Traveling on a regular basis for work is an often a grueling and tiresome job or it can be stress free…enjoyable…ending in a sense of satisfaction. There are times when traveling becomes a lonesome job….I feel it most when I’m on the road for an extended number of days…not returning home for a quick change of clothes and a good night’s sleep in my own bed (which always makes me feel like a new woman!). If I leave the US and go where I don’t speak the language…by my little sel

Being a weekly traveler has made me a very efficient packer. I do not like to travel with a good deal of luggage so I take just enough…(now this is for business travel of course) All bets are off when traveling for fun…as a girl has to have options…right? Last week, I discovered that options on a business trip were necessary as well. It was late when I arrive at my hotel…so I was My thought at the time…though not necessarily wise was to put on some clothes…now you remember I

Friends come in all shapes and sizes….male and female Friends come from school…elementary, middle, high and higher ed Friends come from work, organizations, parties…whichever you choose…political or fun So what is a friend to you? I looked up the word friend in the Urban dictionary which gave an assortment of amusing and interesting definitions. http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=friend I’m sure the definition of a friend varies from person to person depending on

In all my years of travel, I have never seen anyone give themselves a face massage as we prepared to land. I was fascinated as I watch a man go thru a series of movements on his face…not once, but twice! I would have taken a video…but I was following instructions and had my iPhone turned off! I wondered if it made a difference…he looked older than me…but had fewer wrinkles…or maybe he has been doing this on all of his flights! See I know he flies alot as he was in first class

Last night, I got out my trusty computer and looked up vegetable and dessert recipes…yin and yang. I am more of a yang person myself, but we all know you don’t get dessert unless you eat your vegetables! Do you ever get into a holiday frenzy? My children would say that I do…they tell me to slow down…calm down…sit down so I don’t have a melt down! ….apparently I may not be as calm as I thought. So why all the frenzy…the dinner is always on the table….adult beverages are availa

Traveling is fun when going to a big city and you know there are terrific restaurant…when you are traveling to a small mining town….one might be skeptical as to having a meal that isn’t fast food! This week I was in Bridgeport, WV and had two delicious dinners that are worth talking about. The best people to ask about where to eat are those who live in the town….Oliverio’s Italian Ristorante is a family owned business that was recommended by a colleague who had been in Bridge

Monday I flew into Wisconsin and drove an hour north to a small town. The hotel selection was limited, but the room was clean and fine for an overnight stay. As I got dressed the next day, I realized that I needed to press my pants…I opened the closet to pull out the ironing board and noticed that it was rather heavy as I lifted it off the hook…peering down the board I noticed that the iron was bolted to the ironing board! Really??? As I heaved it up, sure enough the iron was

Have you ever noticed that when you travel giving attention to details is really important? Even as a seasoned traveller, I sometimes forget to give attention to details and I get a wake up call to focus! Example 2: If working in a small town… I need to know which airport is closest to my destination. It often mean the difference in driving 30 to 60 minutes more to my destination. Example 3: When flying into small airports it is important to know their flight schedules as sma

You may have heard about it, you may have seen it, but have you actually been in it? Today, I was in the Indianapolis airport going through security and instead of going thru the metal detector, I was selected to step into a security structure that I thought was the air puffer (air blows over your body). I was directed into the machine by a female TSA and told to stand on two green foot prints and position my arms over my head and then rotate to another pair of yellow foot pr

I am an early riser…I usually exercise first thing in the morning…yesterday was no different. It was my last day of travel and I needed to get my suitcase packed…expense report completed…and check my email before I left the hotel. I was dressed and working when all of the sudden the hotel fire alarm went off. The buzzing was long and continuous…as I walked down the hallway noticing all hallways doors were now closed…I viewed out the window, but didn’t see any smoke….all I cou

Have you ever had one of those days….when you make more wrong turns than right? Some people feel A snow storm was coming and I was trying to get home for my flight out of Nashville the next morning! As I calculated the miles per hour, I could see the distinct probability of not making the flight….when you have a situation like this what do you do? Let it go and just let the chips fall where they may…not me! I immediately said a prayer and began to figure out how I could possi

As I sit on a plane, I am poised with anticipation of who will reside in the seat next to me. Sometimes the row has three seats and I have high hopes of an empty seat in the middle. Visions of who will arrive race thru my mind! Naturally, my preference would be male, handsome and single…but I don’t always get what I want. Ask anyone you know about their seating experiences and you will probably get an earful. The conversation might go like some of my stories…I once had someon

On almost every flight I take there is always one or more people who fail to follow this request? I have wondered what makes them think the request doesn’t apply to them. Do they feel that they are more important? Many of us have pressing calls and manage to shut down. I once sat next to a man (non-American)who talked on his phone as the plane took off!    Something that made me very nervous. Were these people line breakers when they were in school or are they so arrogant tha

Once the announcement gave the go ahead to use electronics I  got setup…and connected…all is right in the world…. All of the sudden… I am about to eat my monitor! Some man in front of me has decided to take a siesta! He has reclined where no man should recline! This might not matter to some…just those trying to work, a claustrophobic, or anyone needing to use the restroom …I pulled back as far as possible trying work with a partially closed laptop. I had a thought…go to the r

Reality set in yesterday when much to my chagrin I had to board a plane for a long day of travel. Have you ever had a day when everything felt out of sync…nothing seemed to jive? Well, that was my day yesterday. In the morning, I rushed around getting everything done on my To Do list…Complete calls, put stamps on Christmas cards, pay bills, take out garbage, turn up the thermostat, turn on the dishwasher…scarf down some grilled chicken and get out the door….10 minutes behind