I recently saw an advertisement for a hotel company saying, “Work hard. Play harder” on your next business trip. It went on to explain that when traveling for business, there’s no better place to bring your passion for work and get a chance to take a break from it all.

But how often do we really do that? When I travel, I usually find myself working more hours each day than I do when I’m at home. But I have learned that it’s important to find the time to do your own thing while you’re on the road instead of working all waking hours.

After all, traveling for business does not mean you cannot have a life. My (admittedly contradictory) recommendations are to Plan ahead, AND be spontaneous.

Plan ahead and schedule an event that includes others. I have reached out to old friends that I have reconnected with on social networking sites such as Facebook, and distant acquaintances that I have done business with but never met face-to-face. Often, as locals, they let me select the meeting location. More than once I have been told that I picked a place they never would have chosen on their own and how much they enjoyed the event. I use www.opentable.com when looking for restaurant meeting places.

Be spontaneous and allow yourself time away from work to do something you normally would not do at home. Some ideas I have tried are:
• Take a cooking class where you work with a local chef to prepare your meal: www.localcookingclass.com

• Schedule an early morning or evening spa service. Many hotels have spas within the facility, or use a service like: www.spafinder.com
• Attend a theatre production, sporting event or concert. I use hottix.com for last minute discounted theatre tickets.
Remember, work does not magically go away when you travel. But you can always try to find a balance between work and ‘me’ time when on the road.

Safe travels – and good luck incorporating your “me” time!

Kindall

 Anyone who knows me knows that I love maps, and that I use them as artwork to decorate my cubicle at work and my living room at home. It’s a little ironic, because I am not particularly good at geography. The real reason? I love to stare at maps and dream about where I would go next. My travel experience is limited, so my full bucket list is rather long. Here are my current top four dream destinations:

• Italy: Per my previous post, you all know by now that I was born and raised in Argentina. However, you’d find it interesting to know that whenever I am hanging out with my family and we’re speaking in Spanish, people think it’s Italian. Why? Well, Argentina has a very strong Italian influence — we speak passionately and we use our hands. We have also absorbed much of the Italian culture (such as their diet, much to my happiness), and other traditions. I’d love to go to Italy and get to know their land, their people and their culture better. It seems like it would be such a diverse country as well, in terms of cities to visit: Milan, Rome, Venice, Sicily, Carrara, Sardinia. There would be so much to see! And it would definitely help me better understand a lot about the very culture I grew up in.
• Hawaii: Who doesn’t have Hawaii on their list of dream destinations? Have I been in Minnesota too long? As we approach the winter months, I keep having this daydream of going somewhere tropical, where there is no snow and no cold weather! I guess Florida would also be a good destination for those purposes…but Hawaii is, quite possibly, the ultimate tropical destination (or so I hear).
• Greece:  The birthplace of Western civilization. This is where sports, literature, philosophy, math, theater and democracy first came into existence. It would be inspiring and exciting to visit the place where life-as-we-know-it first came into being. The beautiful seaside, interesting people, and delicious food would not hurt either. Athens and Santorini would be the first two places I’d visit.
• Australia: Australia wasn’t in my list of countries to visit, until one of my coworkers came back from traveling there and showed me some of the pictures of the places he’d visited . That’s really all it took to  make me add this to my bucket list. Where to start? There is so much to see in Australia – experiencing the Australian outback, visiting Sydney, and hanging out at the beach in Perth. What’s not to love about this place?

 

Again, these destinations are only the beginning of my bucket list. The world is so big and I can’t wait to see more of it! What are your dream destinations? Where would you go next if you had the money and an extra week of vacation?

I’m a believer that travel (especially personal travel) is an opportunity for new experiences: new cultures, new friends, and new food. In other words, travel is an adventure into the unknown for many of us. Admittedly, there is another type of travel: the family visit, the relaxing week at a favorite beach, but that’s not what I’m talking about here. I’m talking about my travel bucket list! I’ve been lucky enough to travel many places, but when I really think about it, I’ve only scratched the surface of possibilities. It was a fun exercise to pretend I have the time and money to travel (in style) wherever I want in the world. And here it is!

• Sydney, Australia: When I was in grade school, I joined an international pen pal association, and was lucky enough to be assigned a girl in Melbourne, Australia. I’ll never forget the descriptions of Australia I received on a regular basis from Susan March. Even her penmanship looked international to me. Couple that with my love of the book, “The Thorn Birds,” and you had me at “G’day.” I’ll be able to check this destination off my list in early December. I have a business meeting in Sydney then, and in addition to working, we are planning to do the famous “Bridge Climb.” I’ll blog about it (if I don’t chicken out).
• Easter Island: Such an intriguing, exotic place! This Polynesian island is in the southeastern Pacific Ocean and is a Chilean special territory. Its most recognizable features are 887 moais, or archaic statues, which were created by the early Rapanui people. The combination of a subtropical maritime climate with fascinating culture and gorgeous scenery makes this spot very appealing.
• Peru: At dinner with a very well-traveled friend, she described her recent trip to Peru that piqued my interest. In addition to a fascinating visit to the well-know Incan village of Machu Picchu, she effusively described Lake Titicaca, home of the floating islands made of totora rush and home to a race named the Uros. Next thing I knew, I wanted to visit also.
• New England during fall foliage: I think in a past life I was a New Englander (although I have lived in the Midwest my entire life). While not as exciting as the other destinations, I can think of nothing as beautiful and relaxing as a drive through this beautiful region in the fall and a stay at a charming inn.

 

It’s probably obvious that I like cities, cultures, and faraway places. One of these times, I’ll blog about my tried and true favorite places. It might be fun to compare your favorites with mine. Start dreaming (and saving those frequent-flyer miles)!

As a travel agent I’ve been asking “what is your date of birth?” for almost a year now. At first it felt a little uncomfortable; one of those questions that you just don’t ask– like, “how much money do you make?” or “is that your real hair color?” As Michelle stated in a previous post, this information is required by the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and must be attached to every air reservation.

Although the question is becoming more and more comfortable and natural, I still feel that I should offer an explanation of why I am asking. So as a reminder to all, date of birth—as well as full name and gender—is required as part of the Secure Flight program. At CWT, we’ve been collecting this information since last year. On August 30 we made it mandatory for bookings with CWT SatoTravel, and on September 13 we did the same for bookings with CWT. And according to the TSA, “After November 1, 2010, Secure Flight will not conduct watch list matching or approve the issuance of a boarding pass by an airline if complete passenger data is not submitted.”

I have heard discomfort in the voices of travelers as they provide the answer to the “what is your date of birth?” question.  As time passes and we all get more and more familiar with this requirement, it is beginning to feel less and less like one of those taboo questions.  I hope you feel the same.

Savvy Traveler here, with another great photo for your enjoyment! This one shows Pat Humble, manager of CWT Vacations and one of Travel Agent magazine’s Top 25 Agents for 2010, hiking last month in Patagonia, Chile. Based on her personal experience there, Humble is recommending Chile to her clients who are looking to escape the cold this winter, as the country will experience its summer season when much of North America experiences winter.

For now, the country remains largely unexplored and not “touristy,” with great prices and especially great wine, according to Humble. Chile also enables visitors to venture far from home without the jet lag that typically accompanies those trips, given Chile is in the same time zone as the east regions of the U.S. and Canada.