TravelCommons

We open up with thoughts about skipping rental cars, sharing listener comments on the Chicago Layover Excursion, and the current state of American Airliness. Michael Komarnitsky, CEO of GoMiles, talks about why he sold his company to Traxo and where he sees the mileage tracking industry going. We wrap with my thoughts about how I break through the frequent traveler "travel bubble" by looking for local artisanal food and craft beers

Back in the TravelCommons studios after a 2,100-mile drive through the Mid-South. We genuflect quickly to the milestone episode number and then move onto the topics at hand: best piece of hardware schwag from Google I/O 2012, a slightly icky subway ride from downtown San Francisco to SFO, a grab bag of observations from my southern road trip, and why I find myself breaking up with American Airlines after almost 30 years of travel.

United Airlines' CFO garnered some less-than-desired attention last month when he said that "certain groups" in the Mileage Plus program were "over-entitled". United is the most recent airline to work on "realigning benefits" -- downgrading their elite fliers, especially those in the lower status tiers. We talk about how that impacts frequent flier strategies. We also talk about adjustments needed when frequent travelers come off the road -- how to find time to yourself.

A backpack stolen from the train to the airport — or more specifically, passports inside the stolen backpack — unexpectedly extends a beer-tasting weekend in Brussels. During my recent international trips, I find that Apple’s FaceTime and iMessage aren’t working reliably — could be because of hotel WiFi bandwidth constraints. TSA’s PreCheck expedited security screening feels like you’ve passed through a time warp and landed back in 1999. Walking the floor of the National Restaurant Association’s annual trade show, it looks like restaurants are banking on their customers carrying smartphones and want to use them for wait list paging, bar tabs, and payments.

Lots of travel has kept me away from the mic -- Beijing, London, Vienna, Phoenix, New York, and New Orleans. Big difference in airline load factor between international and domestic flights. The international flights were half full while the domestic flights were booked solid. These trips allowed me to compare the different treatment US airlines get in international airports. This was my first trip to China; it made quite an impression. This string of travel has formed a strong opinion that the thermostat is the most important piece of hotel technology.

In this episode, a listener asks about if and when to use travel compression socks, we discern the popularity of in-flight Wi-Fi service from Gogo's IPO filing, and dissect a recent article on the best airports for tech users. We look at the new wave of social media dining apps such as Untappd which helps you drink beer socially, how they're taking advantage of smartphone cameras and location services. We wrap up with a look at how airline alliances are changing the frequent flier's experience.

Updated holiday travel tips: drive or train for trips less than 350 miles, pay extra to fly direct, catch the first flight out, and know all the alternative airports. News reports of Black Friday shopping make me wonder why people would go through the hassles to fly airlines like Spirit Air. Listener comments about last episode's story of a rare prop plane flight sitting next to a "passenger of size"; then my own thoughts on the USAir passenger forced to stand on a 7-hour flight because a "passenger of size" overflowed into his seat.

Flight out of Grand Junction, CO gave me a throw-back moment — a flight in a prop plane. Sitting next to a huge guy on a very small plane got me thinking about how to deal with row mates — row mates "of size" and row mates who like to chat. Global Entry program saved me from a huge line at ORD. Comment on the now-infamous TSA exhortation to "Get Your Freak On Girl". Close with an economics lesson — what's happened to all the hot flight attendants?

Recounting the stories of travelers trying to get back home after the US borders were closed after the terror attacks on September 11, 2001. Also, hands on experience working on a Samsung Chromebook while on the road

Into the summer travel rhythm with a mix of vacation and business travel. Using an Apple iPad 2 and Samsung's new Galaxy Tab 10.1 Android tablet during this mix gave me enough real world experience to make some recommendations. A couple of recent web links describe this podcast as "not as upbeat as others" which is true, but because it focuses on traveling, not destinations. Perhaps this non-chipper attitude is partially explained by a recent study placing 4 US airline companies in the top 8 most hated companies in America. And a listener suggests ways to reduce roaming voice and data costs.

Was off the road for two weeks for my kids' graduations, but now back in the security lines with a mix of domestic and international travel. Listener suggestions include dining at local music clubs to avoid the "eating alone" stigma, and using mini-USB hubs to power your gadgets without carrying a basketful of international plug adapters. I'm impressed by how a couple of TSA screeners deal with a silly carry-on. I'm not impressed though by how American Airline's old MD-80's keep delaying my travels. And, after a lousy Avis rental return experience, an employee reaches out and wins me back

Lots of business travel this month - UK, India, Germany, Phoenix, San Francisco, and Madrid - so there's a lot to talk about. The international travel lets me compare business class seats - there's a wide range of experiences even within the same airline. While in India, a listener asks my advice on adjusting for jetlag on Asian flights. I was surprised at the amount of data my iPhone consumed while I was in Europe but I finally found the culprit. I found myself much more comfortable traveling in India the second time around. And, walking away from the Google IO conference with a new Samsung Android "Honeycomb" tablet, my iPad fixation starts to loosen.

After returning from a 10-day visit to Vietnam, friends and TravelCommons podcast listeners asked me a lot of questions about our trip. In this video, I answer the most common question -- "How did they treat you when they found out you were American?" -- and give my impressions of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), HoiAn, Hanoi, and Halong Bay.

Recorded in the Seattle Marriott Waterfront, this special 4th-year anniversary edition collates the best bits from four years of TravelCommons podcasts. Starting with the "hotel medley" -- the roll call of all the hotels that have served as TravelCommons recording studios, we move on to excerpts from stories about the TSA, Bose headphones, memories of better airplane food, the hassles of travel, and some of the most entertaining sights I've seen in the last four years.

Recorded in the Seattle Marriott Waterfront, this special 4th-year anniversary edition collates the best bits from four years of TravelCommons podcasts. Starting with the "hotel medley" -- the roll call of all the hotels that have served as TravelCommons recording studios, we move on to excerpts from stories about the TSA, Bose headphones, memories of better airplane food, the hassles of travel, and some of the most entertaining sights I've seen in the last four years.