Learn me cheap business travel in the US.

mtn wrote: Will you be paying on your own? If so, get a good travel credit card. I recommend the Chase Sapphire Reserve because it gives you points and also gives you access to the fancy pants lounges for different airlines. It also pays for $300 of commuting a year, and pays for TSA Precheck (or Nexus).

The CSR doesn't give you access to any airline's lounge. It does give you access to the Priority Pass family of lounges, but that's pretty hit or miss in quality. Better points scheme, though, if he's paying for it himself.

If you're anywhere near a Delta hub, the American Express Platinum is probably your best bet, if you're going to fly enough to make the now $550 a year fee worth it. The Delta Lounge and Centurion Lounge access is a real travel game-changer. It's got the Priority Pass, as well as tons of rental car and hotel membership upgrades. Rebates for TSA Pre-check and Global Entry, too. Recommended.

NOHOME wrote: Do the homework on your immigration status. Even as an American citizen with a US passport I sometimes get the cold shoulder when they figure out I am representing a Canadian company when I enter the USA. "I don't want to, but I have to let you in" has been uttered after an hour at the border while they go over the car and leave me waiting. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/canadian-accused-at-u-s-border-of-stealing-american-jobs-1.824280 The answer is a B1 visa, but I seem to recall that they might not be available anymore? https://www.uscis.gov/working-united-states/temporary-visitors-business/b-1-temporary-business-visitor

Interestingly enough, Sumas is the border I pass through usually. I went down a few weeks ago and walked to the US counter to enquire about just what I could do to keep myself out of trouble, and I ran into a very similar confrontation. I made it clear that I only wanted to ask some questions, and had no intention of crossing into the US on that trip. They confiscated my passport and two of them yelled at me for 20 minutes, accusing me of effectivly thinking that I could just waltz down and steal American jobs. Halfway through one guard accused me of surruptitiously videoing the conversation. It was very unpleasant. Left me wondering at my life choices. I have done my homework and I know what I can and cannot do as a Canadian doing business in the US, but it is quite frightening to think that my considerable investment is at the mercy of puffed up little people at the border.

I don't feel the rental companies are all the same. I travel a lot for work and we've used Avis, Hertz, and now have a choice between National and Enterprise. I MUCH prefer National over all the others because you can skip the counter and pick your car yourself. Usually there is a diverse selection, so if you don't want to get stuck with a beige corolla you can just keep browsing. I'm in their rewards program and had enough rentals last year to get to the executive level, which is nicer, newer cars, and some other perks. One time I landed and realized I had acidently booked Enterprise, then got to the counter and there was a long line. Our travel program has an app, so I cancelled the Enterprise booking and rebooked National right there, then headed out to the National section and hopped in a car....I really like that perk with National.

For hotel chains I generally stick with Hilton and Marriott groups.

For flights I stick with Southwest as much as possible these days because over the years I've had much less in the way of delays, scheduling, and mechanical issues with them. I just wish they would do assigned seats and a business class or something.

For travel within the US TSA pre is awesome.....well well well worth the money if you travel a lot.

I'll be flying free by private King Air this week. That should suffice.

OPP. Other people's plane.

I wonder whether careful phrasing at the border would help? "What are you travelling for today?" gets, "I've been asked by the 'Murica hell yeah' corporation to come down and educate them about Weebles."

In reply to SVreX:

You down with O.P.P.? (Yeah, you know me)

All this while I did not realize the other P stood for Plane

I've been traveling a lot for work recently and the single best advice was to get Global Entry/TSA Pre if you are eligible. It works wonders if you don't want to be at the airport hours before departure.

I fly Alaska a lot at the moment and really like them. On the routes I fly, they're pretty punctual and they get the baggage to you really quickly compared to other airlines if you check a bag (I usually don't). Due to my choice of departure airport I basically pick the airline that's most convenient and have signed up for basically all the loyalty programs but have status one none of them yet. Not a big fan of United, I like Alaska and Southwest, then American and Delta.

Hotels, just stick with a single chain if you can. If you get Marriott, keep an eye out for the status promotions - I just made Marriott Gold in 16 nights instead of 50 because of one and it's really the first level that's worth something. Also, don't rule out AirBNB for business travel.

I travel quite a lot. United gold, Hilton diamond, and National Exec Elite.

I hear a lot of flack about United, but I have not had any issues. The companion credit card gets you more points and better boarding class. Boarding early and having a seat towards the front of the plane saves a ton of time. United also has a lot of direct flights, which is nice. My home airport is EWR. Don't ever count on getting upgraded between hubs.

