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Lyon posted:Am I the only one who has never rented a car? I always take public transportation (if it is available) or taxis. I guess all of my trips have been to Europe or major US cities where the airports are fairly close and taxis/public transportation are readily available. I never rent cars because having a car in the city for a week would be more of a hassle than a convenience. I usually only travel to DC though so it's very convenient to take the metro into the city or a taxi if I'm running late. In the city I usually just walk. I took the SuperShuttle from IAD one time and it resulted in a 3 hour trip from hell; Never again.
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Dec 10, 2012 05:06
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i like Ham posted:It was amazing to read this given how spot on some of it is for my experience traveling. My girlfriend has gotten much better about it, but she still has a bit of trouble understanding that going out with clients until 11:00 on a Thursday night is not fun for me, it is generally just about the last thing in the world I want to be doing. I also feel terrible for the fact that she has to deal with me on the weekends. Much like you, when I get home on the weekends I just want to sleep in my own bed, have some home cooked meals, and relax. We very rarely go out to eat anymore just because I am stuck doing it most nights of the week. Eating well and exercising is one of the hardest things about frequent travel. If you're out drinking it's hard to get to the gym early in the morning. Most places I stay have poo poo gyms with maybe an exercise bike or two. Even worse is the crazy eating schedule everyone I work with is on (lunch at 1:30pm, dinner at 8pm). Traveling to the same city often at least lets you find some restaurants you like just to have some normalcy. I may be the oddball here because I'm a remote worker not a contractor. My trips are to spend time at our main office 9-5. I have nights to myself and whatever friends want to go out. I really enjoy meeting new people and always seem to find random crazy adventures: rock concerts, salsa dancing, DnB clubs till the wee hours, and insane porn moguls almost getting you kicked out of bars & restaurants. Weekend trips don't happen much but are the most fun because people aren't always available for dinner/drinks on a week night. I work from home the reset of the time and rarely need to leave the house. I usually decompress after a trip but by the next weekend I'm dying to get out and do something. My wife and I still go out to dinner, dancing, drinks, whatever very often. If I didn't enjoy going out then I wouldn't travel so often. Getting to work from anywhere in the world is a huge perk. We get to visit friends & family and take extended trips and I just put in my hours from wherever I am. My last trip of the year will be this weekend through the end of the month. Office hours in DC then staying on the east coast with family. Trench_Rat posted:what is the etiquette on bringing a prostitute to your hotel room?
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Dec 11, 2012 00:41
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Belldandy posted:Unless it's the Trump. Correct, not all of hotel concierges will have them but a lot will. My current hotel of choice has some in the snack/drink cabinet. For the record, I like the hotel cause they have the nicest rooms at a reasonable price and for the availability of condoms. You will make a 3am jog to 7/11 exactly once and then you will never forget to pack them again. Vortex Street posted:I just have to stay at or under whatever rate is set for the area. One trip landed me a hotel bill that varied wildly in rates during my stay due to a nearby conference--the low days were really low, the high days were far over the allowed rate, but it averaged out to $10/day less than the allowed rate. However the goobs working on my reimbursement were not at all savvy with a calculator and gave me all kids of hell about it until I spelled it out for them. It's been my experience that the type of person who processes reimbursements are the least imaginative, most inflexible people I've ever met. I don't really think I can adequately describe how joyless and miserable every one of them seemed. Pray you never anger the accountants. They will not hesitate to nitpick your reimbursements.
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Dec 11, 2012 03:12
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Lyon posted:In a similar vein, what is everyone else's food/alcohol policy? Ours is $40/day for food and no alcohol at all unless you're "entertaining" customers which also grants you the ability to spend whatever you want within common sense levels. Generally though as long as your food expenses aren't way overboard (and your manager approves them) we're fine even if we have a beer or two with dinner. Our policy is no alcohol except for entertaining clients but our manager doesn't care if we order a drink with dinner or lunch. We aren't required to turn in itemized receipts, which is great cause otherwise we'd have to scan the itemized receipt plus the one showing the tip. What drives me crazy is that it's impossible to get breakfast for $15 at any hotel I've stayed at. Usually it's more than that even without tax and tip. I usually just grab something simple at a coffee shop or deli but sometimes it's nice to have a proper breakfast.
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Dec 11, 2012 23:29
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Lyon posted:I'll look into pre-check, I fly out of PHL and I think it just started recently for select US Airways frequent flyers. Not sure what the requirements for participation are though. You have two choices for PreCheck: 1) attain high enough status on an airline and be invite for only that airline. For delta it's Gold and up but not every elite has been invited. 2) Sign up for Nexus, Sentri, or Global Entry aka Trusted Traveler Programs. These are DHS programs that grant expedited entry into the US. Each one is specific to a Mexico, Canada, or Airport border control respectively. Though for the most part they are interchangeable and all grant access to PreCheck on all airlines too. Interviews for each are only given near cities where they can be utilized so if all you care about is PreCheck then just sign up for the program with an office near you. (I scheduled the interview for an airport I was flying to) The requirements for trusted traveler programs are: a) Pay $100 b) be a US citizen (I think Canadians may apply for global entry now too) and have proof (a passport) and another form of ID c) No misdemeanors in past 5 years. Some traffic violations are misdemeanors, but you will likely be approved if you appeal the first denial. d) Pass the background check. e) Get fingerprinted. f) Pass interview with DHS. (When asked if you are a terrorist, say "no".) It takes a few weeks for your application to be approved and, depending on the city you want to interview in, 1 week - 2 months to schedule an interview. Once approved you are set for 5 years.
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Dec 14, 2012 00:36
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