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 International Post

I'm reporting from Montreal. It's cold outside, and our friends at American Airlines decided to ground over 600 flights this week due to wiring issues on their fleet of MD-8o aircraft. I was among the thousands of travelers impacted by the shuffling of schedules. Having been a scheduling professional in my past, I do have a lot of empathy for the eight people that contacted me about flight changes. I'm sure that this goes way beyond their job descriptions.

This is the first time in years that I've ventured into Canada. I had to brush the dust off my passport for the next few months. When I go international, I go all the way. You see, I have the Montreal trip this week, and I'm booked in Edmonton next week. For the greater part of the decade, I've stuck with domestic travel. In the span of the next few months, I've got a few Canada trips and a quick trip to China. Well, I'd better get back to work.

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.

The Return

I have returned from my break from the world of travel. I was somewhat surprised about what you leave behind when you stop traveling. It's not about the miles, points, or anything like that. It's all about that special sixth sense that you start to lose when you are no longer out in the field regularly. When getting back on the road this month amongst the holiday travelers, I made a few rookie mistakes. First, never travel during the holiday season. If I had actually read my blog for the last six years or so, I would have remembered that. Next, if you are traveling, always anticipate delays. I'm still good at adjusting to just about any situation out there, but it did take some extra effort this time.

So begins the return from the ashes of retirement. I recall a while ago that one of the airline magazines highlighted strange business titles. One of the titles was called "Keeper of the Magic." I kind of like that one, especially for all of us who make a living somewhere out there. We're the ones that keep the wheels of business turning, and it's got to be some kind of magic that keeps us moving forward every day. Ok, so I admit it. Yes, I missed it a little...

Later.

It's A Long Way To The Top . . . Really!

I've been grounded for a while now, and I think it's time to let the next generation of travelers take over. Don't get me wrong -- I'm still going to be on the playing field from time to time. I've just decided that maybe it's time to give this desk job a chance. Retirement isn't necessarily a bad thing. Later.

Another Sleepless Night . . .

I'm getting ready for my first trip in seven weeks, and I almost forgot how to do these things again. It's not as easy as remembering how to ride a bike. Day trips are a little easier. This time, I'm gone for an extended period of time, and remembering how to pack is a bit of a challenge. The other part of the equation is the sleep deprivation. I honestly can't remember how I did this on a day-to-day, week-by-week basis. Maybe I'll catch up on some sleep in New Orleans. Yeah, right... Later.

Listen To The Show

My wrist is out of commission, so I'm going to cut this entry short. For more travel wit and wisdom for the month, try my podcast...

Later.

Home For The Holidays

There's no place like home for the holidays. Actually, with the mounds of papers and other junk around here, I can honestly say that there really is no other place like it. I'm finally catching up on what I've been attempting to do for the last few years -- all the paperwork. You see, in the last few years, I've spent so much time in the air that I've been ignoring all of the mail and other stuff that has been piling up throughout the years. There's now a visible path between my door and my desk, which hasn't existed since I moved in a few years back.

I did manage to make a couple of leisure trips this month, though. I made it over to New Haven, CT, for a burger. Then I thawed out in Honolulu for a couple of days for a retirement party for one of my friends. Travel is much lighter these days, but the problems still abound. I haven't had a problem-free flight in several months, even though I relented and threw away all of my over-sized tubes of toothpaste in favor of the travel versions. I'm staying home for the rest of the holiday season. Maybe my sensitivity has been heightened or my tolerance has just been shattered, but I just can't get back into another airport during holiday traveler season. If people are going to travel these days, perhaps a little preparation might be in order, you think?

It's been a nice break, but I'll be back on the playing field early next year starting the journey in Delaware. Until then, safe travels to all of you out there.

Later.

Surfing The Hubs

I've been absent from this column for a little too long, so I just wanted to mention that I haven't faded into the background -- at least not just yet. I spent some time in Huntington, WV, earlier this month. Due to aircraft maintenance issues, they had to call in some mechanical help from Charleston, which is over an hour away from the Tri-State Airport in Huntington. Needless to say, I missed my connection in Cincinnati, and I did have to double-connect in Atlanta, and again in Salt Lake City in order to get home. I've gotten to the point where I expect the delays, and I just plan an extra "lost" day due to the missed connections. It's a really good policy, because perfect flight schedules are as unattainable as that mirage of water in the desert. The days on the road are starting to lessen, but I'm not getting off the field completely. There are still a few more stories out there. Later.

No Exaggeration Here

To skew the saying slightly, reports of my death are not far off... I started my latest journey in the Emergency Room, and I'll save the editorial about the state of our healthcare system for another column. Suffice it to say, it's really screwed up. I was not in the right state of mind to go on my latest adventure to Omaha, since I never got any sleep before my flight. The fact that the flight to Omaha from Chicago was canceled did not help matters. I rerouted myself to Kansas City, bought a Wal-Mart suit, and drove all night to Omaha. Then, in their infinite wisdom, the airline computer system cancelled all my subsequent flights, since the system thought I was still in Chicago. I wonder where my luggage was, and I wonder if it is getting the appropriate frequent flyer mileage. Anyhow, I think this adventure is worthy of my monthly column, so I guess I'll update that later this week.

