Business Travel Guys

Kiss My Zone 4

2009-08-27T18:12:00.000-04:00

First off, I know I should not check a bag. I am not a real business traveler. I get it. Now I feel cheated by US Airways.

I checked in online and was awarded Zone 3 for my time. However, I was not able to print, so when I got to the airport, I reprinted. Poof, I was sent to Zone 4. Plus I got to pay $20 to check my bag. The guy at the counter could not put me back in zone three. I am just out of luck. No customer service.

Hopefully when I get on I can buy some snacks and pay $7 for a blanket and eyemask. Can't wait to get back on a preferred airline of mine. Give me United or Delta any day.

Don't break your routine

2009-03-02T07:42:00.000-05:00

Rule number one, do not break your routine. All road warriors live by this rule. This morning I violated this rule and lost my drivers license. It was not a big break from my habit bit enough to cause a problem.

I folded my boarding pass a different way, not in thirds, which did not fit neatly in my pocket. This pushed my shirt pocket out and when I pulled out my vitamins my ID jumped. So I am eating breakfast and hear "Joseph Fisher please pick up the nearest page telephone." I grabbed my pocket and knew two things. I lost my ID and it had been found.

So, after posting this reminder, I will be folding the boarding pass back to a nice neat tri-fold.

This is Joe and that is the view from my seat.

Life of a Traveler

2009-02-09T07:39:00.000-05:00

So today I am off to Virginia and it is my birthday. While I could be crabby and complain about having to drag myself to the airport, today I am very happy. Facebook is raising my spirits today as lots of birthday wishes roll in.

Facebook can be a good tool while on the road. This is Joe and that is the view from my seat.

Thinking of Luggage

2009-01-27T20:58:00.001-05:00

An email from a viewer of the BTG Podcast reminded me that I still need to buy a piece of luggage. I still have packing tape holding my handle together. I really like this piece of luggage, so maybe I am in denial. The piece works for me. I know how to pack in it. Though according to Jason, I know how to over pack in it. There either needs to be a repair job in my future or a new piece of luggage.

I did some research and found a good post for luggage buying tips. I will keep you posted on my progress.

This is Joe and that is the view from my seat.

Cold and Unprepared

2009-01-16T13:58:00.002-05:00

Here is how my week went... COLD and not the right coat.

We're on iTunes!

2009-01-15T07:53:00.004-05:00

As you know, our popular video podcast is available on iTunes....how fun is it to search the iTunes store on your iPhone and find a picture of yourself? Pretty cool..

no lines at Starbucks

2009-01-12T12:00:00.000-05:00

Airside F at TIA is usually hopping. Perhaps it is the time of day, but right now the usual long line at the Starbucks is not there. In fact it is empty at the moment. Timing or economy?

Mobile Blogging from here.

Urinal Call

2009-01-11T13:01:00.000-05:00

You have to choose sides here. Is it acceptable to use the cell phone while using the urinal in an airport restroom?

I say NO! A call can wait three minutes while you pee, wash hands, and leave quietly. I have no interest listening to your call while I aim for the toilet mint. Please place the call on hold, call them back, and let me pee in peace.

This is Joe and that is the view from my seat.

Phoney Fuel on Hertz

2009-01-06T09:15:00.003-05:00

Hertz's practice of automatically charging a fuel charge if you drive less than 100 miles is deceptive. I bet many folks miss the charge. Shame on you Hertz.

blogging from my iPhone

2009-01-05T20:27:00.000-05:00

Mobile Blogging from here.

I am blogging for the first time from my iPhone and it seems to work pretty well. This will come in handy from the road..

FlyerTalk

2008-12-27T07:18:00.003-05:00

For those of you that are addicted to your frequent flyer programs there is a place for you to read some tips and hints from other flyers on those programs...It is a very well organized site, the way I like them (clean/simple) and right to the point - no fluff.

Continental

2008-08-22T22:53:00.004-04:00

I took Continental Airlines this week after a long break from them. I have to tell you, I was quite impressed. Their online auto-check in process was awesome for someone like me. I am never in a place where I can print out my boarding pass while traveling. What their system allows you to do is auto-check in at the first available time. It sends you your boarding pass right to the email of your choice or will even fax it to a # if required. With my iPhone able to open PDF files, I am able to actually have the boarding pass in my email and show the image at check in. I have even seen people put out their phones/blackberries to have the bar scan on the screen scanned as they are boarding...now, that is cool...

