31.1.11

Guest Blog: Birmingham - Secret Magic And How They Won Me Over

Today we'd like to introduce the next guest blog in our new mini series: Remembering 2010 Travels. Our fourth guest blogger is Chris Brogan is president and CEO of Human Business Works (humanbusinessworks.com), a company providing business systems for small businesses. He lives on airplanes but does his laundry in northern Massachusetts.

When I first started traveling all over the US, I went to the obvious places a business person would go: New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles. As time went on, and as my own business focus changed, I found myself taking the flights less traveled. I went to Madison and Memphis and Milwaukee along that road. But one place that really knocked my socks off (and don't worry - they manufacture socks there) was Birmingham, Alabama.

MY PRE-CONCEIVED NOTIONS
If I asked you what you thought about when you think about Birmingham, and you were really honest, we both have a sense of what you'd answer, wouldn't we? When I thought of Birmingham, what I thought was that it was a place that had a past of racial strife. Beyond that, I thought "southern" and I thought "not likely very techy-nerdy" (which is a good thing sometimes, as it's easy to burn out on tech stuff). What I found instead was something altogether different.
BIRMINGHAM IS ABOUT GROWTH AND REBIRTH
One thing that excites me about Birmingham is that it's a place in transit. The past was iron and iron ore, and in a lot of ways, Birmingham is an echo of Pittsburgh from the economic and industrial perspective. It went through this incredible pop-up experience of being not much of anything to being a huge industrial hub, and then in a short amount of time, it imploded when steel went elsewhere, and is now in that sweet spot of realizing that steel's not coming back, but that there's a lot that makes Birmingham inviting and gorgeous.

My guide to Birmingham was one Merrill Stewart of Stewart Perry. He came to my office quite far north of Boston and asked me to come and speak at an event, but more so, to come and experience a city he loved. It was Mr. Stewart's passion that excited me into going, and it was his engagement with so many people and places throughout the city of Birmingham that made me a huge fan.

The railroad park area of the city is a perfect example of it. I had the pleasure of meeting the people behind making this park a reality, and what it symbolizes will be quite different (and yet vital) to many segments of people in the room. When I visited, I saw what excites me most in architecture: adaptive reuse (words that I never knew existed until Merrill Stewart turned me on to their value in the green building world). Imagine a bunch of green land with gorgeous open area architecture mixed with all kinds of brick buildings that have been reborn as lofts and retail space, and the like.

BIRMINGHAM IS ABOUT ENGAGING PEOPLE
There's a college/learning vibe to the city, fueled in part by the university right downtown and its commitment to many subjects (their medical program is top notch, for instance). I met with a bunch of the new media types: the bloggers and Twitter types and podcasters, plus I met with the people who drive the economic levers in the city, including the Birmingham Business Alliance. Between these two groups, I got the sense that Birmingham is a city full of engaging people with ideas about growth and renewal.

Alan Hunter, one of the original MTV video jockeys, runs Hunter Films from there. He and I bumped into each other while I was out with Sarah Robinson for coffee, and this experience, running into someone I'd met the night before at a really hip coffee place inside a reconditioned building, is one snapshot in my mental photo album of what makes Birmingham a lot more cool than I'd imagined.

WHAT BIRMINGHAM GAVE ME
I'm wearing my "It's Nice to Have You In Birmingham" tee shirt while I write this. It was a gift from Andre Natta, someone who also adds to this feeling of Birmingham being all about engagement and the future. The folks at Holland and Holland advertising gave me a book full of historical and current delightful things to know about Birmingham. Besides the giant iron railroad spike that caused me some trouble at the airport, the gift was a really wonderful way of giving me a time machine on the Magic City. Oh, and they gave me some great Skana socks, made in B'Ham. (See? I told you it was okay that my socks were knocked off.)

But beyond those kinds of gifts, what I got from Birmingham was a passion to fly and discover the places that are reinvesting in themselves, the cities and towns that are rebuilding out of an old economy into a new one. And for that, I'm forever grateful for my trip to Birmingham, Alabama.

Have you ever, like Chris in his visit to Birmingham, visited a city that unexpectedly caught you by surprise when you arrived? Does Chris' experience in Birmingham inspire you to visit the city? Or, have you visited Birmingham and had an similar experience as described by Chris?