Later.

Five Years Later

I'm running out of philosophical wit to share about the day. It's been an interesting day. I've produced three podcasts and a couple of other blog updates for the day, and I seem to be running out of steam. I purposely put myself on a ground assignment for the day, and some extended volunteer duties for the evening. I don't usually interrupt my travels for anything, but in this case, I decided that it was time to sit back and enjoy some time on the ground. It's not out of fear or anything like that. For some reason, it just didn't seem appropriate to be out there on the playing field today. Maybe I'll get back out there . . . tomorrow.

Later.

Daze Of Summer

I just spent the most fast-paced vacation, followed by a quick jump start onto the playing field. After some family gatherings last week, I spent some time catching up with some old friends from California to North Carolina and beyond. But, as all things come to an end, I had to get right back into the mix. After returning to San Diego last night, I had to hop on a flight to Tampa for a quick meeting tomorrow morning. After that, I'm off to Philadelphia and Chicago to round out the week. It's nice to know that some things in the universe are still consistent.

Later.

Road Warriors Unite!

After a couple of trips with the revised security, it's time to kick-start the good old blog again. Once again, the crazy and predictable reactions by our respective governments to various security threats have forced some changes to the way we conduct our lives throughout this and many other countries. Granted, a lot of these security measures are warranted. Although, I was very surprised to see a lot of the lines at the airport get a bit shorter in the last couple of weeks, and some of the airplanes with quite a few empty seats. I never thought I'd say this, but let's get back out there on the playing field. If we completely stop traveling or curtail our activities out there, the terrorists have won. The travel industry needs us now more than ever. So join me out there at 35,000 feet, complete with all the cavity searches and sobriety tests. I'm out of retirement, and back on the playing field for now. Later.

Blood Pressure Rising

Get out the hip boots, we're on Orange Alert once again. You know what that means, of course. Yep, that means that it's time for me to get back into grouchy complaint mode again. Just when you thought my blogs and podcasts would be safe and mellow...

For those of you that haven't read the news lately, we are on one of those extreme terror alerts again -- DefCon 2, or Orange Alert, or whatever they call it. This time, it all relates to the potential of explosive in liquid form, kind of like what they did in Die Hard With A Vengeance. Anyhow, we can't carry toothpaste, shaving cream, shampoo, or any other liquid or gel with us on airplanes any more. I was lucky enough to get back home last night, just in time before the rules went into effect. However, I've got some heavy duty travel coming up in the next several months. I think I'm in for a repeat of October 2001. Break out the aspirin -- I think we're in for an extended headache... 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.

Zoning Problems

In the last couple of weeks, I've traveled from Washington, DC to Honolulu, HI, to Erie, PA, back to San Diego, CA. If I calculated this correctly, twelve time zones were crossed in less than twelve days. One of my travel theories states that it takes one day to recover from each time zone traversed. Fortunately, I'm grounded for the next couple of weeks, so recovery should not be a problem. So until next week, at least, I'm out of the zone. That's kind of like being out of synch with the rest of the world. Sometimes, that's not necessarily a bad place to be. Later.

The Pong Generation

I come from the Pong Generation, probably somewhere in that time frame where Generation X intersects with Generation Y. Well, since I brought it up, I'm playing the part of the square dot that goes back and forth between the two tennis paddle things in the game of Pong. Yes, I'm up to my old tricks again, going from coast to coast, and then off to Hawaii for a quick break before heading back to the east coast. I just picked up a quick trip to western Pennsylvania next week, as soon as I get back from Hawaii. I think I'm up for a quick game of Space Invaders. Later.

Still In The District

I had great plans for the day. I was going to go out on several customer visits, and maybe even get some sightseeing in during the evening. Unfortunately, I couldn't do either today. I've upgraded from Dayquil to Advil Cold Medicine, and I've got two other meds with me to pull me back into the land of the living before my flight back home tomorrow morning. I've got to get better before my next trip on Saturday morning, at least. I'm still doing conference calls. Ok, I'm calling from bed, but the people at the other end of the phone can't tell. Anyhow, I've got one more to go, and then I can go back to sleeping this off... 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.

Sleepless In Seattle ... The Next Generation

I'm winding down from my vacation. As always, I decided that I needed to make the most out of my vacation time, so I did a double vacation for the week. I met up with Jon in Buffalo, which was great, though I was spending the weekend in Pittsburgh. I think I spent more time in the car driving than I did with Jon and his girlfriend. It was about nine hours in the car for the day.

The rest of my vacation was spent in the Pacific Northwest. My young friend James and I were scouting colleges in Oregon and Washington. We were staying in Redmond near his friends, so the day trip into central Oregon took a little more than five-and-a-half hours each way. That was a bit exhausting, but we really had a great time. I really didn't get too much sleep throughout the week. After all, I was on vacation, and why waste it sleeping the night away? I had a lot of stuff to do, and James had a lot of stuff going on with his friends, so we both had a great time. I think we both want to go back in the not too distant future.

It's back to work for me tomorrow. At least I've got another journey into Washington ahead. Only this time, it's Washington, DC, on Friday.

Later.