Toolie Business Travel Newsletter August 2009In This Issue:
Toolie's Monthly Travel Tip: Online Travel Tracking with TripItMy trip to the National Speakers Association National Convention last month yielded a number of decisions about changes to my daily business operations. After several years of tire-kicking and gauging the timing, I've decided to take on a program called "eSpeakers" that is designed to track all the details of speaking engagements. eSpeakers was created by an NSA member based on the unique needs of an entrepreneurial speaker, allowing you to track everything from your travel details to the outfit you're wearing to the stories you're going to tell in your speech. As with any database program, you have to "feed it." Of course you're going to enter your name, address, and other contact info; but eSpeakers also can import data from a website called "TripIt." As a business traveler, my interest immediately swerved towards the prospect of tracking my travel online. The Debacle or the Delight is in the Details I've traveled nearly 1 million miles since 1995, and while I'm quick to take advantage of advances in technology, I've been slow to take advantage of technology employed by travel companies. Why? Because when they mess up, you are either stuck far away from home, or you have no place to sleep. So I when I was at Microsoft, I was the last to accept e-tickets from airlines, and email confirmations as guarantee of my hotel bookings. At least then if things got messed up, I had a big company to back me up and get me to a hotel. Ever since I've been on my own, so I'm very careful with my travel arrangements. On my most recent trip, I missed a step in my American Express Membership Rewards reservation, and ended up having to pay for my entire car rental bill when I was counting on only having to pay about 1/3rd of it. I was convinced the rental car company had messed up, and unfortunately, I don't think the folks at the counter in Phoenix will forget my demonstration of dismay anytime soon. I will still probably continue to employ my paper folder of travel details in defense of my travel arrangements. There's something particularly convincing about being able to show a hotel clerk an emailed confirmation printed the date the reservation was made. Nevertheless, I am open to adding online travel tracking to my arsenal of smooth-travel initiatives. Getting the Data into the Computer The wise folks at TripIt.com have thought about this! Through the wonders of XML (Extensible Markup Language) and EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) it's possible to send your travel confirmation email from a supported vendor to plans@tripit.com and have them show up in your account. Supported vendors? The list is staggeringly wonderful: http://www.tripit.com/uhp/supportedVendors From TripIt, you can then export the details to your favorite email calendar and/or PDA. If you're still using Outlook 2003, you can download an iCal file, double-click it, and save the entry in your calendar. Otherwise, you can subscribe to the calendar feed and pull the information in that way. Not Just the Travel, Also Your Activities TripIt has room for not only your travel details but places to enter plans such as meetings and leisure activities. This can be useful for both your needs and that of your assistant, virtual assistant, or your spouse. Entering ALL of your activities is also important because it helps reveal two sneaky travel gremlins: the tendency to try to pack too much into one day, and the tendency to not allow enough time to overcome anything that might go wrong on your way to or from any destination. Combining Travel Plans with Networking Both my eSpeakers application and TripIt allow you to share your travel plans (generically or in detail) with others in your personal, collegial, and social networks. It's not just about being able to call up a friend while you're in town, it's about business opportunities. Knowing that someone else is going to be in town gives you the chance to meet, make plans for a joint venture, and profit from the connection. That advance knowledge is priceless. Within the TripIt application, you can connect to your LinkedIn account and compare your network to the list of other TripIt users. You then have the option of inviting those TripIt users to connect with you and exchange general travel details. You have control over how much information is shared with them. You will then see who is in town where you're going to be and on what dates. If you're looking for business opportunities, this gives you the information you need to pursue them. Rave Reviews for TripIt When you go to the TripIt website, you'll see the logo contains the word "beta." As a software professional I have a professional definition for it, but the assessment of the stability of software can be a subjective thing. Nevertheless, the company was founded in 2006, so they didn't just get started. Reviews from other travelers are very positive: http://search.twitter.com/search?q=tripit It was just recently selected as an option for corporate travelers who use BCD Travel, the third-largest provider of corporate travel services. http://blog.tripit.com/2009/08/bcd-selects-tripit-for-corporate-travel-itineraries.html TripIt was also featured in Time Magazine and on the Today Show. http://blog.tripit.com/2009/08/tripit-featured-in-time-and-the-today-show.html There is a Pro version of TripIt for $69 per year, which gives you travel alerts, alternate flight recommendations, notifications to people you specify as your inner circle, and even frequent flyer and hotel points tracking. I'll be testing the usefulness of TripIt on my journey in October, and of course pulling that information into eSpeakers. It will be nice to only have to store the information once, which is the ideal for every database geek like me. Are you using TripIt? Send me an email about your experiences with the service (good, bad, ugly) and I will share them anonymously with my readers. ToolieCoaching.com's Summer Sale Discount is ExtendedThose of you on my website service mailing lists know that I offered a 30%-off discount on website and blog coaching, and Internet software installations (all of my services on www.ToolieCoaching.com) through September 9th. The response was so great that on Tuesday September 1st, I'm announcing a time extension to that discount. Instead of expiring at 11:59 pm 09/09/09, the sale will last through September 15th. You're invited to take advantage of that help with your websites and blogs! Toolie's Travel PlansI'm speaking to the Komputer Enthusiasts of Greater Seattle on September 14th, right here in the Seattle area, teaching them how to use keywords and logic to search effectively using Google, Bing, and other search engines. I am home for a while -- my next known trip is in October, but I am working on some opportunities for September. October 10th I'll be speaking to the New Orleans Chapter of the National Speakers Association -- it'll be fun! While I'm in town, I'm looking for additional consulting and speaking opportunities, so if you know of small businesses who would benefit from website training, let me know. Stop by my web site, http://www.tooliethetravelguide.com and say 'Hello,' especially if the Live Chat icon says I'm online. I love to hear from my subscribers anytime! Toolie®
the Travel Guide http://www.ToolieTheTravelGuide.com PS: Follow me on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/toolie |