27.1.11

GateGuru: The Story Behind the App

Being in an airport can often be a stressful experience. Having a helping hand while navigating the airport’s security, finding a good meal without breaking the bank, or knowing where to buy a magazine or newspaper for an in-flight read are just a few pieces of advice that can be hard to come by for a first-timer in a new airport. Dan Gellert, CEO of the GateGuru app, saw the flaws in airport travel and decided it was time to tap the wealth of information at travelers’ finger tips. MDT had the chance to discuss the app with the GateGuru himself and find out a little more about its evolution.

MDT: What was the impetus for creating the app? What series of events inspired your thoughts for the app’s creation?

Gellert: What led to me creating the app were my own frustrations with airports. I was amazed at the lack of technology and community available to help travelers make the simplest decisions - "should I eat before or after security?", "is this restaurant in front of me any good?", "is there a newsstand by my gate or should I buy my magazines at the beginning of the concourse", "is this club where I am about to spend $50 nice inside?" I was traveling a lot for work, and constantly asking myself these questions and oftentimes guessing the wrong answer. Eventually I talked to enough business travelers who had the same experiences and decided to do something about it myself. That something was GateGuru.

MDT: What demographic was the app intended for? And, has the app been met with the reception that you’d hoped with that demographic?

Gellert: GateGuru's core demographic is the business traveler. The overwhelming number of users is business travelers. That being said, we wanted to make it family friendly as well, so we have aggregated amenities such as Children's Play Areas or Nursing Stations. Amongst the core demo, the app has been well received - so much so that we significantly added to our feature set with the launch of GateGuru 2.0. With 2.0, travelers can view and upload security wait times, view their itineraries directly within the app, and add reviews and tips for airports and terminals. So with the launch of 2.0, all of a sudden you see GateGuru go from a fantastic tool when you are in an airport you are not as familiar with, to now becoming the most immersive travel application out there for that "day of" travel.

MDT: How do you see Gate Guru app growing and scaling to meet the ever changing needs of air travelers?

Gellert: The initial version of GateGuru, around connecting travelers to airport retail, was a huge success. We have also had a fantastic response from our users to version 2.0. This however, is just the beginning for us. Over the coming year we will build new features into the application, as well as create Android and web-based versions of GateGuru. We also plan to start working much more closely with airports. Overall, we believe that the mobile platform is going to have a far greater impact on the travel space than many people realize and we are excited for GateGuru to be one of the leading travel brands from a mobile perspective.

What all can you do with the app? Here's a quick snapshot of the app's features

  • Most comprehensive and accurate listing of airport amenities (sortable by Food, Shops and Services).
  • Easy-to-use and eye-friendly user interface.
  • Access to real-time ratings, reviews and photos – Avoid unappealing airport lounges, shady-looking restaurants or poor service – you deserve better! Quickly and easily locate the highest rated restaurant, shop or service by your fellow travelers.
  • Simple search engine – Know your pre or post-security options; what is near your gate; gift stores or ATMs close by; the nearest coffee shop and much more.
  • Bookmark function – Easily retrieve tagged information on the restaurants, shops and services you have enjoyed in the past.
  • Check-in at your location with the app and shout-out to your friends and family via Twitter, Foursquare and Facebook to let them know you've arrived.
  • Post security checkpoint wait times via the app.
  • Share you own photos, reviews and tips for the airports you're at via the app's easy-to-use interface.
  • Participate in the leaderboard – Earn points as you utilize GateGuru and improve your ranking among other travelers. Get honored as the “Captain” of your airport locally or nationally. Monitor your ranking versus your Facebook friends.
  • Become a Guru – In addition to GateGuru’s interactive online community, update your Twitter and Facebook status with updates, tips and/or reviews as you travel.:

Just like MDT’s promise of money, distance and time saved Gellert’s GateGuru can do the same for you. The app is not only free to download through the Apple App store, but can offer you deal like a free pretzel at Auntie Anne’s or shorten the length of time you stand barefoot on the security line.

GateGuru app is active on Twitter and Facebook, stay connected for the latest info and about about the app, travel, and more!