Traveling with the iPhone

2008-08-22T22:43:00.004-04:00

As 9 out of every 10 blogs these days has something to do with the iPhone, I thought I would share a few related iPhone travel items...

If you are a regular traveler and don't yet have an iPhone you are really missing out. Beside from the excellent ways to pass your time on a long flight (games, songs, movies, video podcasts, etc) there are some very cool travel related apps for download..

One iPhone app that I have really grown to love is Travelocity - a free download from the iTunes App Store, this tool allows you to shop for travel, look up flights and gates and several other things. I have been using it most for the flight times/statuses and verifying the gates.

Travel Tip on Planes

2008-07-28T13:32:00.001-04:00

Today I noticed several folks on my plane go into the bathroom without putting on their shoes. While I think it is appropriate to take your shoes off on a longer flight (as long as your feet, socks, and shoes don't stink), I think you should put your shoes back on before going to the restroom. This quick video addresses this issue.

American Samoa Update 072708

2008-07-28T13:29:00.001-04:00

The adventure begins again. It all starts again for the first time on the second trip. Is it deja vu all over again? This time I will be in American Samoa until late August with Michelle Lane. Carol Oros and Eva Adams are here for a little less time. Three weeks to finish getting the client up and running. A great accomplishment for the consultants on this project.

This trip I hope to provide more information, have more fun, and be more animated in my vlogs. Please visit often, comment a lot, and share the blog with your friends.

Today's vlog has rough audio. It was windy at the Honolulu airport so here are the highlights.

+ Planes were all on time.

- First plane (from Orlando to Salt Lake City) had a broken entertainment system

+ As a result, had a great nap

+ Michelle Lane has access to the Delta Crown Room (THANKS Michelle)

+ Had great seats on the way to Honolulu (Center Center, the best in a 2-2-2 configuration)

+ Saw two movies 21 and Fool's Gold

American Samoa Update 062008

2008-06-21T14:10:00.001-04:00

Friday was our last day on site for this visit to American Samoa CC. The big event was a live simulation type event with the client which went very well. However, this event was eclipsed by our favorite lunch spot opening up for dinner. The Koko Bean restaurant in the Laufou shopping center in the village of Nu'uuli has started opening for dinner on Tuesday through Saturday nights from 6 to 9pm. We went for the 'grand opening' and were not disappointed. The meal was the very close to the taste of home that we were all craving. I had shrimp scampi, Eva had spaghetti, Michelle had soup and cobb salad, and I can't remember what Carol had to eat. The dinner was good but the dessert made the evening. They had warm chocolate soufflé with ice cream and passion fruit pie. The chocolate soufflé was like the warm chocolate melting cake on Carnival Cruise lines. It was very very good. The dinner was a great way to cap the first visit. Sometimes while away on business you just want comfort food. Tonight was our comfort food.

We had a special guest show up at dinner, Debbie Downer. Carol channeled the spirit of Debbie Downer after we said something about our three-week visit at the end of July. She mentioned that that would be 20 dinners. Three weeks was manageable but the 20 dinners was a bit overwhelming. Thanks for the reminder Debbie, I mean Carol.

If you don't know who Debbie Downer is, watch this video.

Here is a video log of our last day on site.

American Samoa Update 061808

2008-06-19T02:59:00.002-04:00

Today was a good day of business with our client. We made great strides in all areas, Student, Financial Aid, and Business Office. Even though we are making progress we have only two days left with the client this visit. The pressure is on to get them to a good place to proceed without us until we return.

The video below is my group deciding on where to eat dinner tonight. Not exciting but at least it is not my talking head.

American Samoa Update for Tuesday

2008-06-18T13:08:00.002-04:00

Tuesday was better than our Monday. We all had a bad case of the Mondays. But we bounced back for the most part on Tuesday. My illness (upset tummy) was gone and I was feeling 90%. However, Carol picked something up and she was caught with the nausea. We are hoping she feels better on Wednesday. Tuesday highlights were a spa treatment for Michelle and one for me. I had an hour long massage for only $45. It was pretty good. Though I am not sure that it was as good as the one on the beach in Mexico last month. But it was good enough to schedule one on Sunday before my marathon flights back home.

Lessons learned... take care of yourself. Take your vitamins, your fiber supplements, your medications, and whatever else you need to take. Drink lots of good clean water.

