LOC101.008 - we are your travel guides

what's there to do/eat in ___?

it's a common question that we get asked. and i don't blame people for doing so b/c i do the same thing w/ my consultant friends. consultants do benefit having "work travel" at most major cities as part of their job description. and when we travel, we tend to explore not only the city itself, but the many things the city has to offer.

i've been able to dine at numerous restaurants, drink at different lounges, and visit tourist sites most major city has to offer. here are my "tops" list (not in any particular order):

• chicago - the terrace - rooftop lounge
• los angeles - kang hodong baekjeong - korean bbq
• new york city - please don't tell - speakeasy
• tampa - berns - steakhouse

LOC101.006 - airport codes

from LAX to JFK, we probably know it (and there's a good chance we've been there too).

i think the best way to describe it is how we can talk about highways or streets. we can easily list off the streets you need to take to get from your house to the grocery store or the mall. for us, the "grocery store" is another city/state/country and the "streets" are the airports/airport codes. it just rolls off the tongue - "yeah, i'm going to bangkok through NRT" or "i have to go through ORD to get to JFK". and i suppose the frequency of travel helps us remember as well.

the perfect example of a conversation we might have was in "up in the air" when george clooney's character tries to figure out when/where he'd be able to meet up with vera farmiga's character. i'll see if i can find a youtube clip.

so the next time you see one of us, see how much we really know w/ our airports. 

LOC101.005 - need travel friends/partners

we love to travel. we really do.

we kinda have to because it's part of the job description. and for those who travel, who really likes to go places alone, right? it's all about making experiences with friends and family. so it's no surprise when we're on the hunt for people who not only love to travel wherever and whenever but also can take the time off to travel.

one of the benefits of consulting is the time off from work which is unusual (US only developed country in world w/o single legally required paid vacation day/holiday). if i don't take any extended vacation time throughout the year, i accrue 5 weeks of vacation. the sad thing is that it's hard to take time off throughout the year when you're staffed on a project so we usually take all of our vacation at once.

so if you're looking to go somewhere, lmk (hey, an acronym! surprised?)!

LOC101.004 - status, status, status, status...

it's all about being diamond or platinum or whatever the highest level you can get.

it's the unwritten rule for new hires to sign up for all the reward programs out there. that goes from airlines to hotels to car rentals to credit cards. it's all about maximizing what we can get, points to acquire, but the eventual end goal is to get the highest status that a program can offer.

with status, comes benefits. that means free upgrades to first class or to a junior suite or to a premium car. and who wouldn't like getting free upgrades for different things. personally for me, the biggest benefit is the first class seat on flights. being a bigger dude, nothing like cramming into a small seat for 3-5 hours. 

all that said, i recognize that i've been blessed to be able to travel on the company dime to get to where i am (from a status to the points/miles). and i know that it's not going to last long, so i'm going to take advantage and appreciate every single upgrade granted.

sigh, dreading the day that'll come and i won't have status or miles.