The top factors that influence blended travel opportunities

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Vacations are getting squeezed out, either because of personal financial pressures or a fear of looking like you aren’t crucial in your cubicle. We keep cutting out the time we need for ourselves and our families, which can make the strain of recession-era employment even worse. You don’t need any more pressure … so why are you creating it? You need to get out on the road, and not just for the company. Whether it’s with family, friends or your favorite mistress, you need some time to recharge. Play it right, and you can get your company to pick up at least a piece of it.

“Blended travel” – tacking personal trips on to business travel – is becoming increasingly common. I’ve done this for most of my professional career, turning road warrior time in Paris (among many other cities) into subsidized non-solo trips. I’ve popped third cities between business destinations, met friends and flown family out to hang with me. And if I could show that it saved the company a few bucks, it would wind up doing the same for me.

With your fun money being pinched, investing some time to research your options can help you turn business travel into a great vacation. Here are five factors to keep in mind:1. The nature of your travel: How you travel and what you’re doing on the road can have a profound effect on your blended travel experience. If you work late and get stuck in meetings all the time, bringing your family isn’t going to work (unless they want to enjoy the destination without you). If you go back to the same place every week, it could constrain how much time you have available (focus on the weekends, for example). Get a sense of the rhythm of your travel schedule, and use that to determine your blended travel options.

2. Company savings: By modifying your travel plans to accommodate your personal aims (including having your family join you), could you wind up saving the company a few dollars? This may not bring the cost of the personal side of your plan down to zero, but it could take the sting out a bit. Finding a way to save the company some money can work to your advantage. I used to look at the timing of flights relative to hotel rates to pull this off. Sometimes, all you need is a relatively tolerant boss.

3. Corporate discounts: Many larger companies have employee discount programs on everything from consumer electronics to mortgages … and travel. This could help you chip away at the cost of your (partial) family vacation. Also, see if there is a way you can use your company’s negotiated rates, too.

4. Where you are (and where you can go): Not every location is worth turning into our annual getaway. I can think of plenty of business trips that I’d never use for a blended travel experience. If your spot is particularly undesirable, think about what’s in striking distance. Maybe you could set something up to meet your family at a third location.

Hint: Again, it’s a cost game. If you can show that the cost of your jaunt is less expensive than a straight shot home, you can make the case for “subsidization.”

Photo of the Day (9.14.10)

by Stephen Greenwood on
Today’s Photo of the Day is a reminder that you don’t have to cross the globe to find adventure; although this shot could be set in the dunes of the Sahara or Namibia, it comes straight out of America’s own White Sands National Monument near Alamogordo, New Mexico.

Flickr user penton42 has a great series of landscape photographs from the National Monument, with plenty of evidence that shows where the park gets its name. I picked this photo in particular because it utilizes light, shadow, and rich color to give the landscape a life of it’s own, making the two explorers seem appropriately small and insignificant.

Do you have some snapshots that show off nature’s expansive beauty? Submit them to our Gadling Flickr Pool and it could be tomorrow’s Photo of the Day!

Four views of Shake Shack burgers in New York City

by Tom Johansmeyer on

The line always seems to be long in Madison Square Park. Shake Shack, known for its burgers as well, always draws a crowd, and it isn’t unusual to spend an hour or more waiting to sink your teeth into its greasy delights. I’ve done it, and I know I’m not alone. Well, the stand’s popularity has led to expansion, and there are now four locations across Manhattan, with a fifth in Queens at Citi Field. Since those that follow never compare to the original, I was curious as to how they all compare. Could the concept withstand such rapid growth?

I set out with the noblest of intentions. Fellow travel blogger and friend Laurie DePrete (who took some of the photos) and I planned to hit the four Manhattan Shake Shacks on one Saturday afternoon. Scott Carmichael reached out to me over Twitter just wish me luck and let me know I was nuts (thanks, Scott). With my heroic appetite, I planned to down a double cheeseburger and fries at each location: Upper West Side (Columbus Ave and W. 77th Street), Upper East Side (E. 86th Street between Lexington Ave and Third Ave), Madison Square Park (Madison Ave and E. 23rd Street) and Midtown (Eighth Ave and W. 44th Street) – in that order.

My plan was to start on the Upper West Side, where I live, cut across Central Park to the Upper East Side, shoot down to Madison Square Park and then cut up and over to Midtown. Fatigue and the prospect of getting full never entered my mind. Neither ever does.

Below, you’ll find the results of my excursion, a look at the four Shake Shacks in Manhattan:

Eating all this @shakeshack food will be tough. 4 in all! RT @ScenebyLaurie: Stop #2 on the #NYC @shakeshack crawl http://4sq.com/covAmRless than a minute ago via ÜberTwitterTom Johansmeyer
tjohansmeyer

1. Upper West Side

This was the second Shake Shack to pop up, and I was excited to have an option close to home. The line frequently stretches around the corner onto W. 77th Street, though it’s rarely as intimidating as the original at Madison Square Park. On the Saturday I undertook this endeavor, the line was short, and I was able to order in about 10 minutes. Seating was tight, as expected, by Laurie and I were able to grab a spot on the counter, standing but with some space.

