Taking off Travel blog

Suitcase.com has recently published its Consumer Luggage Report 2010. Among its key findings were:

57.4% are now packing lighter and using smaller travel bags, and 56.5% check fewer bags, due to increasing airline fees and restrictions.

72.3% most commonly use carry-on bags during air travel.

79.1% consider luggage size and dimensions the greatest influence on their decision to purchase, with luggage weight (69.3%) the second-most deciding factor.

44.2% prefer lightweight materials the most when purchasing luggage.

88.9% consider wheels the most important luggage feature, with retractable handles (71.4%) the second-most important feature.

The Taking Off Travel Blog talked to John Ebb, CEO of Suitcase.com, about the findings, especially related to business travel.

1. John, what can we learn about business travel behavior from your Luggage Trends survey?

Based on the survey results from those travelers who stated they fly for business more than 50% of the time (with the majority taking more than 10 trips a year) now use lighter, smaller suitcases (61.5%), and check fewer bags (53.8%) than in previous years. In addition, these business travelers use carry‐ons 79.4% of the time.

What are the latest luggage trends?

When purchasing luggage, these business travelers consider luggage size and weight (89.7%) the greatest influence on their luggage purchases, with specialized luggage features and functionality (73%) the second‐most important factor and luggage weight (71.7%) the third factor.

Many of these business travelers included in their responses that they seek the added features and functionality of durable wheels (91%) and retractable handles (71.7%), when purchasing luggage. Several responses also mentioned preferring to switch their airlines to one without baggage fees, such as Southwest Airlines, rather than bringing different luggage. Read more »

It’s been a while since we last looked at some of the stories making headlines in the travel industry, so here’s our first travel news roundup of 2010.

Travel Oscars - Are You In?

Are you ready to go to the Oscars? There are no films involved, but if you’re in the travel business, then the World Travel Awards are where you want to be. You can nominate yourself in one of 998 categories covering a wide range of regions. It’s a good way to strut your travel stuff and stand out from the herd or, as President and Founder Graham Cooke, says: “winning a World Travel Award is an excellent way to stand up and be counted at time when marketing budgets are tight”. Nomination forms are available here. You’ll need to get yours in by January 31. Read more »

What is your computer setup?

I recently wondered whether business travelers dare to unplug in the 21st century. If your answer is a resounding ‘no’ then it’s time to look at what you need to really stay connected today. Here’s a peek at my setup. I hope you’ll share yours in the comments below.

Computer

This almost goes without saying. Over the years, I’ve fluctuated between desktops and laptops. My current set up is a Dell desktop machine for home use with as large a screen as I could afford and a small laptop (Samsung NC-110) for taking on the road.  Tip: Choose a laptop with as big a keyboard as possible; tiny keys can be hard on the hands and wrists.

Other Hardware

One essential item for me is a good headset. Not only does this prevent me from annoying others around me when I play music and videos, it also comes in handy for VOIP software. A webcam is another tool that’s almost essential. When you are talking to and meeting people online, it’s good to be able to see their faces and gauge reactions. Read more »

I’ve recently discovered a great business travel tool and I didn’t have to spend a dime to get it. When you’re on a business trip to a new city, you need to be able to find your way around very quickly so that you don’t waste valuable time. Ovi Maps (formerly Nokia Maps) helps you to do just that. If you have one of the recent touchscreen Nokia phones, then this mapping program comes as part of the package. I recently put it to the test, using my Nokia 5800 Xpress Music.

Getting Started

In order to use the maps program on your phone you will need to download some maps. There’s no need to worry about the often prohibitive cost of data downloads. The bundled Nokia software also includes a desktop maps program, so fire it up and download the maps to your computer. That can take a while on slow connections, but once it’s done, you can sync the maps you need to your phone.

The maps are divided by continent and then by major area. For the UK, you can load maps for either England, Ireland, Scotland or Wales, but not (as far as I could tell) for specific regions such as London. Similarly, the US maps allow you to load maps for each state. I loaded up New York and New Jersey in preparation for my trip and set my phone to use the program offline to avoid roaming charges. Read more »

Can you unplug on a business trip?

Business travel has changed a lot since I took my first business trip. Then, it was taken for granted that when you left your office, you would be out of reach for a few days. Sure, you might phone in on an extended trip, or communicate if you really needed to find out something, but if you were leaving the country, you wouldn’t waste the company’s money on an international phone call. There were no mobile phones and very few computers - and they certainly weren’t portable.

Fast forward some 25 years and the picture is different. Now, it’s strange if you aren’t constantly connected. I don’t know about you, but one of the first questions I ask about a hotel these days is not ‘what is the room like?’ but ‘do they have free WiFi?’ But is being constantly connected always a good thing?

21st Century Business Travel

On my very first business trip, once meetings were out of the way, I was left to my own devices. I could hang out with colleagues or take off for a bit of sightseeing. Once I had achieved what was required for the day, there was nothing more I needed to do. Now, whenever there’s a five minute break, I’m heading to the business center or to my laptop to check my email and make sure that nothing urgent has happened in my absence. While I’m at it, I also check up on the main social sites I frequent, as I wouldn’t want to be out of contact for too long.

The result of that is less down time, less time to enjoy the locations I travel to and to appreciate the diversity of human culture and behavior. I may travel more, but I often think that I see less of the places I visit on business. So, what’s the answer?

I think that if your holiday allowance permits it, tack on a couple of days to the trip so that you can explore the town you are in and the surrounding area. Leave your laptop in the hotel safe and only use your mobile phone if it’s absolutely necessary. Unplug for a day, if you dare - it’s one way to put the fun back into business travel.