We have a habit of vacationing at Christmas. This year, thanks to Alaska Airlines’ direct service from Oakland to Kona, it didn’t take much arm-twisting to convince us that the Big Island was the way to go. It was, of course, fantastic to be away, but this vacation also taught me some valuable lessons.
Revelation 1: [...]
Clarifying Complex Ideas
Tag Archive: travel
What I Learned on Vacation
Another 40: Days 22-32
Yes, I’ve been terrible about following through on the documentation of this 40-day challenge. Since we last spoke, I went on vacation. For anyone who wonders if they should skip the hoopla of the holidays and head for the tropics, my answer is an unequivocal yes.
In the course of a week, I read a 500-page [...]
AMWA Conference
I’m leaving on a jet plane today, heading to Dallas, Texas for the annual American Medical Writers Association (AMWA) conference. I get to spend four days learning about topics like statistics, regulatory aspects of the drug development process, virology, epidemiological research and health policy reform.
My inner med geek is very excited.
40 Days Q&A: On the Road
This week will be brutal: an evening meeting on Monday, and traveling to a conference from Wednesday to Saturday.
How do you keep track of everything on the road?
Quite simply, I won’t. I’ll track my exercise, hydration, fruits and veggies, and I may make a note of whether I think that my calorie counts were low, [...]
My Conflicted Relationship with Kindle
I said I wasn’t going to do it. I wasn’t going to make the leap to Kindle, no matter how many people raved about it. I was going to be a traditionalist, darn it, and I was going to read real books on real paper.
But then they dropped the price to $299, and [...]
Travel Reading
I’ve already read two books on this trip, and both are worth recommending.
The first is Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen, by Christopher MacDougall. It takes everything that I thought I knew about running and tosses it out the window.
The second is The Girl [...]
Traveling Light
I am one of those people who can pack for any trip — business or pleasure — in a rollaboard suitcase and a personal bag that can fit beneath the seat in front of me. A week-long trade show requiring suits? No problem. Two weeks in Europe? Easy. I have [...]
FedEx: Defeating Checked Bag Fees
I’ve already professed my love for FedEx, but this story is better yet.
In January, I flew back east for a combination business/family visit. I spent the first and last nights with family, so I again decided to test my bag-fee-aversion technique. I sent a densely-packed box in either direction, and each way cost [...]