Now that you know a bit more about it are you going to download this app for your iPhone? Are you already a user of GateGuru? What do you find most beneficial about the app?

26.1.11

Guest Blog: Oh Right ... a Vacation

Today we'd like to introduce the next guest blog in our new mini series: Remembering 2010 Travels. Our third guest blogger is Robert Mark, a man who wears many hats, edits the award-winning industry blog Jetwhine.com. A commercial pilot, he's also the CEO of CommAvia, an aviation marketing communications company based in Evanston, IL.

When you've spent most of your life climbing into or out of airplanes like me – I've been a pilot all my life - the adventure of jumping on one from Chicago's O'Hare for fun can get kinda lost sometimes. This year though, when my wife signed up for an August conference in San Diego, I decided it was time to throw caution to the wind, no more Mr. Boring. After the conference, we were taking THE family vacation.

All kidding aside, the idea really evolved when my wife Nancy and I realized our 16-year old daughter soon not want to travel anywhere with us. My wife is always up for a trip and this time, my daughter – a budding actress – bought the idea right away when I mentioned the first few nights would be in LA. After Los Angeles we'd head east toward the desert and the Grand Canyon then south to Sedona – where we spent our honeymoon - and finally on to Phoenix for the plane ride back home.

The trip to San Diego was easy on the airlines with plenty of options from Chicago, even though we used mileage points on American for everything. Out of Harrisburg it's US Airways through Philadelphia (PHL) or on Delta through Atlanta (ATL). We rented an SUV for the week or so we'd be gone and that truly was one of the most expensive parts of the trip – about $750. But it did offer us plenty of flexibility for sightseeing and dinners.

I've been to LA plenty of times, but never took a studio tour. We signed up for the visit to Paramount, home of Star Trek and Glee. The cost per ticket was about $40, but it was worth every penny. Tours were in groups of six maximum which offered plenty of time for wandering and asking questions. I had no idea, for instance, that this was the same place once run by Lucille Ball. Her presence – and her pictures - are everywhere on the lots. The place is also filled with memorabilia of the hundreds of stars we've come to love over the years. Much to the dismay of my daughter, the Glee studio was closed so they could await the arrival of Brittany Spears.

The trip to the desert was amazing as we sped east out of LA on I15 to connect up with I40 toward Mojave. Within an hour the mountains east of LA had become desert. Nothing prepared us though for the dust storm as we arrived in Needles on the California/Arizona state line. I thought it was a rain shower until it hit. Can't imagine how folks live there.

We made it to Williams AZ for the night where the hotel was, well, interesting to say the least. Suffice it to say that my choice of places to spend the night in Williams before making the trek to the Grand Canyon would be the railway hotel. The place is new, clean and inexpensive. Best of all, the train trip from Williams to the Canyon the next morning is an easy two-hour journey with entertainment enroute offered up by actors and musicians. Nothing quite prepared me for the grandeur of the Grand Canyon, a place I've flown over thousands of times but never actually visited up close. We had a fellow from China shoot our Christmas card photo with the canyon as a backdrop. The cafe on the east side of the canyon in the park near the railway station is awesome, although I'll be darned if I can remember the name of the place.

The next morning we headed east toward Flagstaff and then south along AZ 89 toward Sedona. Even in an SUV, the trip down the winding road from Flagstaff where the elevation is about 7,000 feet to Sedona's more comfortable 4,500 feet means an exciting trip around dozens of mountains on the way down. What's really spectacular is the road since it has no fencing along the way. Miss a turn and the trip would have ended rather abruptly. It was a toasty 90 or so in Sedona when we arrived. We headed right for the Pink Jeep Tour I remembered from 18 years earlier. Don't miss this ride out into the desert and up into the hills around Sedona. The scenery is nothing short of spectacular. I grabbed one of the Pink Jeep models to put on my desk back home. I like remembering trips when they're fun, even if I did drive most of the thousand miles we covered in our eight days together.

We all agreed this one was great as we left Sedona for Phoenix and the comfort of a real bed at the house of some friends before the airline trip back home. By next summer my daughter would be thinking about college and getting away from mom and dad. I think I already missed this vacation when I saw the Christmas cards go out a few months later. Now I can look over and smile at the Pink Jeep on my desk.
Have you spent any time vacationing on the West Coast, where would you recommend? Does Robert's post inspire you to head west?

