How To Find The Best Souvenirs While Traveling On Business

by Alex Robertson Textor on

Souvenirs are tricky for business travelers. It’s all too easy to be overwhelmed by work or a busy itinerary only to find yourself grabbing something in duty free in the airport – or stopping by a gift shop to purchase an anonymous object created 12 time zones away from your destination. A T-shirt of thin cotton made in Bangladesh that says, “I Heart Vienna” may be fun in a kitsch sort of way, but it’s not really a good souvenir.

To find a good souvenir, be guided by this question: What is produced locally? Think about “production” broadly – in addition to crafts and art objects, think of clothes, food, accessories, and housewares. If you’re in a destination where very little is made, move on to this follow up question: What is collected locally?

By frequenting flea markets and local arts and crafts stalls, you can find locale-appropriate souvenirs of great and enduring value. Guidebooks and hotel concierges can direct you to local markets, flea markets, galleries and other shops where items of local value can be found.

Lastly, by paying attention to the beauty of the incidentals of your surroundings, you might very well chance upon the most sentimentally valuable souvenirs of all – commonplace objects designed markedly differently than comparable objects at home.

1. Local products. Pricing, materials and goods vary radically from place to place. An item created by artisan producers local to your destination – assuming high quality, of course – expresses the culture of a place powerfully.

2. Flea markets. The strangest cast-offs can be found in flea markets. Sometimes these objects are prized antiques, and other times they have virtually no value, having just been dragged from a heap at the bottom of a closet. But there’s no better way to get a sense of a location than at a flea market or its local equivalent.

3. The incidentals of your surroundings. What actually triggers memories and nostalgia? The ticket stubs, paper menus and products that you come across on your travels. That glass yogurt container. That tram ticket. That theater program. These objects can be framed, used as scrapbook materials, or simply displayed at home. These objects permit a thoughtful, if passing, consideration of the fact that travel creates opportunities to reconsider the incidental trappings, the very packaging, of our lives.

[Flickr image via laszlo-photo]

Best Hotels For Business Travelers

by McLean Robbins on

An annual hotel chain survey from the magazine Business Travel News shows that new brands are making waves among business travelers, with some new names beating out industry stalwarts.
Some changes might be attributed to a change in the scoring system this year (from a six- to five-point scale) and a new criterion consistency.

In the luxury tier, St. Regis/Luxury Collection, part of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, won top marks for business, achieving high marks for physical appearance, hotel staff, sales staff, business centers, business and in-room amenities and price/value comparison. They narrowly beat out Ritz-Carlton. Former industry winner Four Seasons dropped to fifth place, behind Waldorf=Astoria and Mandarin Oriental.

Even in a tough economy, “luxury hotels have rebounded powerfully,” wrote author Michael Baker in the September 10 issue of Business Travel News, even reaching pre-recession levels.

James Vanderslice, Hilton‘s global head of luxury and lifestyle brands, explained why in the article.
“Our travel partners have realized there’s actually efficiency to having a meeting or event at a luxury hotel because of the facilities and services we provide.”

“Upper Upscale” businesses also showed growth, with the W hotels brand edging out JW Marriott by one one-hundredth of a point. Upscale travelers preferred Embassy Suites, which beat out Doubletree hotels, also by just one one-hundredth of a point. Embassy Suites were viewed as the most consistent and best value, while Doubletree won for physical appearance.

Will this change where you stay as a business traveler?

Airline Mini-Liquor Bottle Theft Ring Busted At JFK Airport

by Laurel Miller on

Holy national security, Batman! A nine-month investigation, known cryptically as “Operation Last Call,” has resulted in the arrest of 18 JFK Airport employees, including three security guards, according to CNN.

The employees were apprehended Wednesday, after being accused of stealing “more than 100,000 mini-bottles of alcohol from LSG Sky chefs, which provides food and beverages for American Airlines,” said the CNN report. Most of the accused were LSG employees.

The alcohol was allegedly sold on the underground market (Why is there an underground market for a legal substance? Just asking.) to local retailers, resulting in an estimated retail value of $750,000.