Fiafia at the Tradewinds Hotel in American Samoa

2008-06-14T13:50:00.002-04:00

Friday night was the big fiafia at the Tradewinds hotel in American Samoa. Michelle and I decided that our little group would attend and we made the right decision. This event featured a nice American Samoa buffet and a dance troupe performed at the end of the evening. The buffet style dinner allowed you to try some traditional/local items while not offending or wasting a whole meal. I went out on a limb with some fried bread fruit chips. They were sort of like fried plantains but thinner. The pork was good as was the teriyaki meatballs. Michelle Lane reported that the salmon was good. The desserts were a bit of a let down but the banana bread with chocolate chips was very good. I think I had three pieces.

The great thing about this fiafia was that it was packed. Several people from the community were in attendance to celebrate father's day. So we were set up under a big tent poolside. It rained/poured a few times but luckily they knew who I was and put our table front and center of the tent. So we were not at risk for rain or getting too wet.

Joe Fisher, Carol Oros, and Michelle Lane at the first table before the Fiafia

Eva Adams waiting patiently at the first table before the Fiafia

More Pics of the Fiafia

American Samoa Update 061208

2008-06-13T13:07:00.001-04:00

Didn't Ernie and Bert sign a song called "Moving Right Along?" Well that is how I feel. Time with the client is flying by at Warp 10 (that is really fast for the non-trekkies). But time overall is slow. Two more co-workers arrive tonight (Thursday, 6/12). Carol and Eva will by hundreds of people. The plane's arrival is a big social event.

I feel pressure to get the job done. We have lots to do and want to do as much as possible while on the island.

Now for the daily dog count... Michelle and I saw 85 dogs today. That is not a mistake. For real, we saw 85 dogs! The mornings are slow for dog counting. I guess dogs are on island time and take it easy. But when we drove to dinner, WOW it was a cornucopia of canine. During the drive to and from dinner, we counted 44 dogs. Michelle and I each had a pack plus lots of individual dogs. As for the competition, I won again with a total daily count of 52 to 33. The researcher in me thinks because I am driving and focusing closer to the road. While Michelle is looking at the sites, signs, and other attractions. As I tell her, "Dogs are not going to be on the signs."

I gave the camera to Michelle before our ride to the college and told her to take pictures of dogs.

Here are the results.

Directions - A person at the college suggested that we try Tokyo Sushi for dinner. After I confirmed that they had more than sushi, I said sure. It was a new place after all. So she said it was downtown. That was it for directions. So Michelle and I asked at the front desk of the hotel. The look that the guy gave us is unmistakable but hard to describe. It is something like "you should know that" or "I really don't have the energy to explain how to get there. It is just to hard." Well we made him give us directions. They were like this...

Hotel - "Go to the main road and take a right."

Joe - "Same road as the college?"

Hotel - "Yes. Go right and stay on the main road until you get into town. You will pass the post office and Sadie's. Keep going and it is across the street."

The directions worked. But the island could do a lot to help visitors by putting up street signs and giving things street addresses.

Actual Dog Tally Sheet.

American Samoa Update 061108

2008-06-12T02:53:00.001-04:00

We continue to have a successful engagement with American Samoa Community College.

Enough about business, now for the fun stuff. Today we counted 49 dogs. I had 26 and Michelle counted 23. We started off slow this morning but made up for it on the way home from the client site. I guess the dogs were late risers, just like students.

Food update - We had our first bad meal here in American Samoa last night. We went to the L&L Hawaiian Barbecue place which is on the way to Carl's Junior and the Blue Sky store. We both had the same thing and it was bad. The chicken katsu, white/steamed rice, and macaroni salad all had no flavor. The barbecue sauce that they served with it was also kind of weird. I felt validated as well as I heard a local person say that her meal had no flavor either. To add insult to injury, this was the first restaurant that did not take credit cards.

On the upside, we returned to lunch for the second day in a row to the Kona Bean Cafe. This ice cream/coffee/lunch/breakfast place is very good. It is in the shopping center with Blue Sky and the all purpose store that we like (more on that later). In fact, three of the folks in our session today also went there for lunch today. I had a great turkey sandwich and Michelle had a good shrimp meal. This place will be a regular lunch stop. (The other reason we like this place is there is a chance to see a very ugly stray dog that hangs out in this parking lot. The dog has some long matted hair hanging from his tail, so it looks like had two tails. I think Michelle bought scissors to cut the matted hair off.)

