December 8, 2010 The Indian Ambassador to the United States visited Jackson, Mississippi last weekend and had a very pleasant trip—that is until she got to the airport to fly back to Washington. I’ll let you read the rest.
(Frank II)
December 8, 2010 In a recent study by Orbitz for Business/Business Traveler Magazine Trend Reports, business travelers were asked what was most important to them when traveling by air and booking a hotel room:
The top five most used airline ancillary services (in order):
1. Securing an aisle row seat
2. Priority security line access and early boarding
3. Airline lounge or club access
4. Securing a seat near the front of the plane
5. Extra leg room in coach
The top five most significant factors when booking a hotel (in order):
1. Loyalty or awards program points
2. Proximity to business meeting or event
3. On-site amenities such as Wi-Fi, on-site cleaners, exercise center, etc.
4. Lower daily rate than comparable hotels
5. Hotel star rating
The entire article can be found here:
(Frank II)
December 7, 2010 When I started traveling way back in the pre-digital days, there were no cellphones, internet, laptops or anything more advanced than a Sony Walkman. Expensive watches and jewelry were left at home. Keeping valuables safe meant protecting your passport, cash and credit cards.
Today, many of us travel with a slew of gadgets—laptops, Ipad, Ipods, cellphones, smartphones, GPS, etc, etc. All of these items make a thief salivate. To make sure he doesn’t get them, we have to take precautions to keep them safe both in our hotel rooms and when we’re out and about.
For me, step one is a moneybelt. While this doesn’t protect my electronics, I know my passport, credit cards, train tickets, cash or anything else in this category is safe.
Next, depending on where I’m going, I may use a PacSafe bag. Currently, I like the Metrosafe 250. (A review will come soon.) This will hold a netbook if I’m traveling with one, my Blackberry, my IPod Touch and even a small digital camera should I have one.
In my room, anything else is either in a hotel room safe, if one is available, or locked in my luggage, which in turn may be locked to a piece of furniture.
I’m opening it up to anyone who has any unique suggestions they’d like to share regarding safekeeping of valuables while on the road.
December 7, 2010 
Don’t expect the US to follow suit, but the UK has set a date to flush their liquids-in-carry-on ban:
The ban on carrying liquids in hand luggage at UK airports is to be eased and could be phased out completely by 2013.
In an interview with the Sunday Times, Transport Secretary Philip Hammond revealed that airports would begin to relax restrictions next April…
Mr Hammond said he sympathised with parents with young children.
He said: ‘I have seen mothers tasting it, and doesn’t it taste foul? The good news is that by 2013 the ban on mush will have ended.’
Mr Hammond said he planned to make the system more flexible. - Daily Mail
Somehow I can’t imagine US officials speaking this way. The EU announced earlier this year that the ban could be lifted in 2013 because of the development of technology to detect explosives in liquids. I’m sure it’s easier to get the liquid detection tech distributed around a small country. Sounds like a rolling phaseout — good news anyway.
(Brad)
Frank@OBOW
More British common sense from the Telegraph:
“I am not suggesting we relax the standards we require. I am suggesting more flexibility.”
This guy obviously didn’t get the same memo that the US agencies got. Or missed an important meeting. Expect him to be sacked any day.
December 6, 2010 Rare video of Brad, or Frank … or Monte?
Frank@OBOW
OK, so he has an alias. Good going “Mike”.
Frank@OBOW
Monte’s favorite new dance: the TSA Tango…
December 6, 2010 
OBOW ON THE TGVLast week, the Chinese took one of their trains past 300 mph. While other trains have gone faster, this is the first time one has done over 300 on unmodified rails—meaning the same tracks the train will actually use.
And that gets me wondering. Should we seriously be looking into improving our high speed rail system and is it a true alternative to air travel?
Depending on who you ask, China and the United States are approximately the same size in square miles. Yet our train system is antiquated and lacking. We prefer to fly. But with the hassles of flying, should we be looking at alternatives.
Right now, in the U.S., the only high speed rail service we have is Amtrak’s Acela between Washington, DC and Boston. Its top speed is around 150 mph. On hops between Washing and New York, the train beats the plane when going downtown to downtown. So much so, that the famed hourly shuttles between LaGuardia and Reagan National have all but disappeared.
But what about a longer distance. Say New York to Chicago. The trip is approximately 800 miles. To go from city center to city center, considering the drive to and from the airport as well as the two hours check in time, it would take about 6 hours by plane.
