For Business Travelers
This page offers information, some tips and tricks and a bit of opinion, especially for business travelers. To help you with jet lag prevention, to ease the trip and more.
If you would like to share a good travel practice with the rest of the world, or tell us about a must-have-been-there spot in Edmonton, a business traveler haven in X'ian, or your worst travel experience ever, please let us know through the Contact Form.


Jet Lag Research: Viagra
Many minds, many opinions. What works best to avoid jet lag? Light therapy, diet, pills or what? The latest research says Viagra may help ease the effects of jet lag.

Researchers at Harvard Medical School have discovered that not eating during an intercontinental flight may fend off jet lag. Not eating for 16 hours, it seems, tricks one's body clock into the new time zone.
Interesting stuff, but the researchers have not looked at jet lag holistically. Had they done so they would realize that there is more that there is more to jet lag.

In my eBook No More Jet Lag I do away with all the electronic gadgets, meditation, diets, drugs (including Viagra) and more.
You can download this simple and entertaining eBook for only US$ 5.50 through the Product page. Meanwhile, a 2006 study by scientist Chris Idzikowski confirms the negative, even hazardous effects of jet lag. 
He calls on commercial airlines to better inform or educate passengers about jet lag.


What Airlines do about Jet Lag
Bigger and better planes roll out of the aircraft factories all the time. They take us on longer distances without refueling. It's awe inspiring and amazing.
But what are the airlines doing to help passengers cope with jet lag?
Usually nothing, unfortunately. 
Nowadays all airlines urge passengers to exercise during the flight. But that is essentially to prevent DVT (Deep Vein Thrombosis), not jet lag. 
Maybe because one can die from DVT, but not from jet lag.

What airline crews should do to help prevent or at least reduce jet lag for themselves and passengers is changing their 'keep the window shades down, please' policy. 
Window shades should be raised when the sun comes up. More details on that can be found in my book No More Jet Lag.


Flying with Infants and Toddlers
One topic airlines rarely discuss is flying with infants and toddlers. Yet, not a single flight takes off without at least a few very young passengers on board. Their parents often take it for granted that children experience a long trip like adults do. But of course they don't. Children perceive everything differently.
Infants may cry during the boarding process, but more often than not they fall asleep once the plane takes to the skies. 
An often helpful way to keep your infant happy during takeoff and initial climb with all its noise and changes in air pressure is to keep the milk bottle at hand and to feed the little one.

Toddlers, on the other hand, may upset fellow passengers with crying and whining. The trick is that under 5 year olds need to be prepared for the trip. Moms and Dads can best start this process several days before the trip, explaining what it means to be sitting for a long time, eating, drinking, playing and maybe sleeping again in the plane.
Make it exciting and adventurous. 
Securing a window seat for the child will help it change its attention from the cabin interior to the passing clouds outside.

While children may enjoy the long flight, most of the burden usually is on their Moms and Dads. There is a lot of baby food and nappies to bring on board. The stroller has to come as well and, of course we need clothes and toys and blankets. 
In an effort to increase comfort Moms and Dads need to question each and every item they want to bring as cabin baggage. Is it really needed? Who is going to carry it all? Can it be stowed safely? Can you rely on the assistance of cabin staff and ground staff?


Wikipedia
See what Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia says about jet lag.


Addiction
Many of us who have to travel for a living eventually may eventually hate those trips. But did you realize that the trips we hate, are addictive at the same time? It's for the same reason why athletes can't stop torturing their bodies to achieve better and better results. 
It's simply the adrenalin rush, the tension that comes with all the preparations, the calculated risks, the mild stress about flying to an unfamiliar situation.


Fear of Flying
Jet lag has nothing to do with the fear to soar through the skies on wings of metal. The fear to fly has many causes. Fearless-flight.com gives an excellent explanation and suggests different treatments. It's all free. Other sites excel in offering DVD or online courses. For example: 

• www.head-cleaners.com, 

• www.fearofflying.com and 

• www.panicportal.com. 

• www.fofc.com (Fear of Flying Clinic)

• www.airsafe.com (lots of information, not only about fear of flying)

• www.airfraid.com (UK based site) and the list goes on.

One of the reasons why some passengers are afraid to fly is that they don't trust the aircraft nor its driver. So, if all else fails, why not take control and be in charge? All from the safety of your living room. Go to your computer shop and buy one of the flight simulator games and learn to fly your own aircraft and to understand how everything works. 
Silly? It's worth a try, isn't it?

And now, for the not so faint hearted (when it comes to flying), here are a few amateur video clips that may make you say "wow", "is this for real?", "Nooo..!!" and more.
Sit back and watch:

A not so smooth landing at the old Kai Tak Airport, Hong Kong
The Tail Story,



Breaking up is hard to do
Like the once popular song says: breaking up is hard to do. Not only in one's personal life, but also when planning a long trip. 
Sure, a  business trip, no matter how frequently one flies is a big investment in time and money. It is also taxing on the traveler's well-being.
That's why it is a very good practice to break up a long intercontinental flight in strategically planned segments. Allow your CEO, Sales Manager and other staff some rest and recuperation during the trip. 
From a medical point it makes perfect sense to allow, or even tell the business traveler to limit flight sectors to not more than, say 15 hours of flying time. For example, when flying from Europe to Australia or vice versa, make an overnight stop in Singapore or Dubai, preferably even a 24 hour stop.


No Transit Facilities
Caribbean holiday destination Aruba has no transit facilities in its international airport. 
All transit passengers have to go through Immigration, claim their luggage, pay US$ 2 for a luggage trolley, clear Customs and rush to the departure hall to check in for the connecting flight.
Unfortunately staff are not really friendly, Customs regulations are applied inconsistently, and security personnel is rude.



Business Travel Awards
The most recent Business Traveller Awards have been announced. The 2007 winners include:

Best overall airlines is British Airways.
Award for best inflight service and best flight attendants go to Asiana, Cathay and Singapore Airlines  
Best airlines alliance is Star Alliance.
Best First class can be enjoyed on board Singapore Airlines.
Virgin has the best Business class and Premium economy in the world.
Singapore's Changi Airport received another award for best airport in the world and did so for he 20th year in a row.
The award for best Frequent Flyer program went to British Airways.
 


Flight on satellite
Air France is showing its passengers satellite views of the countries, cities and terrain they are flying over, thanks to a new partnership with the European Space Agency (ESA).

The French airline receives satellite images of varying resolutions from ESA on CD-ROMs and uses them to create a program lasting the full length of each flight on its services from Paris to Bangalore,Delhi, Mumbaii and Singapore.