Boarding pass. Pan Am-covered Passport. Starbucks VIA Ready Brew (Italian Roast, thank you). Those are the only three items I need for a successful trip – business or vacation. Well, I guess a packed carry-on would be beneficial, too.

I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve used Via during a trip. Whether it’s because the hotel coffee offered was horrid or I needed a quick [...]]]> This is not your Dad’s instant coffee of days gone by.

Boarding pass. Pan Am-covered Passport. Starbucks VIA Ready Brew (Italian Roast, thank you). Those are the only three items I need for a successful trip – business or vacation. Well, I guess a packed carry-on would be beneficial, too.

I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve used Via during a trip. Whether it’s because the hotel coffee offered was horrid or I needed a quick pick-me-up with no spare time to brew fresh or hit a local Starbucks coffeehouse – Via has been there for me.

Starbucks Via is perfect for the plane.

Easily transports

Via is the most easily-transported thing I carry. The individual packets are so small you can pop them anywhere – a pocket, a purse, a camera bag, a diaper bag, a briefcase, even inside your laptop sleeve. No, you do not have to place them in a 3-1-1 bag.

No spoon needed

According to the geniuses at Starbucks, “The magic is in a proprietary, all-natural process that we spent years perfecting. We microgrind the coffee in a way that preserves all of their essential oils and flavor. No other coffee company takes this step, and it makes all the difference.”

Now, I’ve used a spoon to stir my Via into a cup of water. However, I’ve also just swirled the micro-ground powder into a fabulous cup of coffee. It easily mixes even when there is no stirring device handy (spoon, straw, The Sky Steward’s Montblanc pen…you get the picture).

Hot or cold

Ideally, I like my coffee hot. However, there are times when I simply don’t have access to hot water. Thanks to that magic, microgrind process, it easily dissolves in room-temperature or cold water. The photo above is my cup of Italian Roast Via as mixed in cold water. The small regional jet I was flying in didn’t have hot water. So, I sipped iced-coffee.

On the plane

Once you pour the micro-grains into water, that Starbucks aroma you’ve come to love and rely on fills the air. And, it makes those around you jealous because you’re drinking fabulous coffee and they’re stuck with the horrid hot liquid the flight attendant is trying to convince them is coffee.

At the bar

Sprinkle some in a vodka-on-the-rocks for a fabulous spiked iced coffee. Sure beats the taste of Red Bull!

In the hotel room

Though many hotels are making in-room mini bars a thing of the past, coffee makers are still provided. If you’re lucky, the coffee is decent. If you’re not so lucky, enter Starbucks Via. I stay in countless hotel rooms that, unfortunately, don’t provide decent in-room coffee. Starbucks Via is the best roommate!

Hmmmm. Will Starbucks Via replace The Sky Steward as my traveling companion???

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Jetiquette explained along with tips on summer travel and more! Have you even had someone on your plane take an entire overhead bin? Do you believe that everyone should clean up after themselves on the airplane? Gailen talks about Jetiquette plus some tips on preparing to make summer travel a breeze!

Related posts: Jetiquette Club Library Jetiquette Members enjoy special benefits to make their travel more... Civilized Travelers are Making the “Jetiquette Pledge” Jetiquette®…not just for private jets anymore As the summer travel... Jetiquette [...]]]>

Jetiquette explained along with tips on summer travel and more! Have you even had someone on your plane take an entire overhead bin? Do you believe that everyone should clean up after themselves on the airplane? Gailen talks about Jetiquette plus some tips on preparing to make summer travel a breeze!

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Jesse Travis and Brent Hollowell

Brent Hollowell of Zen Class Travel joined us to discuss how their travels (he and his business partner have logged over 1,000,000 miles) inspired them to design the Nirvana Organizer and Travel Tote.  It can be carried as a tote using the padded shoulder strap, and when unzipped it slides over a seat back tray (or stroller, or car seat) to provide easy access to everything you need while cruising at 40,000 feet. [...]]]>

Jesse Travis and Brent Hollowell

Brent Hollowell of Zen Class Travel joined us to discuss how their travels (he and his business partner have logged over 1,000,000 miles) inspired them to design the Nirvana Organizer and Travel Tote.  It can be carried as a tote using the padded shoulder strap, and when unzipped it slides over a seat back tray (or stroller, or car seat) to provide easy access to everything you need while cruising at 40,000 feet. It is a perfect solution for busy road warriors, as well as an ideal solution for kids’ and infants’ gear.

The Nirvana Organizer now comes in a a luxury leather model, as well as durable microfiber. If you visit the Zen Class website you will find a comprehensive table listing all lthe things a person might need to carry on to a flight.  The organizer was designed specifically to accommodate all of these items on the list while mounted in the “open” position on a seat back tray table in-flight.  In the “closed” position for transport from place to place, the organizer bag can also carry all except the bulkiest items, such as laptops.  Check out the comprehensive list by clicking HERE

Nirvana Organizer mounts on tray table (leather model pictured)

With a company name like “Zen Class” you probably won’t be surprised by the corporate mission statement:

COMPASSION We open our hearts to cranky travelers and hope they find us soon.

INNER PEACE We celebrate the joy that comes from having travel needs met in simple, intuitive ways.

THE JOURNEY We know the journey is as important as the destination and should be enjoyed (or at least not induce travel rage).

PROBLEM SOLVING Much like turning on a light removes darkness from a room, so does a well-designed product remove hassle from a trip.

CALMNESS We strive for peace amidst chaos, aided by products that soothe the spirit and make journeys less brutal.

