All Aboard!

I've been contemplating starting a blog for what seems like years. I've been doing the research including this helpful little list of 29 tips to starting a blog. I realize there's a decent amount of work to keeping blogs updated so I needed to choose a topic I was not only familiar with but passionate about. I know this might sound strange but I love my job and could easily post about the exciting work we do but who wants to read about someone's job? I'm also interested in education and learning new things but I'll leave that up the folks that know a lot more about this than me, mainly teachers and educators. I was going to do a music blog but I figured I can mix this into my other favorite hobby/activity which is why I chose to write about travel.

Now I can't say I am a travel expert but that's mostly because I'm not sure where the certification for this could be acquired and who would administer that? Maybe LearningZen.com? I can tell you that I have been lucky enough to travel/vacation all of my life and for the last ten years I've been traveling a ton for my work. I try to remind myself that traveling for work and traveling for vacation are two very different animals. My business needs are at the forefront when I travel for work and I care more about whether there is wireless and how far my hotel is from the client's site. When I'm on vacation I want to be able to walk to the beach or the city and need to have access to some good eats.

I figured this blog would give me the chance to share my experiences and be honest and open about the best airlines, hotels, restaurants and bars everywhere I go. I'll talk about the coolest cities and hot spots to visit. I'll do my best to post a bunch of pictures and let you know what was good and what sucked. No hard feelings if I bash your city because there's nothing to do, no good food or no nightlife. I live in a city that's very well known for it's culinary delicacies but I challenge you to try and get a decent sub or slice of pizza in this town. Impossible.

As a frequent traveler I still struggle with which hotel to choose and where to get a bite to eat. This usually leads me to Trip Advisor and Orbitz. For dining rather than go with a fairly reliable site like Zagat's I tend to ask the locals where to go and often check the Food Nework sites for help. I'll make an effort to always let you know where I stayed, what airline I flew on and where I happened to dine. If I happen to hit the bar scene and tie one on I'll be sure to include all of the details. When I go to a club I'll tell you about the drink specials, the sound system and what the vibe of the crowd is like for each club.

The travel industry has changed a lot over the last ten years and so have I. I used to like flying but now I need to take Xanax just to get on a plane. It's a long story but one flight to Australia changed me forever. I am also bummed I can't show up to the airport 30 minutes before my flight like I used to. Most other countries rely heavily on train travel but not here. Why is that? It's kind of like soccer. I used to be happy staying at any hotel with a bed. Some of those two stars came with free entertainment courtesy of the crazy guests and paper thin walls. Now I seem to need at least three star hotels to even get comfortable. The one thing that hasn't changed is my love for delicious affordable food and beer.

Whether it's Dylan or The Hold Steady Can You Please Come Crawl Out Your window?

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