Asia Trip and Round the World Tickets

It's been a while since I've posted to this blog--my apologies. It's been a busy few weeks.

First off, the territories that I cover through my job have changed significantly--I now have Asia (including Japan and India), Oceania (Australia/New Zealand), and Latin America--basically the "rest of world" other than North America and EMEA (Europe/Middle East/Africa).

As you might expect, this does mean that I will be making some long trips to the various regions. I will start by heading to Mexico City next week, then it's off to Asia from June 16 until July 2.

Due to the number of cities and countries that I will need to visit, I have split my travel into four trips. The first trip will concentrate on South Asia (Hong Kong, Singapore and India). The second trip will concentrate on North Asia (Tokyo, Seoul, Beijing and Shanghai), and the third trip will be to Australia and New Zealand. I will also need to slip a trip in to Brazil somewhere, but fortunately that's a relatively easy one to do (I can easily do a trip to Sao Paulo and Rio in a week).

While I was researching my first trip, I came across a great forum that is visited by some of the most hard-core travelers I have ever run into: www.flyertalk.com . Highly recommended for anyone that travels--particularly international.

Fortunately for me, my company travel policy includes paying for business-class if the total segment length is 10 hours or longer. Unfortunately, that generally means that once you get across the ocean, the shorter flights are all coach. I did find an interesting way around this policy--and saved the company thousands of dollars while I was at it--using a 'Round the World' ticket.

It turns out that many of the airline groups (like Star Alliance) have so-called 'circle' fares, in which you pay a fixed price for a trip, and it includes all travel so long as you adhere to certain rules and conditions. For example, the Star Alliance Round the World fare allows you to literally fly around the world for a fixed price, using any of the Star Alliance airlines (20 airlines flying to 965 airports in 20 countries). In my case, it worked out to about $8,600 for business class--including stops in Hong Kong, Singapore and Bangalore. The same fare booked through the Star Alliance website was around $15K, and even our travel agent couldn't do better than about $12K.

This is the kicker--when you purchase a RTW fare, it includes travel in that class throughout the trip. This means that if you buy a business class RTW ticket, all flights that are included in the RTW itinerary qualify as business class--10 hour policy notwithstanding! So...I saved the company $3,400 and get to fly business class the entire trip. Not too shabby.

The rules and limitations of the Star Alliance RTW fare are as follows: 1) you have to continue flying in the same general direction (e.g. east-to-west or west-to-east); 2) you must make at least three stopovers, 3) the trip must be at least 10 days and no longer than 12 months in duration; 4) you don't need more than 20 flight coupons (segments), and 5) various other conditions including available ticket classes. Full details on the Star Alliance fare products can be found here. Star Alliance has other 'circle' fares, including Circle Pacific, Circle Asia, and other air passes that are all worth reading up on.

In my case, I wasn't able to find a RTW fare the first time around--something to do with a needed fare class not being available on one of the segments--but after making a change to extend the trip by a couple of days, I was able to qualify for the fare. Specifics of the route I'm taking are as follows:

Flight 1: Denver to Hong Kong (via San Francisco)
Flight 2: Hong Kong to Singapore
Flight 3: Singapore to Bangalore
Flight 4: Bangalore to Denver (via Frankfurt)

One more huge benefit of the RTW fares--if you plan your trip such that you circle the globe from east to west (such as my plan), you supposedly have a much easier time with jet lag. Something to do with flying with the earth's rotation (as opposed to against it). I'll let you know how that turns out after I return.

So, with a little research, it is possible to save my company thousands of dollars while flying around the world in business class--which will yield around 31K elite qualification miles and close to 40K miles deposited into my United account, not to mention the bragging rights of having flown all the way around the world!

A New Challenge!

Hi everyone,

Sorry that I've been quiet for the last couple of months, but as you might guess, it's because I've been busy.

I have a new territory in my role at Compuware-I will now be directing sales enablement activities for Latin America and Asia-Pacific regions, which means that I will be taking even longer, international trips. I'm hoping that this will actually translate into less total nights away from home, as you can't exactly just jump on a plane, fly 20 hours, and make a sales call.

