Comments on: Travel Tips http://www.marcresearch.com/blogs/merrill/2006/12/20/travel-tips/ The thoughts and experiences of Merrill Dubrow Tue, 06 Jan 2009 10:54:14 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.1 By: Ed Sugar http://www.marcresearch.com/blogs/merrill/2006/12/20/travel-tips/#comment-799 Ed Sugar Thu, 21 Dec 2006 16:28:42 +0000 http://www.marcresearch.com/blogs/merrill/2006/12/20/travel-tips/#comment-799 For me, there are five essential items for travel: 1. Club/Lounge Membership - one of the benefits of being loyal to a legacy carrier is access to their clubs and lounges. They provide a comfortable space to relax and do work while waiting for a flight. Most have ticket agents, who come in handy for tracking and re-booking flights. Often before I head to the gate, I will check at the desk to make sure all the crew members have checked in and the flight is on time. Remeber once you board a plane, you cannot get off. It is best to know of any flight irregularies before boarding, thus allowing yourself access to other flight options.   2. Reading Material - For trips that require more than 2 hours of flying I make sure I stock up on reading material. Outbound flights I concentrate on magazines, newsletters, memos, newspapers; basically any thing that can be thrown away once I have finished reading it. The return flight is devoted to a big, thick book. Nothing like a 5 hour flight to get you deeply involved in a good book.   3. Music - I love my MP3 player and it goes everywhere with me. A cross country business trip means that I can catch up with 10 to 12 new CDs. Waiting in line or for my luggage is a pain, but the edge can be taken off when listening to my favorite Stones, Stranglers or Dr. Feelgood song.   4. Head phones/earplugs - Noise reduction headphones are a must. You can spend the big bucks on a pair of Bose or go to Target and snag a pair for as low as $39. Nothing is more effective than wearing a set of headphones to disarm that gabby person sitting next to you. If you do not like music, then always bring a pair of ear plugs on board. Most airlines offer you the opportunity to select an aisle or window seat, but there is no way to avoid sitting near a screaming child (or worse, an adult).   5. Drugs - I always make sure I carry plenty of Ibuprofen. Airlines by law cannot distribute aspirin, Ibuprofen or Tylenol. So if you are on 5 hour flight and after the first 30 minutes, you have a splitting headache, you are at the mercy of your fellow travelers. I also travel with two doctor prescribed drugs; Valium and Ambien. The Valuim is good to take off the edge when I am on a long flight and feel restless and antsy. A sleep aid like Ambien is great for oversea travel or can help one adjust to the changes in time zones and jet lag. For me, there are five essential items for travel:
1. Club/Lounge Membership - one of the benefits of being loyal to a legacy carrier is access to their clubs and lounges. They provide a comfortable space to relax and do work while waiting for a flight. Most have ticket agents, who come in handy for tracking and re-booking flights. Often before I head to the gate, I will check at the desk to make sure all the crew members have checked in and the flight is on time. Remeber once you board a plane, you cannot get off. It is best to know of any flight irregularies before boarding, thus allowing yourself access to other flight options.
 
2. Reading Material - For trips that require more than 2 hours of flying I make sure I stock up on reading material. Outbound flights I concentrate on magazines, newsletters, memos, newspapers; basically any thing that can be thrown away once I have finished reading it. The return flight is devoted to a big, thick book. Nothing like a 5 hour flight to get you deeply involved in a good book.
 
3. Music - I love my MP3 player and it goes everywhere with me. A cross country business trip means that I can catch up with 10 to 12 new CDs. Waiting in line or for my luggage is a pain, but the edge can be taken off when listening to my favorite Stones, Stranglers or Dr. Feelgood song.
 
4. Head phones/earplugs - Noise reduction headphones are a must. You can spend the big bucks on a pair of Bose or go to Target and snag a pair for as low as $39. Nothing is more effective than wearing a set of headphones to disarm that gabby person sitting next to you. If you do not like music, then always bring a pair of ear plugs on board. Most airlines offer you the opportunity to select an aisle or window seat, but there is no way to avoid sitting near a screaming child (or worse, an adult).
 
5. Drugs - I always make sure I carry plenty of Ibuprofen. Airlines by law cannot distribute aspirin, Ibuprofen or Tylenol. So if you are on 5 hour flight and after the first 30 minutes, you have a splitting headache, you are at the mercy of your fellow travelers. I also travel with two doctor prescribed drugs; Valium and Ambien. The Valuim is good to take off the edge when I am on a long flight and feel restless and antsy. A sleep aid like Ambien is great for oversea travel or can help one adjust to the changes in time zones and jet lag.

]]> By: kath http://www.marcresearch.com/blogs/merrill/2006/12/20/travel-tips/#comment-789 kath Wed, 20 Dec 2006 21:36:15 +0000 http://www.marcresearch.com/blogs/merrill/2006/12/20/travel-tips/#comment-789 And don't forget your sense of humor. -kath And don’t forget your sense of humor.
-kath

]]> By: Kimberly White http://www.marcresearch.com/blogs/merrill/2006/12/20/travel-tips/#comment-782 Kimberly White Wed, 20 Dec 2006 17:11:12 +0000 http://www.marcresearch.com/blogs/merrill/2006/12/20/travel-tips/#comment-782 I have 2 tips to add on to your list Merrill. One is to invest in a IGO Juice charger which can be purchased at Radio Shack! It allows you to charge multiple products at the same time while using only one power source (I.e. your Ipod & your computer or your blackberry & your computer). If you buy the right one, you can changed these things EVERYWHERE; on a plane, in your car and at home or in your hotel room. It’s great! It’s much lighter than carrying all of the chargers for all of those products. Here’s he link to the IGO website http://www.igo.com/searchresults.asp?search_id=4 but I would recommend that you bring your lap top into Radio Shack so that you can pick the tip that fits into your laptop. While at Radio Shack, I would also recommend that you double check that it actually works with your computer. Mine works great with my IBM Thinkpad T60. As for my other advise, this is for all of the women checking out your blog, remember to take off all of your jewelry before going through the metal detector at the airport unless you want to be frisked by one of the TSA Agents when the buzzer goes off. The only jewelry that doesn't apply is yellow or white gold. Happy Travels! I have 2 tips to add on to your list Merrill. One is to invest in a IGO Juice charger which can be purchased at Radio Shack! It allows you to charge multiple products at the same time while using only one power source (I.e. your Ipod & your computer or your blackberry & your computer). If you buy the right one, you can changed these things EVERYWHERE; on a plane, in your car and at home or in your hotel room. It’s great! It’s much lighter than carrying all of the chargers for all of those products.

Here’s he link to the IGO website http://www.igo.com/searchresults.asp?search_id=4 but I would recommend that you bring your lap top into Radio Shack so that you can pick the tip that fits into your laptop. While at Radio Shack, I would also recommend that you double check that it actually works with your computer. Mine works great with my IBM Thinkpad T60.

As for my other advise, this is for all of the women checking out your blog, remember to take off all of your jewelry before going through the metal detector at the airport unless you want to be frisked by one of the TSA Agents when the buzzer goes off. The only jewelry that doesn’t apply is yellow or white gold.

Happy Travels!

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