Gadling’s gift guide for the frequent / business traveler

by Scott Carmichael on

Unlike what many people think, business travel is not the jetset playboy lifestyle the TV makes it appear to be. You are frequently stuck in bad hotels, flights are delayed or canceled, and the little spare time you have, is wasted to create expense reports.

In this Gadling gift guide, we have compiled some of the best business traveler kit on the market. Some are there for your entertainment, others just help get some work done more efficiently, leaving more time for fun.

(Photo from Flickr/garybembridge)Callpod Fueltank Duo

As we become more dependent on our gadgets, we also become dependent on battery life lasting as long as a work day. The Callpod Fueltank won a spot in the Gadling top 10 gadgets of 2009 – and rightfully so. It can charge 2 gadgets at the same time, using the same power tips as on the Callpod Chargepod multi-device charger.

Price: $49.95
Product page: Callpod Fueltank


The Art Of Shaving travel kit

When you are on the road a lot, you tend to miss the comforts of home. One way to pamper yourself (or a loved one) is with some nice travel friendly toiletries. The Art Of Shaving produces a lineup of high quality shaving products, as well as some great travel friendly sized kits.

Their TSA friendly shaving kit contains a badger hair shaving brush, pre-shave oil, shaving cream and some after-shave balm. That way, even in the crappiest of hotels, you’ll be able to get a really nice comforting shave.

Price: $50
Product page: The Art Of Shaving

Briggs & Riley Baseline 20″ Upright

Frequent travel requires good reliable luggage. When you start traveling for business is when it is usually the best time to dump that old $40 rolling bag you got when you were 18. The Briggs & Riley Baseline collection consists of some great looking luggage, designed for the rigors of the airport and overhead compartment.

Price: From $259
Product page: Briggs & Riley Baseline Collection
Gadling review: September 2009

Moshi voice control alarm clock

The Moshi voice control travel alarm clock is the cure for the common hotel alarm clock. Most hotels provide an alarm clock that requires a complicated array of button presses to get the time set correctly – and if you are lucky, it will actually work. The Moshi clock lets you program the time, and alarm using your voice. With simple commands you get the right wake up time programmed. It can even tell you the temperature in your room.

Price: $24.95
Product page: Moshilifestyle.com
Gadling review: November 2009

NeatReceipts Moible Scanner + filing system

The NeatReceipts system is perfect for people who have to deal with the hassles of complex expense reporting. Instead of collecting all your receipts in a plastic bag, you simply scan them with the portable scanner, and let the filing software take care of the rest. At the end of your trip, you let the software produce a report, ready to file and speed up your reimbursement.

In addition to expense report creation, the scanner and software can scan regular documents and business cards.

Price: $199.95
Product page: NeatReceipts

HP Mini 5101 Business class netbook

The HP Mini 5101 builds on the runaway success of netbook size computers, but adds a touch of business friendly features. A specially coated full-size keyboard, 3D driveguard protection and options for integrated 3G make this the perfect companion for someone that wants to travel lighter, without compromises.

Price: From $399 (depending on configuration)
Product page: HP Mini 5101
Gadling review: November 2009

Sling Media Slingbox Solo

Even the most workaholic business traveler needs some entertainment every now and then – and the Slingmedia Slingbox can be the perfect tool to accomplish that. This $180 devices takes your home TV signal, and streams it directly to your PDA, iPhone, laptop or Blackberry, anywhere in the world you can get online. You get full control over your home cable box or TiVo, and even get remote access to a TV guide.

Price: $179.99
Product page: Sling Media Slingbox Solo

hField Technologies Wi-Fire

Crappy Wi-Fi signals are one of my biggest hotel pet peeves. It doesn’t matter how upscale the brand, when you have a room with limited Internet connectivity, it can screw up your entire evening. The hField Technologies Wi-Fire adapter clips to your laptop screen (or sits on a table), and greatly boosts your ability to pick up a signal. In some cases, by more than 10x.

Price: $59.99
Product page: hField Technologies
Gadling review: September 2009

Plantronics Voyager Pro

Forget about every experience you ever had with a Bluetooth headset. The headsets of yesteryear were usually horrible for the listener, and the wearer. In some cases, the Plantronics Voyager actually sounds better than using your handset. Stylish design, great battery life and dual noise canceling microphones make for a very reliable headset. Of course, no amount of stylish design can prevent you from looking like a dork – so only wear your headset when you actually need to.

Price: $99.99
Product page: Plantronics Voyager Pro

Aaxa Technologies P2 Pico Projector

Gone are the days where you had to drag a 20lb projector through the airport in a flight-case. The Aaxa P2 is about the size of the iPhone, and produces enough light to display your presentation in a moderately dimmed room. And at the end of the day, you pop in a MicroSD card and watch some movies in your hotel room.