With that, I expect that I will have even more interesting bits of travel wisdom to pass along! If I can keep the travel to a sane level, I think I'll really enjoy the new challenge.

Mom's Burma Travel Blog

Speaking of travel, my Mom has been traveling in Asia for close to a month now--mostly in Burma (aka Myanmar), where my sister is a school teacher. While Burma, which is controlled by a dictator, places tight controls on outside communication (particularly the Internet), we have been able to squeeze a few blog posts and pictures out during her visits. I thought you all might be interested in seeing them--there are some truly beautiful pictures in her blog, and it sounds like a really interesting place to visit.

Check it out by going to http://carolyns-world-travels.blogspot.com

The SunCell™ Solar Powered Battery Charger

A good friend of mine who knows the founder of EcoPowered Solutions here in Colorado recently lent me a SunCell Solar Charger recently to try out, and I am very impressed both with the product as well as the company. In fact, I will have a hard time giving it back--I may just have to buy one of my own!

The SunCell Solar Charger

The SunCell is, at its core, a rechargeable battery that can be used to recharge any number of devices, including virtually any USB device (like cell phones, iPods/MP3 players, digital cameras, etc), plus a number of other devices with proprietary connectors (like Motorola and Nokia phones, for example). The battery holds enough juice to fully recharge a typical mobile phone three times. Unfortunately, it can't recharge laptops, as they generally require much higher voltages to recharge, and some (like Dell) also have proprietary charging mechanisms. The device comes with a selection of 16 "power tips" that can accommodate a wide variety of gadgets. The device is small and lightweight: 5.5 inches x 4 inches x 1.4 inches and 0.5 pounds in weight, and it's available in a number of colors.

The product's "Inspector Gadget" feature is that it can be recharged using a number of methods, the coolest of which is two solar panels that are included with the unit (it opens using a 'clamshell design' to expose the panels. The SunCell can also be recharged using an external USB port (e.g. from a computer or a USB wall charger). It works as advertised--the internal battery fully recharges in 3-5 hours from an electrical outlet or a laptop and will recharge using solar energy (strong sunlight--outside is best) in 8-12 hours, depending on how depleted the battery cell is. The SunCell's battery capacity is 3600 maH (about what a laptop battery holds) and the solar panels can output a peak of 1.5 watts. The device has selectable output voltages that are sure to accommodate virtually any device, including 4.8v, 5.8v, 8.4v and 9v.

The SunCell retails for $125 US, including a full selection of power tips, and you can purchase the units directly from the EcoPowered website.

In addition to being very impressed with EcoPowered Solutions' product, I am equally impressed with their mission. As one might guess, they are very much into promoting renewable energy, which is admirable in itself, but they also have a higher calling--providing their technology, free of charge, to organizations that utilize it to save lives and increase the quality of life in the areas they serve. Currently, donations to their program go directly to providing SunCells to Partners in Health, which is an international health services organization. SunCells are currently being used by Partners in Health in many of the countries it has operations in such as Haiti and Malawi. They are used by the communities they work in to power cell phones in remote areas and they can be used as lighting systems for people that have no electricity. If you're interested in donating to this program, click this link.

This is a point to ponder. In addition to assisting organizations like Partners in Health, this device could very well save your own life one day. 15 years ago, I was an Emergency Medical Technician and volunteer fire fighter in a ski resort in the Colorado mountains. I also served on the local search-and-rescue, helping to locate and rescue people that had become lost in the wilderness.

There weren't as many radios and mobile phones then as now, but every time that I hear about people that get lost in the outdoors because 1) they relied on a GPS that lost power, or 2) their radio/mobile phone battery died and they weren't able to call for help, or 3) their camera ran out of juice and they couldn't save themselves by signaling to passing aircraft using the flash (you think that's funny? It works!), I think about this device. If you were to become lost or stranded, you could use the SunCell to recharge those devices that could potentially save your life, over and over. Pretty cool. It also has a built-in LED flashlight that will run non-stop for up to six days on a charge, which can also be used as a signal light. I think it makes a lot of sense to purchase a couple of these units to place in backpacks and car trunks--just in case--it could save your life some day.

