TheMapPinJunkie

TheMapPinJunkie

Sunday, August 23, 2015

Business Travel - Back in San Antonio

My current project has been in high gear for the past several weeks and I traveled back to San Antonio last weekend. I found myself staying over this weekend so I ventured out to entertain myself this weekend.

I am a sucker for interesting architectural details and the city is full of great examples. From the courtyard at the Menger Hotel to the Mission of San Jose, there is something beautiful around every corner. Here are a few shots for you to enjoy. If you find yourself in San Antonio, take some time to enjoy what this beautiful city has to offer. 











The weather in August is hot and humid but certainly bearable with the right preparations, including sun block, light layers, a hat, and lots of water. Do that and you'll enjoy your visit a lot more.

Until next time,
Peace, love, and travel!








Monday, August 10, 2015

Business Travel - Accentuate the Positives

Wow! I can't believe it's been so long since I posted, but hopefully I can remedy that as my professional life slows down a bit (maybe?).

It's not secret that I love to travel. Whether for business or pleasure, I find it fun to plan, pack, and hit the road....or the air. Lately, though, it's been a bit of a chore. I think that's due to the late Summer heat common to the desert Southwest, an enormous project that consumes all my time, and the frequent travel glitches I've recently encountered.

Late flights, cancelled flights, TSA power-trips, rude seat mates, and a lack of healthy food have made things less than awesome. In fact, last Friday's travel day was so bollocksed-up, my dinner was a large order of fries from McDonald's at 11:00pm with a 4am wake-up call. It was rough going.

To combat the negative spiral that wants to claim me, let me list some great things about business travel.

5. The chance to see someplace new or discover something new in a regular destination. For example, I learned all about the historic Menger Hotel in San Antonio this last trip and had an amazing dinner at the Zinc Wine Bar. 

4. Meeting new people. Weird, unique, intelligent, or amusing - there is always someone interesting to meet, observe, or avoid when traveling. Great fodder for dinner time stories.

3. Sleeping in the middle of fresh white sheets with marshmallow like pillows. While it's tough to be away from family, it can be great to sprawl in the middle of the bed, crank the a/c as cold as you please and sleep like the dead without being tossed like a salad by kids, dogs, or significant others.

2. Frequent flyer miles and all the related mileage programs that feed into the same airline. This helps me feed my pleasure travel habit and gives me something to focus on when I have an arm-rest hogging, man-spreading, mouth-breather sitting next to me on a Canadair Regional Jet 900.

And the number one great thing about business travel is......
1. Coming home and getting a warm welcome. Such a good thing, whether human or animal greeting. Being met with wine and food is even better. 😀

Sigh, that made me feel better. It's always good to focus on the positives. The next trip is booked and coming up soon, so I will post my best travel tips later this week. Thanks for letting me vent!

Peace, love, and travel!


Home away from home?