The Business Travel Web » changing reservations

A Quick, Last Minute Virginia Trip

Travel Blogger — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 00:25:51 +0000

Never a fan of last minute schedule changes, I just found out that I need to fly, lickety split, from Minnesota out to Virginia to take care of some new customers I recently procured there.

I’m trusting the Extended Stay Roanoke will have rooms for me. The last time I was in town (when I actually got these new clients) I stayed there and have to say it was a wonderful place to come back to every evening.

Since this quick trip is coming so last minute, I’ve decided to stay the weekend and much of next week. As such, I’ll need to find some things to do in between the meetings (read: hand holding!) I’ll be doing for the job.

Having been somewhat of a history buff for a while now, I think I may try and explore some of the interesting events that have been immortalized in the surrounding area.

One of the most intriguing attractions (to those of us that care about where we came from, of course!) is Roanoke Island. The attraction within the attraction I’m really excited to see is the Roanoke Adventure Museum, where among other things, they talk about the lost colony headed by Sir Walter Raleigh.

An entire colony just up and missing?! Yikes, I say. Sounds more like the plot of a B or C level movie now days, but it actually happened. I’ve read bits and pieces about this event in the past, but am very much looking forward to learning more at the museum.

Fortunately I packed a light, waterproof wind breaker so the high clouds and light showers in their forecast shouldn’t be much of a challenge for me.

Always the adventurer, I’m able to take these scheduling changes and make the most of them. I know I’ve said it before (and if your read these post things I write long enough, I’ll say it again ) one of the main reasons I opted in to a national sales job had to do with being able to boldly go and seek out new places and people. This really is a great country filled with wonderful people and rich, solid history.

Hope to see you out here one day!

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How to be Treated Humanely by Airport Security

Travel Blogger — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 15:29:38 +0000

photo credit: GodzillaRockit

So, my flight from Seattle’s SeaTAC airport was delayed. Still no Kindle but I did have a half finished paperback in my carry on that I was able to pass the time with. In fact, I took a break from reading to check email and thought I’d mess around typing a post for the blog.

When I know that I have at least an hour before I need to gather my belongings and move, I tend to be more amenable to whipping out the laptop and cranking it up. Anything shorter, however and it is almost always easier to just use the Storm to check emails, or jot down quick notes to be dealt with later.

I’m off to the Dallas Fort Worth area this afternoon. Oh, I should probably call the Comfort Suites DFW airport hotel where I’m staying and let them know the airline is going to cause me to check in much later than I thought. Ugh, what a hassle.

Actually, turns out that was no hassle at all. The very nice person I talked with on the phone indicated they would hold my room without a worry on my part. They were even nice enough to let me know I didn’t need to call. I could tell they appreciated hearing from me, though.

Finding good customer service is such a rare thing nowadays. It seems more and more, companies only care about taking your money, and sending you on your way. Well, obviously not all companies. There are some that still value you as a customer and treat you well.

Now if I could just figure out how to get by airport security and still feel like a human being when it is all done. That would be a great feat, indeed!

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The Joys of Changing Travel Plans

Travel Blogger — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:45:16 +0000

Just before boarding my flight to NYC this morning, I received a message on my Blackberry Storm from my sales supervisor that I would only be staying in New York for a day and would have to reschedule my plans to insert a new destination to my schedule.

Generally speaking it’s really a pain to have to make changes when you are out on the road. Anyone that has had to do this more than once will likely agree with me.

Since the plane was delayed about 45 minutes on the tarmac (remind me to share my “lovely” thoughts on this phenomenon another time!) I decided to crank up the web browser on the Storm and see if I could find some business hotels for the new stops on my itinerary.

If you are fortunate enough to have a company that will pay for your smart phone and give you a data plan (which I use to connect to my laptop via Bluetooth) then you can make these sort of searches quickly, and usually rather painlessly. In the past, it meant getting on the phone and spending hours sometimes just getting new flight times, and booking hotels (if you found the availability.)

My advice for being ready for the inevitable? Know how to use your mobile communications devices. By spending personal time really diving deep into my Storm, setting up the data connection to my laptop, etc., I am able to adjust to change much better today than when I started business travel over 12 years ago.

Do you have any interesting anecdotes about having to change directions mid-stream? I’d love to hear about them!

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