Needless to say, I enjoyed the cheeseburger, a double, but it struck me that I’d have to change course to survive the day. Though the burgers are a bit small (at all locations), they are filling. On the Upper West Side, expect to find the fare a little less greasy but still enjoyable. The taste was a bit flat. You’ll still be happy as you chomp away, but there better Shake Shack options in the city.

Where the Upper West Side restaurant stands out is in seating. There is plenty of it indoors, and don’t forget to look downstairs if you find the street level to be crowded. Also, there’s a bathroom on the premises, which is always helpful when you eat burgers and gulp lemonade.

After this first stop, we agreed to walk to the next location. To make it through four, it seemed like a good idea to move around a bit in between to keep the blood flowing … and the extra pounds at bay.

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2. Upper East Side

Unlike the first stop, I wasn’t hungry when I got to this one – but I wasn’t not hungry. I switched to a single cheeseburger and fries, cognizant of the road ahead. From across E. 86th Street, I saw that the line was out the door, but my concerns receded as I got closer. The stretch up the stairs from the cash registers to the front door isn’t long, so I figured the line would move quickly (it did). To help the process along, there are menus hanging outside, and a Shake Shack staffer walks by periodically to hand them out.

Seating inside is a bit scarce, but there’s plenty outside, perfect on a day like the one we used to tackle the four Shake Shacks. And, like the Upper West Side, there are bathrooms on the premises. The décor is a bit sleeker on the Upper East Side than in the other locations, and the staff was swift: the lines moved quickly because they moved quickly, too.

I was impressed by the burgers on the Upper East Side. They were soft and moist – nice and greasy, which is how a burger from the Shack should be. Hold yours with the wrapper to keep your shirt from getting drenched (learn from mistake I’ve made a number of times on visits to Shake Shack). As for taste, this spot’s burger was bursting. I devoured it shamelessly.

When I tried to stand from the bench in the outdoor dining area, I came to the realization that I didn’t want to. I was three burgers and two orders of fries into the adventure, and I was full … with two more locations to go. I was satisfied – and I definitely wasn’t hungry any longer. I was also tired. I turned to Laurie and saw a look implying the same feeling, but we decided to soldier on, slogging over to the subway for a ride down to Madison Square Park.

This project was becoming work.

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3. Madison Square Park

The original was our third stop simply for logistical reasons. Given the starting point and the way the subways work, it made sense to take this one on third. Also, we’ve both eaten there countless times, so we had a reasonable benchmark against which to compare the Upper East Side and Upper West Side locations.

As we walked through the park, a familiar sight emerged: a long line. We braced ourselves for a wait of at least half an hour before realizing that we needed it. I’d be able to rest my stomach for a while, try earnestly to build up an appetite again and prepare myself for the home stretch. I sat on the ground for a moment to gather my courage.

You’ll find free water at every Shake Shack location, and at this point we needed it. I headed over to pick up a few cups from the urn (the other three have running water) and rehydrated, something I’d been neglecting. Slowly, we advanced to the counter, where I ordered another single and fries. I wasn’t eating to alleviate hunger at this point, I was just looking for the taste.

The original remains the best. Grease dripped from the burger (though not as much as on the Upper East Side), and the familiar flavor erupted in my mouth. The first bite was incredible – everything you’d expect a burger from the Shack to be. It was soft, warm and thoroughly enjoyable. Then, I looked down at my tray and saw that I still had the rest of the burger in front of me. I was only able to make it through half – likewise for my fries – before deciding I had enough information and giving up.

While Madison Square Park wins on taste, the surroundings can be a challenge. There is lots of seating, but it’s all outdoor. Given that the crowds tend to be largest here, they fill up quickly. During the lunch rush, with people spilling out of the nearby office buildings, you may have trouble finding a chair anywhere. Protect your food from the occasional bird (I speak from experience), and bring change for the bathroom (a freestanding public one is your only option, and it’ll set you back a quarter).

After giving up before finishing, groaning and shaking our heads, we decided to keep going. Again figuring it would be a good idea to keep the blood flowing, my burger buddy and I started the trek back uptown, dreading the final stop. It was getting close to 10 PM, leaving us just enough time to get to the Midtown location – our final stop on the Shake Shack tour. My feet felt heavier with each step. My stomach hinted that a mutiny was on the horizon. After swapping knowing glances, Laurie and I decided to leave the Eighth Ave location for another day.

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4. Eighth Ave

We waited a little over a week before resuming the tour, a natural reaction to overloading your body with some of the finest burgers New York City has to offer. Situated on Eighth Ave, I expected this restaurant to have frightening wait and no available seating. It’s close to Times Square and Port Authority, which led me to believe there would be endless tourist traffic. To my surprise, however, the line lasted only about 15 minutes. As on the Upper East Side, Shake Shackers armed with menus came out periodically to help people make their decisions before getting up to the counter to order.

The Midtown Shake Shack offered a tasty burger (I found Madison Square Park and the Upper East Side to be better) that came fairly quickly. It wasn’t terribly greasy but was enjoyable nonetheless. Seating was tough, as people seemed to take a bit more time with their meals while the kitchen was able to turn over orders quickly.