At 150 MPH….the train would take nearly that. At 200 mph, it would take just over 4 hours. (Actual time would vary depending on the number of stops.
But with proper routing, one train could take the place of up to half a dozen planes, save on fuel, and lessen pollution.
Think about it….New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Toledo, Chicago. All on one train.
No nude-0-scopes. No groping. No cramped seats. The ability to move around. Have a real meal. And even enjoy the scenery.
Currently, China is upgrading 13,000 miles of track for high speed rail. The Obama administration has mentioned their interest in high speed rail. That automatically turned the Republicans off strictly for political reasons.
But on a practical side, is this where our transportation dollars should be going?
(Frank II)
Frank@OBOW
Going light is helpful, even for train travel. An excerpt from an old post:
The high-speed TGV is cool and comfortable, but boarding one with a lot of luggage is not. A small carryon is also a must if you want to keep your bag nearby since the overhead rack on the TGV is not too spacious. And the TGV is double decked - another reason not to have a large or heavy bag.
Boarding a train in Europe can be as hectic as boarding a jetliner, only the pace is much faster. If the US had a similar network of trains I’m quite sure they be slow and less efficient and that the boarding process would be slower to accommodate us slow Americans.
(Brad)
December 5, 2010 Sen. Chuck Schumer of NY introduced a bill Sunday making it illegal to record or distribute images from a full body scan. If guilty the penalty would be one year in jail and/or a $100,00 fine.
The TSA claims it's impossible to record or transmit images.
So let's get this straight, if a TSA employee is the only one supposedly able to see these images, then he or she would be the only ones capable of recording or distributing the images. Right? Shouldn't this be an internal TSA rule rather than a bill?
Or does Chuck Schumer know something we don t?
NY Times Article
(Frank II)
December 3, 2010 I’m guessing that most of us by now do some type of bed bug inspection when we check into a hotel room. But how many do a Peephole inspection? After watching this video, you may just start:
(Frank II)
December 3, 2010 To the one bag travelers out there….does the concept of lightening the load, so to speak, have any effect in other areas of your life?
It has for me. I’ve learned that I don’t need as much stuff as I thought I did. I believe life is more about what we exeperience and the relationships we have than the stuff we own. After more than 20 years of travel and a few instances of long term temporary furnished residences, I realize that stuff is fleeting, life is not.
I am currently on my final journey of becoming a minimalist. The same principles I use to pack my bag for travel I’m using to organize my home. Only what I need, a few extra pieces for fun or sentimental reasons, and that’s it.
How about you?
(Frank II)
December 2, 2010 The other day I was talking to a friend about the merits of traveling light. He’s one of those people who can’t imagine not taking a full sized suitcase even for a 2-3 day business trip. When I described what I take, his responses seemed to always start: “But what if I need this……”
Can anyone learn to be a one bag traveler? This is a questions I get asked on a regular basis. And my answer, as always is …….No. It just may not be possible for everyone. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Take the sportsman or the hobbyist who carries more equipment than “one bag” would hold yet this pursuit will bring them much joy. Nothing wrong with that.
Or the person who likes to dress for dinner every night to enjoy great food and wine. Again, nothing wrong but doubtful they could fit everything into one bag.
Or the business person required to carry lots of literature or extra equipment as part of their work. A requirement they should not take lightly for the sake of their job.
And, in fact, many of us sworn one-bag travelers will occasionally take larger bags depending on the circumstance.
Light travel is a mind set. It’s the decision to take only what is absolutely necessary for your trip. It is taking ONE carry-on sized bag and, if necessary, a small personal item to carry the myriad of technology we have all learned to rely on.
It is not “how much can I cram into one carry-on sized bag,” but “how can I pack efficiently and effectively for the trip I’m taking.” It’s eliminating the “what if” mentality; what if I need this, what if I need that. Chances are, anything you need, you can buy at your destination. Take only the bare minimum of supplies and buy as you go along. Don’t take a different outfit for every day. Be willing to either launder or have your clothes laundered along the way.
To those who have never tried one bag travel….why not give it a shot. If it’s not for you, then at least you tried. No one will put you down for it. All we ask is you don’t put us down for preferring to travel light.
