Taking the Hassle Out of Renting a Car

When traveling for business there are many options on how to reach your destination. Now that you have reached your destination, how are you planning on getting around? If you are traveling to a conference, there might not be a need to travel outside of the hotel where the conference is being held. If your business takes you to a large city (i.e. San Francisco, New York, Boston, Chicago) you can always utilize their public transportation, for a nominal fee. Usually the city will offer day, week, or moth passes. 

Now if your business travel takes you to a place where there is no public transportation, or in a place where the public transportation would not be beneficial; the only other option would be to rent a car.  When renting a car there are two different options: pick the car up at the airport, or take a van and pick a car up at a rental agency a few miles from the airport.  Following are some hints and tips when it comes to renting a car.

• Do research car rental companies- rates, policies, hours of operation, and return policies

• Do reserve a car- specify length of trip, how many people will be driving, and what kind of car you'll need

• Do call a week in advance to confirm your reservation

• Do check online for discounts and last minuet rates

• Do double check your rental car for any dents and dings so the company does not charge you

• Do familiarize yourself with the car before leaving

• Don't prepay for gasoline- car rental companies tend to charge$2-$5 more per gallon

• Don't be late picking up or dropping off the rental car

Train, Plane or Bus

With the ever rising fuel costs and the new airline fees that seem to be popping up everyday travelers, especially frequent travelers, have been feeling the burden, mostly in their wallets. There are other options when it comes to traveling. Once could either take a train, or a bus. 

Now obviously your chosen method of transportation would be dependent on how far you have to travel to get to your destination. If you are in the Northeast and need to travel from New York to Boston, or even Boston to Washington D.C., a viable form of transportation would be train. Trains, unlike airplanes, are easier to board since one does not have to go through a screening process or worry wether or not your luggage weighs too much. Another bonus when traveling by train is that you get the chance to enjoy the scenery. 

Now taking a bus can also be another form of transportation that one can utilize. Unlike trains, the seats on buses are smaller, and similar to planes there is never enough leg room. When riding a bus you also get the opportunity to observe the landscape. In both cases, taking either a train or a bus can be far less expensive than taking a plane. 

United No Longer to Charge for Meals on Flights to Europe

According to USA Today, United will not be charging extra for meals on flights going to Europe. This change came when United  received negative feedback from their passengers (what a shock!). Most airlines have removed the option of food on domestic flights; while for international flights, food is still available. 

With the recent rise in oil and fuel prices, many airlines have started to remove some amenities and have started to charge for certain items.  Although, it has been a while since meals were offered on domestic flights, meals are still being offered on long flights, usually those that are going over an ocean. Even though some people tend to compare airplane food to hospital food, one still enjoys receiving a hot meal. As well as filling up your stomach at 35,000 feet in the air, this leaves more room in your carry-on (since snacks will not have to be packed) for more important items. 

So what is your opinion on this? Do you think that food should be offered on long flights and not on shorter domestic flights?

Plan On Going to Vancouver in 2010?

With the Beijing Olympics officially over, people are looking forward to the next Olympic event: Vancouver 2010. Some of you may want to try and make it to these events. If you are one of these people, you may want to book your travel arrangements as soon as possible. 

Tickets for the XXI Winter Olympic games will be going on sale on October 3, 2008, in a ticket request lottery. If you are interested in going to the Olympics, your best bet is to purchase your tickets either from Jet Set Sports or CoSport. You might also be able to find some good packages from Sports Traveler. 

Now there are several options regarding how to get to Vancouver. The easiest way would probably be to fly into Vancouver; but make sure to book early. You could also fly into Seattle, WA and then drive the four hours into Vancouver, but then you would have to worry about parking. If you fly into Seattle, you could also take the train to Vancouver, this way you wouldn't have to worry about parking. Whichever way you decided to get into Canada, make sure you have a Passport. 

Air Canada To Remove Life Vests

In another effort to cut back costs on airlines, Air Canada Jazz has decided to remove life vests from their flights. Jazz hopes that by doing so, the airplanes will weigh less thus use less fuel. The seats on Jazz airlines can still be used as a flotation device in the case of a water landing; but there will no longer be any vests. 

According to Transport Canada regulations, any flight that is traveling roughly 56 miles from shore needs to carry a life preserver for each person on board, but anything less than that, the airlines have an option of life vests or flotation devices.  In order to make sure their flights were within the required distance, Jazz has re-routed some flights. 

The question now becomes how much further are airlines going to go to cut costs? Charging for a blanket and headphones is one thing, but removing life vests is a safety issue. Is that what the airline companies are getting to today, we'll charge you extra to be comfortable, but we really do not care much about your safety. What's next, will airlines remove the oxygen masks and fire extinguishers too?

American Now Offers Mid-Flight Wi-Fi Access

Since Delta is now offering Wi-Fi during their flights, other airlines have begun to follow suit. JetBlue is testing their in-flight Wi-Fi and Alaska Air has installed Wi-Fi on their flights. Now, American is planning on offering Wi-Fi to their passengers on longer non-stop flights. Just like Delta, American plans on charging $12.95 per passenger, per flight for access to the internet. Currently, American is offering the Wi-Fi service on flights that are flying between New York and Los Angeles and San Fransisco and Miami. 

Now the question becomes will the airlines ban certain sites from being accessed? This would be a good idea since an airplane is a public space, where adult content should not be viewed. Also the concern about confidential e-mails being sent and received while 35,000 feet in the air.  The answer to this could simply be, wait until you land to deal with the confidential information, but if that does not work, then just make sure there are not prying eyes or ears nearby.  

Another Night, Another Hotel...

One of the many facets of business travel, is having to stay in hotels; wether your stay is only for a night, or for an extended period of time it can add additional stressor to your trip. The following are some tips that could help make your stay at a hotel more relaxing. 

• When registering into a hotel, ask for a room that has a window that can be opened fresh air can do wonders

• Try to get a room that is away from ice machines and elevators

• When in a foreign country, do not exchange your money in the hotel lobby. They will most likely give you the wrong exchange rate and will probably charge a commission.

• Make sure you utilize the "Do Not Disturb" sign. The cleaning maids will not wake you up, and you'll be able to have a more restful sleep.
  

• When you first get into the hotel room, make sure to adjust the temperature to your desired level

• Make sure you bring your ear plugs

• When on a business trip make sure to take some time to yourself so you can relax either by laying in bed for an extra hour or by going to the hotel's gym or pool.

• When leaving, make sure to do a double take and check over the hotel room. Nothing is worse than when you get to the airport or home and you realize that you've left your phone or charger at the hotel

These are just a few of the ways one can make their next hotel stay more enjoyable. So hopefully, the next time you have to stay in a hotel, it wont be too stressful.