19.1.11

Guest Blog: An Airport Can Be Part of the Travel Experience at Haneda International Terminal

Today we'd like to introduce the next guest blog in our new mini series: Remembering 2010 Travels. Our second guest blogger is David Parker Brown and he is the founder and owner of the blog AirlineReporter.com, which is based in Seattle, WA. David shares his passion for the airline industry and aviation in a conversational and informational way with his readers. You can catch his blog at AirlineReporter.com or syndicated on the Seattle PI.

Many travelers feel the airport is an undesired necessity of travel. However, not all airports are created equally. In October 2010, I had the opportunity to travel to Haneda International Airport in Tokyo, Japan to check out their new international terminal. What I discovered was amazing. Haneda has traditionally been the domestic airport for Tokyo, while Narita has handled the majority of international flights. Recently this has been changing as Haneda has been increasing the amount of international flights they handle and opened a new international terminal to meet the expected growth.

The new international terminal was designed to become part of your journey, not just a place to catch your flight. If you arrive from the United States, to the new international terminal, it might not be so obvious why this terminal is different. Once off the plane, you will be presented with quite a few high-end shops in the terminal. I do not know many people who take a ten hour flight, to drop $10,000.00 on a Cartier watch. There must be people that do so, since there are plenty of expensive shops and products in the gate area.

Once you make it past security, the adventure really begins. You feel like you have walked onto an old style Japanese street with plenty more food and shopping options. Unlike seeing the high-end stores on the airport side of security, the shops on the city-side are geared more towards the average consumer. You can find places like an authentic sushi restaurant (with fish moving on a conveyer belt) to a huge Hello Kitty store (I managed to avoid that store thank you). If you had some time to burn, you could even check out their planetarium or get a quick meal in the planetarium’s cafĂ©. If those do not meet your fancy, do not worry… there are five floors of food, shopping and airport goodness to check out.

Being an airline nerd, (I see that title as a compliment) one of my favorite parts of the terminal was the huge viewing platform. Actually, all three terminals at Haneda allow passengers to go to the rooftop and view the airplanes coming and going. I only wish that more American airports allowed passengers to do have viewpoints like that. Even for non airline nerds, I think it is a great way to connect passengers to the travel experience, instead of being in a building, walking down the jetway and just viewing the doorway of the airplane.

If you fly into Haneda or really any other airport, make sure to take the time to look around. Do not always assume the airport is a necessary evil. Think of it as a part of your adventure; you might be surprised with what you find.
Have you visited any airport terminals that have taken your breath away? What is your favorite aspect of the airport experience?

12.1.11

Guest Blog: Wyoming’s Grand Teton & Yellowstone National Parks: Wild America

Today we'd like to introduce a new guest blog mini series: Remembering 2010 Travels. Our first guest blogger is B. N. Sullivan the voice behind the AircrewBuzz tweets. You can learn more about Aircrew Buzz online. In today's post B.N. invites us to travel through Grand Teton National and Yellowstone National parks.

If you like wildlife and dramatic natural scenery, you would have loved my 2010 vacation -- a week-long driving trip through northwestern Wyoming to visit Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone National Park. Each park is a destination in itself, but since the two are adjacent to each other, it is easy to visit both in one trip if you allow enough time.

The Parks
The scenery in both parks was spectacular: mountains, rivers, lakes, and waterfalls – and (of course) the geysers and geothermal springs for which Yellowstone, in particular, is famous. The
wildlife was plentiful and diverse. We saw lots of big animals like deer, antelope, elk, bison (buffalo), and grizzly bears – yes, really! We also saw many smaller critters, like coyotes, river otters, and ground squirrels, along with innumerable species of birds.

One of the most amazing aspects of wildlife viewing in both parks is that the animals are right there!! In many instances, we didn’t even need to get out of our car to get a good look at them. We saw a huge grizzly bear poking around at the edge of the forest, right beside the road. It was so close I did not dare roll down my window, much less get out of the car. Twice we had to stop to allow herds of bison to amble across the road in front of us. They took their time, some even pausing directly in front of our vehicle to stare at us while we stared back.

