trip. It was incredible. Everything just fell into place. I had a relatively deserted airport upon check-in, which made me the only one going through security. While the plane was relatively full, it was still an uneventful trip. Since my destination was Dallas, I think I must have been the only one getting off the plane, as my luggage was the first and only out of the carosel. I had a nice lunch with my friend Dee in Dallas. For those of you who don't travel for a living, it's a rare thing to actually be able to coordinate a meal with a friend when on a business trip. Anyhow, my business trip went well, and I had a good presentation that went off without a hitch. To top it off, my luggage was the first off the carosel back in San Diego. If only I could experience this Travel Nirvana with each trip...

Boycott Continental!

Later.

Gate Assignment Blues

Last week's adventure sent me through Chicago, where planes circle round and round without a gate to call home. Seriously. I just had a double whammy experience in Chicago where my gate was listed as NO. Now, my first reaction was that a new Terminal N had been built with gate zero. After all, gate A0 exists at Dallas Fort Worth. But, since there is an overabundance of flights into O'Hare lately, there aren't enough gates to accommodate all of them. Therefore, on a few flights out of Chicago last week, I got stuck without a gate. I really didn't think that the gate assignment would be a yes/no answer in Chicago. I can understand having that as a valid response in Salisbury, Maryland, or Laramie, Wyoming, but not Chicago. Anyway, I eventually escaped from Chicago, and actually made it back home in one piece -- sort of. It's a ground assignment for me for the next couple of weeks, so I'll sign off for now.

Boycott Continental!

Later.

Moon Over Parma, Revisited

I just spent a couple of days in Cleveland. There were really no unusal events this time round. However, I didn't rent a car this time, so I guess there wasn't too much circumstance that could get me into trouble. I was in Continental land. After all, one of the Continental hubs is Cleveland. Even though I had the wonderful experience of having some big guy jabbing his elbow into my gut on a commuter flight from Dallas, I still prefer that experience to flying on Continental. Yes, I'm still holding a grudge.

Boycott Continental! I mean it. Really. No joke.

Later.