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Like the other indoor locations, the Midtown spot had bathrooms for customers. To use them, though, you needed to enter a code on the door. Unlike most places, which use a token or a key from the counter, Shake Shack was savvy enough to put the code on every receipt, minimizing the time it takes to get where you need to go. The Eighth Ave restaurant also had a more powerful faucet for water, which led to shorter lines for those fighting thirst. It’s clear that the company learned a few lessons before opening its newest space.

Getting the last of the #manhattan @shakeshack stops in!!! (@ Shake Shack w/ @scenebylaurie) http://4sq.com/dhBg7Bless than a minute ago via foursquareTom Johansmeyer
tjohansmeyer


And that was it.

Toiling through four Shake Shacks, even if the last was left for a later date, was far more challenging than I expected, and I learned just how much my stomach can hold. If you’re headed to Manhattan, it’s worth visiting one Shake Shack – but only one. Don’t try to cram them all into a demented burger tour. You really are only hurting yourself if you do.

Four reasons airlines blame passengers for their current woes

by Tom Johansmeyer on

It would be so much easier if we’d just pay more, right? That’s what the airlines seem to believe. It’s impossible for them to turn consistent profits because we just won’t accept higher prices. And, kicking the poor off the plane doesn’t seem to be an option.

I got up this morning and read George Hobica’s hilarious “interview” with Wilbur Flywright, CEO of BrokenWings Airways. In it, I was treated to one airline industry cliché after another. To see them all in one place, it was either eye-opening or strangely reminiscent of an ambitious gate agent’s Twitter account.

Here are the four reasons, according to “Flywright,” airlines blame us – the people who pay their bills – for their inability to run well, despite the fact that some (e.g., Southwest and JetBlue) have actually found a way to thrive.1. We won’t pay more: Of course, I don’t know any industry in which customers pay more than is necessary … at least, not purposefully. You may get suckered at the used car lot, but you don’t go to your local grocery store, demand to see the manager and explain to him, as though he ate too much paste in his youth, that eggs really should cost 34 percent more.

2. We have alternatives: When air travel is inconvenient or expensive, we can take any number of cheap bus services or even drive. Frankly, it takes a strange turn of events to get me on a plane to Boston or Washington, DC.

3. “We” deregulated the industry: It’s the law of the land, and in theory, passengers are voters (we’re indirectly responsible). So, we “imposed” a free market on the airline industry … the nerve of voters in a free society! It may have happened more than 30 years ago, but we still hear airline people gripe about it, even if they were of single-digit age when the transformation occurred.

Hint to airlines: Don’t blame passengers for deregulation – I was only a year old at the time. I assure you, I had nothing to do with it, likewise most of my friends. If we could have done something about it we would have. Also, don’t talk about it as something that killed (or at least maimed) your industry. It was 30 years ago, you need a new lamentation. How about poor customer service levels?

4. We made the airlines cut stuff: Since we won’t pay a “fair” fare, the airlines have had to make cuts. Routes, employee compensation, amenities (if you can call them that) … we now have to pay for what we want in the form of fees.

Taking fees and deregulation together, I just loved this:

So what did we do? We eliminated service. We cut salaries and benefits. No more little plastic wings for the kiddies; if you remember those, then you remember that the cheapest roundtrip coach fare from New York to Los Angeles in 1959 was $231, or about $1,800 in today’s dollars. And if you remember that, then could you please shut up about the fees?

And occasionally, there’s a good point:

Ah, the fees. Can we agree on just one thing? If your neighbor moves, you aren’t going to pay for it, right? No, of course not. Not unless you really wanted him gone. So why should you pay for the jet fuel consumed by some moron who’s flying a 100-pound steamer trunk across the country in our baggage compartment?

[photo by leafar. via Flickr]

Utah’s Powder Mountain adds 1000 more skiable acres for 2010

by Kraig Becker on

When it comes to giant ski resorts, it’s difficult to top Powder Mountain in Utah. The already impressively sized resort added another 1000 acres this year, bringing its total to over 7000, which gives it the most skiable terrain of any resort in the U.S. The expansion means that resort now covers three mountains and offers 135 different runs, ensuring that there is something to ski for every skill level.

The 1000 acre expansion has been named La Plata in honor of a nearby ghost town that sprung up during the silver rush of the late 1800’s, and was later abandoned when the ore ran dry. Designed mostly for expert skiers, this new offering requires visitors to join a guided tour or purchase a “backcountry upgrade” to gain access to the generally untouched and pristine powder that is found there. The area is so remote in fact, it can only be accessed by taking a ride in Snowcat, a tracked vehicle specially designed for traveling through the snow.

The calendar may still read September and the weather reminds us that it is still summer, but the ski season isn’t as far away as you would think. Powder Mountain generally opens in mid-November, and with an average of more than 500 inches of annual snowfall, you won’t have to settle for the artificial stuff. The resort offers a nice mix of untracked powder and groomed runs, with plenty to options to keep skiers and snowboarders coming back for years. Season passes are now available for the 2010-2011 season.

[Photo Credit: Bailypalblue via WikiMedia]