At one point, we pulled over to the side of the road so I could photograph the lovely autumn scenery along a bend in a river. I walked to a spot not more than 20 meters from where the car was parked. I could still hear cars passing occasionally on the road behind me, while in front of me there was a family of otters playing on the river bank, and migratory ducks gliding along the river’s surface, pausing occasionally to preen. It was magical. We did some hikes on established trails in both parks, but in truth you really don’t have to stray very far from the roads to see lots and lots of wild creatures going about their business.

Nearby Towns
We chose Jackson, Wyoming as our base for the first few days. Jackson, which is south of Grand Teton National park, is a charming resort town in the area known as Jackson Hole*. Jackson is a magnet for those who like outdoor sports: skiing and snowboarding in winter; fishing, hiking, mountaineering, and kayaking during the warmer seasons.

While we used Jackson as a base for exploring Grand Teton National Park and the southern end of Yellowstone, our base for the last few days of our trip was Cody**, Wyoming. From Cody we ‘commuted’ daily to the central and northern parts of Yellowstone National Park.

Quite by chance, we also discovered a real treasure in Cody itself. The weather was fine and clear during our trip, save for one morning when we awoke to a drizzle. Rather than drive to the park in the rain, we decided to find something to do in Cody for the morning. We had noticed a facility called the Buffalo Bill Historical Center, down the road from where we were staying. It appeared to be some sort of museum, so we decided to drop by for a look. We ended up spending the entire day there, and even at that, we did not get to see everything there.

Before we arrived in Cody, we had never heard of the Buffalo Bill Historical Center, but since spending a full day there, we have been telling everyone about it. Not at all a trumped up ‘tourist attraction’, it is a real, top-notch museum, with extensive, carefully curated and wonderfully displayed exhibits. There are five themed exhibits, each in its own hall, and each of which could be a stand-alone museum: Western Art; Greater Yellowstone Natural History; Plains Indians (history and cultural anthropology); Firearms; and, of course, one about William ‘Buffalo Bill’ Cody, his life, and the times in which he lived. It is a remarkable place – an absolute ‘must see’ in Cody, Wyoming.

Logistics
There are plenty of organized tours available for visiting these and other National Parks, but we like to travel independently. We rented a car for the duration of our stay, affording us maximum flexibility to go where we wanted to go, and to spend as much or as little time as we pleased at each spot.

There are overnight accommodations within the parks -- lodges, cabins and campsites – but our preference was to base ourselves in nearby towns from which we could venture into the parks daily to explore. Both Jackson and Cody have a full range of accommodations, ranging from relatively inexpensive motels to more upscale hotels, and plenty of places to dine, and shop. We enjoyed coming back to the relative ‘civilization’ of these towns in the evenings after full days of driving and hiking.

Tip regarding park entrance fees: It costs $25 per car to enter the parks each day, but if you are going to visit the parks for more than two days, it’s best to purchase an annual pass for $50 or, if you are at least 62 years old, a senior pass for only $10. Holders of those passes can enter both parks as often as they like with no additional entrance fees.

Have you been to either of these National Parks? If so, what aspects of your trip to the park(s) were the most memorable? If you've not been to the park(s), will you plan to visit one or both in 2011?

* Jackson Hole Airport (JAC) is served by American Airlines; Delta Air Lines; Frontier Airlines; United Airlines
** Yellowstone Regional Airport (COD) is served by Delta Connection and United Express.

8.1.11

Happy New Year!

We'd like to take this opportunity to thank you for following our blog posts for the last 2.5 years! We trust that you find content in it's posts that are helpful and applicable to your air travels. If there is content that you'd like to see covered that we've not yet touched upon, please do let us know!

It is our pleasure to announce that we'll be debuting a guest mini-series that will highlight the favorite travel events and destinations from around the world of the guest bloggers! Each of the bloggers will share what it is about the destination or event that struck them as memorable. Maybe you'll read about a destination or event that strikes a chord with you and have an idea for a new trip for 2011.

If you've resolved to travel more in 2011, but your resolution is traveling on a budget, check out these 11 ways to cut costs on your 2011 travels.

Have you already saved money on a 2011 trip you've planned? What tips can you share on saving?