Price: $359.99
Product page: Aaxa Technologies P2
Gadling review: December 2009

Ipevo Skype phones

If your travels take you outside your local calling area, or anywhere else where a simple phone call costs a buck a minute, then you have probably already found the joy of Skype. Ipevo make a line of great Skype hardware, from the most basic handset, to a full conference phone with DSP noise cancellation.

Price: From $14.99
Product page: Ipevo
Gadling review: October 2009

First class is better than being CEO

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Singapore Airlines has its priorities in order. Chew Choon Seng, the CEO, just saw his salary fall by 20 percent. And, the carrier has had to keep some planes on the ground. The decline in the travel market is taking a toll on everyone … except the passengers in the first class cabin. The airline left intact the $8 million committed to offering Dom Perignon champagne to its best passengers.

First and business class are responsible for 40 percent of the airline‘s annual sales, so Chew needs to find a way to keep cheeks in those high-priced seats, especially after two quarters of losses in a row — Singapore Airline’s worst in seven years. Chew says he’s starting to see the upscale passengers come back into first class, but there’s still work to be done.

Don’t worry, Chew, there’s some good news in all this: get those top-shelf passengers back to drinking Dom, and you’ll probably get your salary back. Hell, you’ll be able to pick up a bottle of bubbly to call your own.

[Photo by Richard Moross via Flickr]

Shanghai to get a Disney theme park: Does it need one?

by Jamie Rhein on

In five to six years, Shanghai will have joined Tokyo, Hong Kong and Paris as a city out of the U.S. with a Disney theme park. China may or may not need a Disney theme park, but Disney’s aim is that the Shanghai location will help create a mighty want for Disney products among the country’s population.

With 1.5 billion people in China, Disney is hoping that the big bucks it will cost to dazzle the multitudes will pay off in other avenues. As anyone who has ever been to a Disney property knows, the theme park is not just a way to be wowed for a day or two; it’s a gateway into other Disney habits. The hope is that the wow moments are enough to make you crave more.

For example, not only is the Pirates of the Caribbean ride now one more place to get a Johnny Depp fix as Captain Jack Sparrow, it’s a marketing tool for all things having to do with the movie. As Depp, aka, Captain Jack Sparrow makes appearances throughout the ride, and then talks so provocatively right before the end, the connection to the movie is not subliminal advertising–the type where an image triggers off our subconscious.

Nope, by the time we climb out of the ride at the gift shop, it’s no surprise to see shelves laced with every sort of Pirates of the Caribbean merchandise that has ever been cranked out. (Ironically, most of it is probably cranked out in China.) There’s no other way to end this particular ride but to push on through the gift shop, not the easiest thing to do without a purchase when one has a child in tow who now has Captain Jack Sparrow on the brain.

Disney is hoping that the Chinese families who fork out the money to enter its theme park will leave wanting more Disney. DVDs, video games, touring musicals and more are the perfect Disney fix for creating some of Disney’s magic back at home.

For the Chinese government, the hope is that Disney in Shanghai will provide tens of thousands of jobs for people who are in need of viable employment.

Because it is possible to teach an old dog new tricks sometimes, this Disney park will incorporate Chinese history and stories into some of its attractions. Many classic Disney rides will be included. I bet Captain Jack Sparrow will be speaking Chinese. Ni hao, Johnny!

Online travel agencies still making money in today’s travel market

by Tom Johansmeyer on

There’s still money in the travel business; you just have to look in the right places. In the United States, the online leisure and unmanaged business travel sector is where you’ll find the cash — this sector is outperforming every other travel sales channel, according to a recent study by research firm PhoCusWright. In a report that the company will release soon, U.S. Online Travel Overview Ninth Edition, PhoCusWright will reveal the details behind the online leisure/unmanaged business travel’s 7% decline relative to a nationwide general fall of 16%.

“For the first time since PhoCusWright began tracking the remarkable trajectory of the internet in travel distribution, online travel will decline in 2009,” says Doublas Quinby, senior director, research at PhoCusWright. “But,” he continues, “the 7% drop in online travel vs. far steeper double-digit declines for the total travel market and offline channels indicates that travelers are increasingly turning to the Web to shop and purchase travel amid the recession.”

The contraction of the travel market in 2009 has brought the travel industry back to pre-2005 levels. The effects haven’t been as brutal in the online space, though, which has outperformed all the other channel’s this year. When the year is over, PhoCusWright expects online travel agencies to own 39% of the total travel market in the Untied States, up from 35% last year.