Now you know how to make those frequent flier miles really add up. Just don’t say I told you so.


For Business Travelers: Comfort On The Road Is Paramount

by McLean Robbins on

Frequent business travelers are looking to make their travel as comfortable and “normal” as possible, the Workstyles Study conducted by Hilton‘s Homewood Suites found. Work-life balance is a becoming a popular catchphrase amongst frequent business travelers who want room to spread out, the ability to maintain a normal routine and opportunities to interact with business associates and fellow travelers.

The most frequent complaint amongst respondents (32%) is that they missed their “normal routine,” a statistic up 12% from the 2012 study. Business travelers specifically missed their kitchens (25%), up 18% from 2010.

Business Travel Isn’t Going Anywhere

Being on the road can wear on travelers, with 34% also responding that the biggest obstacle of business travel is simply “being away from home.” In an effort to feel more at ease in their surroundings, two-thirds of travelers take the time to unpack their suitcase.

This “wear and tear” on travelers doesn’t mean that business travel will cease, however. Nearly three-quarters of respondents agree that traveling for work is the most effective way to do business, and one-third have made what they would call an “important business connection” while socializing at a hotel.“Corporate travelers are emphasizing both how to maximize value for their travel expenditures and their productivity while traveling,” said Bjorn Hanson, Dean, New York University Tisch Center for Hospitality, Tourism and Sports Management in a release. “Business travelers are indicating increased willingness to try new brands this year, so extended-stay hotels, for example, will help extend their travel budgets and meet their business needs.”



Most Important Amenities


Most travelers work an hour or more a day in their hotel rooms, choosing the desk or the living room for their workspace. Internet (88%) is the most used amenity, but a number of factors play a role in the booking decision.



Travelers prefer healthier food options versus enhanced fitness facilities (69%) but also place a heavy emphasis on value and location (34% each) as well as a “large, comfortable room” (63%).



“In 2012 the hotel industry has seen a rebound in business travel, but returning guests are now demanding more than just a fiscal value,” said a Hilton representative in a release. “Less impressed by bells and whistles, they want amenities and services that deliver both comfort and productivity.”



The study profiled nearly 600 business travelers.

How To Turn Your Daypack Into A Traveling Office

by Laurel Miller on

No one is ever going to accuse me of being a tech junkie. But as a journalist, I’ve had to temper my Luddite proclivities so that I can earn a living while on the road.

Compounding the issue is my essential frugality and innate dirtbag tendencies. I only travel with a backpack, using a daypack in lieu of a purse. For low-maintenance or business/pleasure-combo travelers such as myself (although I recognize that not everyone has the luxury of ditching business attire and trappings; I’ve been known to stuff a nice computer bag and dress-to-impress items into my backpack), a daypack easily transforms into a portable office.

Because I also keep my passport, money, credit cards, camera, cellphone, adaptor, and other essential documents and items on my person at all times, it also means my netbook is never left behind. This serves the dual function of ensuring I have access to a computer should I need to edit a story or file a deadline, as well as alleviates theft concerns due to entrusting my valuables to my room or hotel safe. If you’re a budget traveler, I firmly believe it’s better to risk carrying anything of value on your person than entrusting them to the vagaries of youth hostels, dodgy guesthouses, or cheap hotels.

The key to creating a user-friendly portable office lies in choosing the right daypack. I’ve written before about my preference for using hydration packs, because if you remove the bladder, it creates a space to safely store documents. I’m 5’2′, so I also require a woman’s pack, and because most of my trips include some form of outdoor activity, I like having a hip belt (the zip pockets of which double as holders for my mouse and cellphone cord), and multiple exterior and interior pockets.

I highly recommend the hydration daypacks made by Osprey and Gregory. They’re incredibly durable, and have useful bells and whistles. I’m not a fan of CamelBak, as I’ve found they don’t hold up well. The brand and style are up to you, but do check to see if the pack you’re contemplating comes with a raincover. If not, it’s a wise investment, and will spare you the anguish of waterlogged gear and devices.

[Photo credit: Flickr user incase]