Being Productive While Flying

I spend a lot of time on airplanes. I love flying. I get to go to a new place (sometimes) and just relax and enjoy the ride. After a while though I get bored. This is when I try to do something productive with the free time in the air.

Here is my list of things one can do:

• Respond to emails and send if the flight has WiFi. I save drafts if not and send when on the ground later.
• Organize my expenses. I have tons of receipts to get reimbursed for. May as well get a head start!
• Read about my destination. Using either a guidebook, print outs, or WiFi if available
• Update to do lists
• Write in a journal. I like to do this when coming back from an international trip.
• Talk to others. You never know who you are sitting next too. Network with them!
• Organize files on my computer. They seem to get in a mess quickly!
• Sleep: If I can. Sleeping while in motion is very efficient!

I also write posts for here when in the air if I have time. I always seems to fall behind and then have a post-a-thon to catch up. I wish I could write everyday but there are simply not enough hours. I also have to be in the right mindset which is not always the case after a 12 hour day of work travel. 

5 days to go!

I have 5 working days left before I depart for my long journey to Thailand via Frankfurt, Germany and Seoul, South Korea. This includes a day in Frankfurt and afternoon in Seoul. It will be a long haul but I am in First and Business class the entire way for roughly $50 out of pocket. Not bad!

During my stopovers I am going to the First Class Lounge in Frankfurt and then doing a free tour in Seoul and probably stop off at the airport spa for the hot tubs and a rest before flying onto Thailand. I am quite excited to be flying Lufthansa's International First Class and Asiana's business class products. They get great reviews!

I am spending this week doing all of my travel preparations and of course packing and getting supplies. Today is also Halloween so I have to participate in the fun too before I go!

I can't wait until Saturday. I am ready for the trip and for the beach most importantly!

Flooding in Thailand!: Last minute travel changes

The flooding in Thailand has caused some ground travel disruptions. Trains from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, ones I intended to take, are suspended. After I found this out I needed a plan B. In this case it means flying to Chiang Mai and back. More money. Ugh!

As luck would have it I found reasonable flights for the times/dates that I wanted. I booked them using my no foreign transaction fee card. It costs roughly $45 each way which is a very good deal compared to US Domestic flights. They are low cost airlines with fees for everything but $45 all in is still great. The flights are short at around 1 hour.

I was looking forward to taking night trains there and back as it would save money and hotel costs. In the end I will still get there and have a blast. I hope the flooding subsides by the time I get there and doesn't become more of an issue. Rainy season in Thailand should be winding down no so hopefully it will help out the situation

Global Entry: Approved!

Just got an email saying that I am approved and can go for my interview. I was expecting it to take a few weeks but it came through fast!

I am excited as I can skip the immigration lines when coming back from my vacations abroad. Nothing is worse to me than coming off of 24+ hours of flying and having to stand in a long line. It ended up costing me $0 thanks to my Platinum AMEX.

Mass Transit: A Better Way of Life

Today was my first day at work in our new office. I am already happier with the new setting with nicer things all around.

I took the train to get to work and I must admit I much prefer it to driving. While it is nice to have my car sometimes I like not dealing with traffic and being able to do whatever I want during my commute. I just wish the Atlanta train system was more reliable and extensive.

It actually takes me a little longer to get to work but it is also further than my old office from my house. It will take some adjustment but I will learn all of the little tricks to make it easier. The last time I regularly used the train was back in college and it saved me a lot of money and time. It appears this will be the case once again.

As an added bonus I also get to walk 1 mile per day. I could change trains and go directly to my building but the time to transfer and the long escalator make it a wash. I decided that I may as well get some exercise if the weather is good and hopefully drop a couple pounds while I am at it. I have options!

At the same time I also had a job responsibility shift so now I will get to travel more. I am excited about this as I like my road time. Keeps things different and interesting and I am doing work that interests me more. And to boot I get to earn a lot more miles!

It is yet to be seen how much my commuting costs will drop as a result of using the trains. The company will reimburse half the cost of the train pass and I will certainly spend a lot less on gas and car maintenance. It will take a couple months to see the real results!