New York City

Hello from New York City! I have been here all week at a trade show, and I'm also making some sales calls in New Jersey today and tomorrow while I'm out here.

Yesterday was a really nice day -- highs in the 60's (!) with just a little rain. I went walking with my camera last night and tried out my new mini-tripod; it helped a lot, particularly with shots of Rockefeller Center and Times Square. A mini-slide show of my pictures is below; you can also view all of them on flickr by clicking here.


Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

My First Experience with CLEAR Registered Travel

As I wrote earlier, I signed up for the CLEAR registered traveler program last August in Orlando and, until today, had yet to use my card. Fortunately, they just opened CLEAR lanes at Denver International Airport (I live in Denver), and I was finally able to use my card this morning.

Overall, the experience was great. Wait times for the "normal" security lines looked to be pretty long--Monday morning and all--probably in the 20-25 minute range. As I approached the CLEAR line, I had my CLEAR card, driver's license, and boarding pass out and ready to go. After the person manning the line determined that I was one of the few actual CLEAR members (there were a lot of people trying to access the line who didn't understand what it was all about), they directed me to one of their biometric scanners. I inserted my CLEAR card, put my finger on the scanner, and was informed that I was "CLEARED" in about 10 seconds.

At that point, one of the major advantages of CLEAR appeared--a "concierge" then guided me to the TSA ID checker, who checked my ID immediately. After the ID stage, the concierge then led me over to the security line (I got to cut ahead of the people queued up in front of the X-ray machine), and then proceeded to help me load my laptop, toiletries, shoes, etc., in the bins! Wonderful service--what a difference another pair of hands makes. After ensuring that all my of luggage made it into the machine, she wished me a "CLEAR day", and I was off to the metal detector. Total time, from entering the CLEAR line to getting my stuff through the X-ray machine: about 5 minutes flat....and it was far less stressful than usual, thanks to the helpful concierge.

All in all, my first CLEAR experience was great. Even though I can cut the security lines at DIA any way due to my United Premier Executive status, it still generally takes around 10 minutes to clear security. With the extra priority that the CLEAR concierge afforded me, I shaved yet another 5 minutes off of that time, plus a bit of stress. For the $128 a year that the service costs, I'm thinking that it will definitely be worth it in terms of a guaranteed security experience and lower stress levels. Plus, it's really, really cool to cut the lines just like the airline crews do!

I give CLEAR an enthusiastic two thumbs-up! Now, if they only were in every airport that I travel through....especially Detroit!

*** Thinking of signing up for Clear??? ***

If you are, please do me a favor and give them my Clear "referral code": SCA70678. This entitles me to some free months of service for everyone that signs up using my code. Thanks!

240 Me!

I was recently turned on to "Rule 240" by a friend of mine. The rule, which was created years ago by the old Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) in an attempt to spell out some passenger rights. At the time, all US carriers were required to honor the rule--today, the large carriers still do, and the smaller carriers, while they may not be legally required to observe the rule, they know what it is--and will often honor it.

In a nutshell, Rule 240 stipulated that an airline facing a delayed or canceled flight had to transfer you to another carrier if 1) the second carrier could get you to your destination more quickly than the original line and 2) it had available seats. The rule did NOT apply to weather- or act-of-god-related delays, however.

I encourage you to read a recent article by Peter Greenberg of MSNBC, which does a far better job of explaining the rule, and when it should be invoked. Anyone who travels by air in the U.S. should be aware of this rule and how to use it. See below for several articles on it.

MSNBC: Stranded at the airport? Don't forget Rule 240
Independent Traveler: Rule 240: Read It, Know It, Use It
Consumerist: Don't Fly Without a Copy of Rule 240

I can't wait to ask United Airlines to '240 me' the next time a flight is delayed--and I'll be sure to report on how it worked (or didn't).