[Photo by borman818 via Flickr]

“By honing in squarely on consumer concerns in 2009, heavily promoting deals and last-minute special offers and eliminating many booking and customer service fees, online travel agencies have deftly outflanked recessionary pressures and are outperforming every other distribution channel,” Quinby reports. He adds, “OTAs are taking back some share from travel supplier Web sites this year.”

Great Lakes Brewing: Saving the planet one beer at a time

by Katie Hammel on

At a recent farm dinner I attended, a multi-course meal of farm-fresh, organic ingredients was paired with beers from Great Lakes Brewing. As we dined and drank, we were treated to an informal lesson on brewing from owner Pat Conway, who also gave us the lowdown on the many greet initiatives that Great Lakes has undertaken in an effort to be environmentally responsible while producing top-notch beer. It’s a philosophy that the company calls a “triple bottom line” – a mission to run an environmentally and socially responsible business while still turning a profit – and it seems to be paying off.

The Cleveland, Ohio, brewery opened in 1988 as the state’s first micro-brewery and has been growing, and racking up awards, ever since. The Dortmunder Gold, one of the brewery’s first beers, was originally called the Heisman. After it won a gold medal in the Dortmunder category at the Great American Beer Festival in 1990, the New York Athletic Club noticed that the Heisman name was be used and requested it be changed. Other beers are more fancifully named and reflect the brewery’s location in the Great Lakes Region. There’s Edmund Fitzgerald Porter, honoring the boat that famously sank in Lake Superior; Eliot Ness, named for the man rumored to be responsible for the bullet holes in the brewery’s bar; and Burning River, a nod to the infamous burning of the Cuyahoga River in 1969.

But what makes these beers so special, aside from the quirky names and indisputable quality (each has won numerous Gold Medals at competitions around the world), is that they are produced using so many green and sustainable methods. The owners, brothers Pat and Daniel Conway, say they take a full-circle approach to reduce waste and make the company more efficient. This approach has filtered down to all levels of staff, and dictates the methods used in all aspects of the business.

The brewery’s delivery truck and shuttle bus run on recycled restaurant vegetable oil, and they require that the trucks used by their distributors do the same. All cardboard, glass, aluminum, paper and brewer’s barley is recycled. Newsletters, napkins, and menus are printed on recycled paper, all beer packaging is done with unbleached “eco-carton” and Pat says they even go so far as to re-use the blank sides of printer paper for internal documents. The brewery cooler features skylights and sensors to reduce electricity used for lighting, and the cooling system brings in cold air from outside in the winter to reduce the amount of energy required to keep the temperature constant.

Great Lakes works with local organic farmers to serve only the freshest food in their restaurant. Currently, 60% of their food supply comes from local and organic sources, though Pat says they are striving for 100%. They recently contracted with an Amish farmer who will provide the kitchen with meat from animals that graze on the brewery’s own barley waste. Spent grain goes to a baker who makes pretzels and beer-bread served at the restaurant, and another local farm uses brewery grains to fertilize the organic mushrooms they grow and then sell back to Great Lakes for use in entrees. Other organic waste is fed to worms. In a process called vermicomposting, the worms turn the waste into fertilizer, which is used to grow herbs in the brewery’s garden. Even the low-fill beers (beers that aren’t quite filled to the top by the bottling machinery) are saved and used for sauces, salad dressings, and soups. The low-filled Edmund Fitzgerald Porter bottles are used by a local ice cream shop to make chocolate chunk ice cream.

The brewery’s outdoor beer garden is also eco-friendly. Rather than let the space go to waste during Cleveland’s bitterly-cold winters, the Conway brothers decided to cover it with a retractable canvas roofing, packed straw bales into the walls for insulation, and added a fireplace to warm the space. They were using wood logs for the fire, until one employee had a bright idea. Instead of composting the spent cinnamon sticks used to make the Christmas Ale, why not compress them into logs to fuel the beer garden fireplace? The result of all these features is that, even on the coldest days of winter, it costs just $8 per day to heat the beer garden.

The result of all these sustainable efforts is staggering. Great Lakes Brewing, a $25 million business, has zero waste bills. Pat says he looks at waste removal as “waste opportunity” and is always searching for new ways to make the business green, and keep it growing. But the brothers aren’t just pocketing all that profit. The company also contributes to the community. Every year they participate in the Great Lakes Burning River Festival, which raises awareness and funds for environmental cleanup in the Great Lakes Region. An environmentally responsible company that gives back to the community and makes delicious craft beer – I think we can all cheers to that.

If you can make it out the Cleveland brewery, in addition to dining in the brewpub or enjoying drinks in the beer garden, you can take a guided tour of the brewery facilities, attend “beer school” to learn all about the brewing process, or enjoy a multi-course Brewmaster’s dinner paired with beer. You can also find Great Lakes beers in Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, New York, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and West Virginia.