COMMUNITY We cultivate a like-minded community of travelers ready for change, finding inspiration in their wisdom.

To be part of the Zen Class community click HERE and follow them on Facebook by clicking HERE

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Delta Airlines’ Marine Air Terminal at LaGuardia Airport will now have three shuttle destinations being operated to Boston, Washington National and now Chicago O’Hare. The New York-Chicago flights will offer the convenience that the air shuttle has always been known for since the concept was engineered by the Eastern Airlines’ Air Shuttle in 1961. Passengers will be able to use kiosks to purchase tickets the day of travel at Delta Shuttle stations and [...]]]>

Delta Shuttle (Steele Luxury Travel)

Delta Airlines’ Marine Air Terminal at LaGuardia Airport will now have three shuttle destinations being operated to Boston, Washington National and now Chicago O’Hare. The New York-Chicago flights will offer the convenience that the air shuttle has always been known for since the concept was engineered by the Eastern Airlines’ Air Shuttle in 1961. Passengers will be able to use kiosks to purchase tickets the day of travel at Delta Shuttle stations and then step on board.

The flights will operate with the Embraer 175 which is equipped with 12 first class seats and 64 economy seats. The shuttle will also offer meals in first class and complimentary wine and Sam Adams beer. On morning flights before 10 AM, there will be bagels offered to economy passengers as well. It will be interesting to see how United and American react to this new service by Delta. It may be time for these airlines to introduce their own shuttles offering walk-up service on one of their busiest “golden” routes. Let the games begin!

In addition to Delta’s new shuttle services, the airline is bringing more flights to its Los Angeles hub with nonstops to San Francisco, Columbus, Hartford/Springfield and Raliegh Durham. By June, Delta will be offering 81 peak day-departures to 26 nonstop destinations from LAX.

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Have you been pulled over by the TSA and “reminded” about the size limitations of liquids in your carry-on? Yes, there are things you can do, like switch to non-liquid alternatives like those suggested by Doug Dyment, the guru of  “packing light”, but if you are determined to hold on to your beauty regimen in its entirety (which has made you the gorgeous creature you are today), then we have some [...]]]> Your favorite beauty and grooming products are good-to-go!

Have you been pulled over by the TSA and “reminded” about the size limitations of liquids in your carry-on? Yes, there are things you can do, like switch to non-liquid alternatives like those suggested by Doug Dyment, the guru of  “packing light”, but if you are determined to hold on to your beauty regimen in its entirety (which has made you the gorgeous creature you are today), then we have some ladies that you’ve just got to meet. Kate Duff and Alexi Mintz, two beauty industry insiders, have created www.3FLoz.com which has brought some of the best beauty brands together in TSA approved, travel friendly packaging. High maintenance women and men rejoice along with  the Sky Steward with the arrival of 3FLOZ!

3FLoz.com is designed from the ground up for the modern traveler. They even offer a free upgrade to overnight shipping if you provide them with an itinerary with a departure within three days–even shipping internationally or direct to hotels without a problem. So you can close up your makeshift bathroom bottling facility and nix your monthly stop at the Walgreen’s trial size aisle. You now have a team dedicated to keeping looking and feeling luxuriously fabulous with on-the-go sizes of your favorite brands of beauty and grooming products.

Check out the growing list of brands available from www.3FLoz.com

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I have to be completely “real” with you right now when I say, “My name is Gailen David and I am an iPhone addict”. This week, my iPhone and I have become practically fused together from constant contact. I don’t know about you, but I resisted getting an iPhone for a long time, saying things like “I am not giving in to this Apple stuff!” Well, it turns out the I did give in and the [...]]]>

iPhone Earrings at Etsy.com

I have to be completely “real” with you right now when I say, “My name is Gailen David and I am an iPhone addict”. This week, my iPhone and I have become practically fused together from constant contact. I don’t know about you, but I resisted getting an iPhone for a long time, saying things like “I am not giving in to this Apple stuff!” Well, it turns out the I did give in and the iPhone is taking over my life. I knew I had a problem when:

• My iPhone began spending the night with me in bed and I would check my email, Facebook, and Twitter at least 3 times per night
• The screen on my iPhone had traces of everything I had eaten for the past 24 hours
• I have to take a nap while my iPhone recharges
• I started feeling sorry for people without iPhone. Sort of the way body builders look at the rest of us
• If I forgot my earphones when traveling, that 4 star hotel looked like a Motel 6 as a result of my depressed state
• You look forward to stoplights and getting stood-up since it gives you more alone time with your iPhone

There are many more tell-tale signs of addiction to the iPhone that are turning up all of the time in therapy sessions around the world.

Livespeakr at Home

After the Intervention. Reward Yourself!

Once you’ve admitted to the world that your an iPhone addict, it’s time to reward yourself with some cool speakers like these that  I take with me when I travel and use in the hotel room (they’re great at home too). They’ve got amazing sound; enough to cause the front desk to call you and ask you to cut the noise a little. They were designed by two guys that are definitely cool travelers in their twenties that know what good sound is,  which is why they co-founded a company, Digital Audio Group that is dedicated to making hot items like this.

These are heavy duty little speakers and work with the iPhone, iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, iPod Touch, iPod Touch 2G and iPod Classic. The cradle then rotates to work in both portrait and landscape modes. They also have a 14-16 hour  battery life, but also come with an AC adapter. For more info, you can visit the Livespeakr website.

At least living with the addiction will be a lot easier for you and your loved ones when your surrounded by great sound.

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