If you want to listen to the rain and hear more, watch the vlog below...

American Samoa Update for 061008

2008-06-11T02:42:00.001-04:00

It was a successful day at the office in American Samoa. We (co-worker and I) started entering codes into the clients system.

As for non-work stuff, we started counting dogs, reviewed some restaurants, and finally got the cell phone situation all worked out. All this can be heard in the vlog below...

We also took random photos as we traveled to American Samoa Community College from the hotel. Michelle took the photos while I drove. This helped me get a lead in the dog counting game. Anyway, check out some of our pics of the drive.

American Samoa Tradwinds Pictures

2008-06-10T13:11:00.000-04:00

Here are some pics of the hotel I am staying at in American Samoa. They are of my room, the view from my room and around the hotel. I did not take pool pics as it was raining yesterday morning when I was clicking away.

The bed is very comfortable (firm yet refreshing). But the overall room is pretty simple. Bed, two small night stands, tv hanging in the corner (tv stations are very limited), table/desk, small fridge (I filled it with bottled water from Cost U Less, a love seat, and a chair. Bathroom is spacious as the sink is in the entry way of the room. Shower has decent pressure and it has hot water. The strange thing is that there is a half glass wall with no door and no curtain. So I think water gets on the floor a little bit.

More later.

-Samoan Joe

American Samoa Report 060908

2008-06-10T13:09:00.000-04:00

Well our first full day in American Samoa has drawn to a close. A few things stick out in my mind tonight and will discuss them in this entry. Lets talk about driving, dogs, downpours, and directions.

Directions: It is true that there are no street signs with any kind of name on them. So we had to find our own landmarks to drive to the client site. This morning, our 9:30am person did not show up for a while. Supposedly she drove by several times and somehow missed us. Though Michelle and I were sitting in the lobby with our Datatel nametags on since ten minutes until 9am. We got that worked out and made our way to campus once the guide showed up. However, we were disappointed to NOT find a purple fence. But we did find things like turn at the Goodyear sign or the Click It or Ticket sign. So directions can be challenging even though someone at the client site said, "It is American Samoa, you can't get lost." We shall see.

Downpours: Wow! When it decides to rain, it can pour. We saw some big rain today but have not seen any toads yet. The rain can be very brief and fast moving. So afterwards it is a bit muggy... just like home.

Dogs: The stray dogs are a truth. The game that Michelle and I decided to play is like the child's game "Punch Buggy." We holler out "DOG" when we see one and keep counts. We try to see who can find the most stray dogs whenever we are in the car. We are pretty close in numbers so far. Michelle may have pulled ahead with a full fledged pack under a pick up truck right before dinner.

Driving: Even though Michelle 'rented' the rental car, I have been driving Miss Daisy. We have a pretty new Kia that has less than 1000 miles on it. The guy almost did not want to rent it to us as it was new and clean. So for lunch we made our way to Rubble's. On the same road as the college but instead of turning left you turn right. If you get to Carl's Junior you have missed it. Good lunch at Rubble's (Michelle had fish & chips and I had a fish burger (swordfish)). On the way back to the school, an emergency vehicle was approaching from the rear. It is just a two lane road, so we assumed that I needed to get out of the way. I was concerned that the shoulder would be too soft. And I did not want to block a driveway. With my luck that would be where the emergency vehicle would want to turn in. So I put two wheels on the shoulder before the driveway to a parking lot. The vehicle passed and I slowly put my foot on the gas. Lots of spinning tires and lots of grass/dirt went flying. Once I got back on the road, I saw a nice trail (or rut) that I made. I also noticed lots of dirt all over the passengers side of the new/clean car. I am hoping that it rains hard enough to clean the car. If not they may want to talk to Michelle.

(I will post pictures of the car later. I left the camera in the car under the floor mat.)

Vlog # 1 American Samoa Trip

2008-06-09T13:01:00.004-04:00

Here is a vlog entry from my trip yesterday to the American Samoa. It took 24 hours to get here and we covered 7515 miles. The trip was only tollerable with business/first class tickets. A cool feature on Hawaiian Airlines is the personal entertainment devise that you can rent for $15. You can watch movies, tv shows, listen to music and other options. Pretty cool devise. More entries from American Samoa later. I am here until Sunday, June 22, 2008.