Saving and Going Green: My Office is Moving

I spent most of today working on packing and tearing down shelves in my office at work. We are moving from a warehouse-style building to a high rise in downtown Atlanta. By doing so we are getting a much nicer office space, a lot of food options in the building, a better neighborhood, and best of all I can take mass transit to and from work!

This will prove to save a lot of money for me since the company will pay for my transit card. Not only will I have unlimited access to the MARTA system but I will also not be spending $4 per gallon on gas for my car (plus wear and tear). I also don't have to worry about paying for parking downtown. This will add at least another $100 per month to my budget. I look forward to banking that money!

It is going to be a lot of work to get us moved in 3 weeks and still operate a company. It is well worth it since the train station is IN our building! It will take me roughly 15-20 minutes by train to get to work and I get to play on my iPhone while I wait. I am excited! An added bonus is that is helps the environment a little too.

2011: The year of miles and points!

This year I am going to work on accumulating tons of frequent flier miles, hotel points, and other rewards points I can use for travel. I will be getting all of the credit card and debit car bonuses that are worth it to me, with as many airlines as I can, so I can continue to see the world on someone else's dime!

Last year I grabbed some great bonuses for Continental Airlines since they will soon merge with United. Once that happens I can do the same with United offers and double up! I am also looking out for bonuses for Delta (my current primary airline) and any others that can get me to Asia. Using miles to travel saves me thousands in airfare each year. Even if I have to pay a couple of annual fees for the cards it works out much cheaper over the long haul.

The award programs can be complicated and have funky rules but that is part of the game. You learn all the tricks to get the most out of your points and make them go as far as possible. There are tons of great forums and websites of other people doing the same thing. Luckily I am good with small details and have used that to my advantage over the years.

On my way to Asia!!! (ATL - YYZ - ICN - PNH)

Tonight I fly into Toronto and onward to Seoul, South Korea. I will spend the day in Seoul seeking out wonderful street food and checking out a couple sites before flying into Phnom Penh that night.

I am excited about this much needed, month long vacation in an area of the world that I love. I am looking forward to $5 guest houses, the beach, cold beer, and good times.

Cheers!

Tickets to Asia booked!

I now have my tickets to Asia at the Skymiles "price" that I wanted. It took a lot of patience and research on my end but I made it happen. I will be spending almost the entire month of November in Cambodia exploring what it has to offer. I am very excited!

I got my ticket for 60,000 Delta Skymiles (the lowest level). I am flying a crazy route each way but I am a travel geek and all the stopovers are fun to me!

Here is my itinerary:

Outbound:

Atlanta - Toronto, Canada - Seoul, South Korea (16 hour layover) - Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Return:

Phnom Penh, Cambodia - Guangzhou, China (9 hour layover) - Los Angeles (red eye) - Atlanta

I am flying on a total of 3 airlines: Delta, Korean Air, & China Southern Airways to make this happen. I am still happy with this as flying on a paid ticket is around $1300 round trip. I am only paying $165 in taxes. Awesome!

I am also excited about new stamps in my passport, great food, the beach, and $4.00 hotel rooms in Asia. I have a budget of $500 for the month which should be ample over there. I am spending a month overseas for under $700! How's that for a frugal vacation?!

How public transit can save us money

I live in Atlanta. I admit that the public transportation system here is dismal at best. That said it does have some limited uses and if the money makes sense I will use it if I can. The problem is poor, infrequent bus service combined with a small, inadequate rail system. It is difficult and time consuming to use it as your only mode of transport. Sometimes it makes sense, though.

Example: I am going to a concert on Thursday night. It is in downtown and the parking lots jack their rates up to $20-30 because of events. The venue is accessible by the train system. I decided that parking my car for free at the train station and paying $4 round trip was much better.

You also have to consider the hidden savings by doing this. I used less gas. I put less mileage on my car which means less worn tires and breaks and I will not need to change the oil as soon. I also had to walk a few blocks from the station to the venue so a very small health benefit of extra exercise could technically be added in.

The point is that if your city has transit options and you own a car you can still come out ahead by using it from time to time. I also find that public transit can be good people watching sometimes. You could also catch up on some reading while en route. Research your local system and see if it would be beneficial to you!