(Frank II)
December 1, 2010 The power of information (technology) keeps a mom from losing her baby’s food:
Iseri asked to see the TSA’s baby-food rules and also, where they got the authority to open her jars. An agent told her, “That’s not public information.”
She whipped out her iPad and pulled up the TSA site, which said,
[G]reater than 3 ounces of baby formula, breast milk, or juice are permitted through the security checkpoint in reasonable quantities for the duration of your itinerary. - Consumer Traveler
Frank@OBOW
TSA vs. another mom:
The latest case of TSA tyranny to hit the headlines comes in the form of a young mother who was subjected to enhanced groping and then shut inside a screening box for almost an hour by agents after she refused to allow them to put her breast milk through an x-ray device, a legitimate request that is even written into the TSA’s own guidelines. - Prison Planet
(Brad)
December 1, 2010 When I first read the headline and the ensuing article, I thought, geez, most of those flights are under one hour. Can’t these people go for one hour without the internet.
And then my internet went out. I was amazed at just how much I do online and how crippled I was without it. I couldn’t work, plan any trips, check my email, read the news, check my stocks, etc. How dependent I had become on this technology.
While I probably wouldn’t pay for wifi on a short flight, I’m glad it’s there if I want it.
(Frank II)
November 30, 2010 Co-Pilot moves seat sends jetliner plumetting
I really enjoyed the line: “the 25-year-old co-pilot had not been trained in the specific scenario the jet encountered and “probably had no clue to tackle this kind of emergency.”
Had not been trained? Most private pilots in the U.S. can get out of a dive let alone any commercially rated pilot. How bad is the training in India?
(Frank II)
November 29, 2010 Airlines have been selling tickets cheaply and then making a profit with all the add-ons.
A new budget hotel in London is doing the same: keeping its initial price low but charging for everything else—towels, TV, hair dryer, housekeeping, and more.
Is this the wave of the future?
(Frank II)
November 29, 2010 Just one week after former Mexicana Airlines flight attendants put out their own pinup calendar, we get this one from TSA. Unlike the others, you can see all the months right here:
(Frank II)
November 29, 2010 The following sounds wise to me. Unfortunately, the US majors on the cookie cutter.
“There has to be an element of not being sure what security you are being subjected to. Most attacks on aviation are well reconnaissanced and well planned. If you have a consistent security system around the globe it is quite easy to reconnoitre that and predict it.”
Mr Hutcheson was speaking ahead of a security conference by the International Civil Aviation Organisation, a UN body, in Geneva.
He has backed more sophisticated techniques including “behavioural detection” which has already been tested by BAA at its six airports: Heathrow, Stansted, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Stansted.
This has seen key BAA staff trained to look out for unusual behaviour by passengers while they are waiting for a flight in the airport terminal.
Mr Hutcheson wants airports to be given greater freedom to draw up their own security arrangements. - telegraph.co.uk
(Brad)
Frank@OBOW
November 26, 2010 The TSA Minitruth says it’s all good.
Frank@OBOW
Doc says scanners more dangerous than advertised.
November 26, 2010 With the classic British World War II poster slogan, newly relevant and topped with the OBOW logo instead of HRH’s crown:
Frank@OBOW
The above shirt is parked on Cafe Press. A similar line is available on Zazzle.com which offers a performance T-shirt which could be used as a quick-dry travel shirt. None of the Cafe Press stuff is quick-dry.
November 26, 2010 Whoopsies, indeed. The girlfriend (named Ashley, if you can believe it) of one of the Jonas brothers, like tells us what it’s like to like, try to get through airport security with like a huge knife and stuff in your carry-on:
“We were going from the Middle East to New York, so (there was) tons of security, tons of screenings,” Greene, 23, said on Lopez Tonight Tuesday. “We got through one, surprisingly enough.”
But by the time the couple reached the second checkpoint, airport security “looked at us with these stern faces like, ‘What’s in your bag?’” Greene said.
Greene said when she asked Jonas if he packed the knife set in his carry-on luggage, he replied, “Whoopsies!.”
“Whoopsies doesn’t cut it,” said Greene, who appeared in the movie “Twilight.” “We were going to be arrested.” - UPI
Jonas is supposedly an avid cook. I read somewhere it was a cheese knife.
November 25, 2010 Happy turkey day to all of our American friends. For those traveling this holiday weekend, we wish you easy and safe times.
For all of our non-American friends, sorry, just another work day. :)
(Frank II)