The Department of Transportation is considering regulations which would allow travelers to place voice calls in-flight. They solicited travelers and the airline industry to weigh in on the proposed measures. Although the technology exists now to place calls using WiFi applications such as WhatsApp, Facebook’s Messenger, and Skype, the DOT and airlines do not permit…
One of the best things about spending a substantial amount of time in one place is developing a relationship with the food. Often, at least in our youth, that means identifying “home” with the food from our mothers’ and grandmothers’ kitchens. But after living abroad, that also means associating your new home with new tastes and…
It has been a busy week around the Jetsetter’s Homestead. Almost crazy busy. It’s time to start the weekly recap again – the omnibus post where you’ll not only catch what you’ve missed in our posts but also the little travel/life pieces of our lives. Not only are we back in the swing of things here on…
“If you want to make God laugh, make a plan.” So often, the best laid travel plans fall apart under the pressures of missed connections, weather cancellations, and errant baggage. Those are a few of the most common causes for travel frustration. And we have all experienced the outrageously frustrating extraordinary reasons as well….
Add Paris syndrome to the list of strange maladies I hope to never be diagnosed with. I stumbled upon this previously unknown to me disorder while going down another one of my random research rabbit holes. This happens often. I intend to Google one thing. Hours later I find myself dazed, hungry, and reading about an obscure topic I had no…
For almost the entire past year, I have lived from three suitcases which I never fully unpacked. I spent that time in Curaçao on a consulting project with frequent visits to the nearby islands of Aruba and Bonaire. I was always warmly welcomed yet I never really felt at home. Nonetheless, I liked that lifestyle….
Several things have changed a bit around here in recent weeks, as I mentioned earlier this week. As part of my commitment to keep more fresh content on the blog, its time for Jim to start taking a voice here at Jetsetter’s Homestead. Jim Ogden is a natural fit for this website. We share the same life goal of…
One of my travel pet peeves as a near-weekly flyer is the ambiguity of the American Airlines boarding order process. While the order in which passengers are allowed to board has been clearly articulated in the past, the American Airlines boarding order process is often still poorly executed. Right now, there are technically nine different boarding groups…
Freddie Awards voting for 2017 opened a few days ago and your favorite travel programs may have already tipped you off with an early plea to vote. The Freddie Awards recognize excellence in travel loyalty programs and are highly coveted by airlines, hotels, and credit card issuers. Winning a Freddie gives a program bragging rights for marketing. Also, the awards often…
The prodigal blogger returns, after a seven week absence, to explain how coach is an upgrade. Yes, that is a thing. I didn’t intend to have such a long gap (yet again) between posts but life happened. We had a significant reorg at work along with eight business trips. I also had a second surgical procedure for the melanoma…
We are three days into the new year and my calendar is surprisingly free of personal travel commitments for 2017 which is highly unusual, almost suspect. I’m not entirely free of commitments as I have several business and volunteer commitments already penciled in and am awaiting decisions on projects that may largely direct the…
Each year I like to set travel objectives for the new year to help me focus my travel planning. I achieved most of mine in both 2015 and again in 2016. The clock has turned and it is now time to set goals for 2017 travel. Maximize my actual travel time – Whether it is…