Remember the days when you’d peek over to someone’s newspaper when sitting on a flight to check out the latest sports scores or gossip?  How can you miss it, its right there!

Things are a little different now—more and more travelers are replacing newspapers with laptops.  So the material has changed, but has the peeking stopped?  And what is the impact of working with a wireless connection at a local coffee shop, airport, or in-flight—how easy is it for someone to hack into your system?  

These are very real concerns in today’s world.  Hackers and scammers have gone public, impacting airports, hotel lobbies, coffee shops and other spaces that offer public Wi-Fi network connections to the Internet.  Confidential company information can be easily viewable on laptop screens in any number of public places where we sneak a few minutes to check emails or get some work done.  It’s ironic, with all of our privacy settings and privacy laws, we can actually be more vulnerable today than ever… and sometimes we don’t even know it!

Following are some tips to keep your information safe—on the road, or at your local coffee shop:

• Use a privacy screen when using your lap top when you’re in tight spaces (There are several options available in the $20-$40 price range, and they are definitely worth it—very economical)
• Turn off Wi-Fi when not using it
• Set your laptop or smart phone so you have to manually select the Wi-Fi network. You may need to change the default setting.
• Avoid any hot spot that your device lists as “unsecured.” Keep in mind that even if a password is required, a hot spot can still be unsecured.
• If your device shows the site as secured, pay attention to what kind of encryption it lists. WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) is an early system, dating from over a decade ago. If it’s WEP, treat the network as not secure. WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) is better, and WPA2 is best of all.
• Check with your IT department for any company specific guidelines.
• Don’t post messages on social media sites such as Facebook or Linked In announcing when/where you are traveling.
• Change your passwords frequently – follow your corporate IT security guidelines.
• Use your ‘street smarts’ – if someone is glancing over at your documents or laptop close it down or move if you can.

Source:  aarp.org

This month, I’ve found myself hauling my carry-on luggage and laptop bag through airports and hotels more than ever before. Extra business travel not only means additional frequent flyer miles, but more meals on the go, less sleep and even less physical activity. I’m a fairly dedicated exerciser, but once I’m out of my routine, a treadmill or elliptical is the last thing on my mind!

True road warriors consider hotel fitness centers, as well as access to paths and trails, key to their physical and emotional well-being. In the midst of all-day meetings and crammed travel schedules, even a half-hour run can be difficult to squeeze in, but many hotels are providing specially-designed programs and state-of-the-art facilities to accommodate busy travelers.

Here are several hotel chains that make it easy for business travelers to stay fit on the road:

DoubleTree by Hilton

DoubleTree by Hilton has partnered with Precor, a premier exercise equipment provider, to outfit “Fitness by Precor” facilities in DoubleTree properties. These gyms are convenient and well-designed, with the latest fitness equipment and courtesy towels and water. Each cardio machine even comes with a personal TV screen! Add-ons like personal TVs can make a short work-out fly by.

Fairmont Hotels & Resorts

Fairmont Hotels & Resorts partnered with adidas in 2008 and now provides their Fairmont President’s Club members with a complete adidas outfit, including shirt, shorts/pants, sneakers and socks during their stay.  Some participating hotels also provide yoga mats, stretch bands and mp3 players. I love that you don’t have to transport used gym clothes or running shoes with your work clothes!

Minneapolis Grand Hotel by Kimpton

Travelers who stay at The Grand Hotel Minneapolis can enjoy complimentary access to the Minneapolis Life Time Athletic Club located within the hotel. With 58,000 square feet, this impressive gym boasts an indoor lap pool, group classes, a running track and more. The majority of Kimpton properties across the country offer top-notch fitness facilities, as well.

Have you ever made time in your travel schedule to work out? Which hotel brands do you think boast the best facilities?

At the eleventh hour, on the eleventh day of the eleventh month a temporary cessation of hostilities or armistice went into effect between the Allied nations and Germany, November 11, 1918.

“The war to end all wars”, World War I, essentially came to an end.

In commemoration of that eventful day, November 11^th was set aside as Armistice Day and first observed on November 11, 1919.  It was to be a day filled with parades, public gatherings, and a short suspension of business beginning at 11 a.m.

For the vets returning from Europe, Asia and Africa in 1919, they faced a food shortage due to rationing, and President Woodrow Wilson held a special dinner for them at the White House. Interestingly, the entrée for the evening was ravioli, which had recently been introduced due to food industry technological advances.

Today we know this holiday as Veterans Day. Sadly, World War I did not end all wars, but instead was followed by World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and many other conflicts that continue to the present. Currently there are more than 24 million military veterans in the United States.

So how will you observe Veterans Day this year?  Take a look at some of the celebrations planned at destinations from “sea to shining sea”.

Washington, DC

Pensacola, FL, featuring the Navy Blue Angels

San Diego, CA

Colorado Springs, CO (Parade to be held on Nov. 5, 2011)

New York City, NY

Orlando, FL

My own father was a Navy veteran of World War II who served in the Pacific theater. I always loved his stories about Saipan and Whidbey Island in the state of Washington.

Perhaps you are a veteran yourself or know stories involving friends or loved ones who are vets.  Add a comment, and share your favorite veteran story or feel free just to say “Thank You” to the brave men and women who serve or have served in the United States Armed Forces.

To our veterans, from all of us at CWT and CWTSatoTravel, we salute you, and say, “Thank You” for your service.

To learn more about the history of Veterans Day, please visit: http://www.va.gov/opa/vetsday/vetdayhistory.asp

October 17, 2011 saw passage of a major milestone in the fast-developing arena of commercial space operations.

Fledgling space line Virgin Galactic, founded by Sir Richard Branson, held a dedication ceremony for their newly completed Terminal Hangar Facility, which has been aptly named Virgin Galactic Gateway to Space.

Virgin Galactic is the anchor tenant at Spaceport America located in Southern New Mexico.

Looking skyward, more than 800 guests marveled at Virgin Galactic’s commercial space vehicles as they soared through the skies of southern New Mexico during the dedication ceremonies of Virgin Galactic’s new home at Spaceport America. The flight of WhiteKnightTwo and SpaceShipTwo was the highlight of a spectacular ceremony which featured the dedication of the Sir Norman Foster-designed building and announcements of new scientific and educational initiatives for the world’s first commercial space line.

The Virgin Galactic Gateway to Space, a combined terminal and hangar facility, will support up to two WhiteKnightTwo and five SpaceShipTwo vehicles. In addition, The Gateway will house all of the company’s astronaut preparation and celebration facilities, a mission control center, and a friends and family area. There is also space committed to public access via the planned New Mexico Spaceport Authority’s Visitor Experience.

Over 430 passengers have already reserved seats on Virgin Galactic’s sub-orbital space flights and will be part of history as this program takes ordinary civilians on the thrilling trip of a lifetime. The VSS Enterprise and WMS Eve test flight program is well under way leading to Virgin Galactic’s commercial operations.

As a Virgin Galactic Accredited Space Agent, I am very excited to be part of this amazing project which is changing aviation history. If you would like to know more about Virgin Galactic check out this video, or shoot me an email.

I’m almost sad to admit that I have flown almost 160,000 miles this calendar year.  You can’t tally that kind of score without plenty of time over the water, and now that I’m a veritable expert I have learned a few tips and tricks to beat the jet lag.  Doesn’t matter where you are going to or from, my method is tried and true and should help you get to “normal” pretty darn quick.

1.  Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!  This means you should be drinking water before you fly, while you fly and when you land.  It also means that you should avoid alcohol and caffeine as much as possible in transit.

2.  Part and parcel with hydration, take a shower when you land and make sure you moisturize your skin with lotion afterwards.

3.  Spend time outside when you arrive.  This will help your body acclimatize to your new time zone.

4.  If you have the time, work out the day of your arrival.  Exercise will help circulate oxygen through your blood.   

5.  Set your watch to the new time BEFORE you leave.  You want to trick your brain into thinking you are comfortable in your new time.  This also means you should never refer to “it’s such and such time back home.”  That kind of destroys the trick.

6.  No napping … period!  Stay up till your normal bed time.  That’s part of the trick as well.

7.  Avoid caffeine after noon, you want to be as tired as possible when you finally go to bed.

I hope you find these tricks helpful.  Do you have any others you can share?