Hilton is fine, and has hotels everywhere. I have been upgraded a few times since hitting diamond. Their hotels really run the gamut from basic to really luxurious. I generally book basic for work, and use the points for nice hotels for day trips on the weekends.

National is great. Being able to choose your own ride is really nice when you rent frequently. The cars are typically in great shape, and the executive aisle (available at 45 rental days/yr) typically has mustangs, camaros, and 300s as well as a lot of fullsize vehicles. The only downsides are that they don't seem to have many off-airport locations, and earning free rentals takes quite a while. Exec Elite doesn't offer much more above basic executive, aside being able to book up to Luxury for free rental days.

In reply to John Welsh :

It's probably not good at all that guys who are as white as you and I are understand that reference.

I have a very "white" exterior but I was the first employee in the states of Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky for a company that had Ludacris, Kanye and The Game as its Spokespeople
I continued to work there for 7 years through the years that it was a legitimate hip hop brand (which it no longer is)

Those were my days of big travel including visits to my boss in our SoHo Manhattan office or our HQ in Irvine, CA or my 3 state territory.

For 6 years it was very much the greatest job ever.. Did mention I was there for 7 years.

Lots of good advice there. My company paid $500 a year for me to be in USAirways Club Lounges, and I never used it. You cannot bring food into the lounge, so if you want to grab a bite on during your layover, you are SOL. Terminals are pretty well out fitted with outlets and work desks these days, I see no reason for the lounges.

GET Global Entry. It includes TSA PreCheck and is worth its wait in gold. (yes, I spelled it wait instead of weight, see what I did there?)

AVOID the low-cost leaders like Budget, Thrifty, Dollar, Payless, Advantage and local ones you never heard of. They offer long lines, poor service and if you have a problem, you are SOL. You will NEVER have an issue with Hertz, but they cost more. I like National and their Emerald Aisle, so fast and easy, no lines, good rates and I often get bumped to a premium car. I have stuck with them for many years and have never had a problem.

HILTON offers the a good mix of properties IMHO. You have to make sure you can find options in small towns, so Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton and Homewood give you good ways to get points that you can spend use on a Hilton Vacation property later.

CHOICE HOTELS has the most options of all, and the cheapest. They offer a "stay 2 separate nights and get one night free" promotion. I used to stay in a different hotel each night, even in the same town, just to rack up free nights. Used to be that you never knew if your hotel would be brand-new and really nice, or an old, run-down Holiday Inn from the 60's. These days, most of their properties, if not all, are decent. (Check any Econo-Lodge or Roadway Inn online first however...)

NEVER pay for WiFi, Parking or Breakfast. And remember, you have everything you need on the breakfast buffet to pack yourself a lunch with a PB&J, some fruit and a drink. : ) I got so sick of restaurants and take-out that I travelled with a small cooler. Stop at a grocery store early in the week and buy a box of cereal, some bread, lunchmeat and drinks. Makes breakfast and lunch easier. Hotels usually include a small fridge, and they always have ice.

AAA membership: you'd be surprised how often it comes in handy for discounts.

ASK for deals. You'd be surprised how often you can get deals just by asking if the hotel or car company is running any kind of special.

Get the APP. I use FlightTrack, HipMunk, GateGuru, SeatGuru, Apps from the Airlines and of course, Apple Wallet. Getting updates about delays and gate changes as they happen is awesome and has more than once saved me headaches. I also like to choose my own seat on the plane and my hotel room (Hilton!) There are a lot of cool travel tools out there these days.

Southwest.

Avis.

Hampton or Holiday Inn Express.

TSA Pre if it is available to you.

Connect through CLT (Charlotte NC) whenever it is an option.

Security processing at ATL drastically improved around 9/1/2016 but I don't know why.

Connecting through IAD (Dulles VA) was a berkeleying nightmare the last two times I did it, 2015 international and 2016 domestic).

I used to travel 2-3 weeks a month...

Get a good Swissgear Backpack to keep your computer, electronics, and smaller items in. They last forever and are much more comfortable and convenient than a roller computer bag.

Screw using a carryon if you can check a bag for free. I personally have had luggage lost ONCE, and that was only because I switched planes at the last minute to get home earlier. I would much rather wait an extra few minutes to get my bag than have to deal with it in the airport.

Are you traveling with tools or something that HAS to be checked? Buy a Pelican pistol or rifle case. It protects your gear, and the staff at the destination airport ASSUMES its a firearm, meaning they'll ask for ID before they give it to you. That means no one can steal your stuff!

For hotels, pick a chain you like (I prefer Hilton), and stick with it to earn points. I know from personal experience that once you become Gold or Diamond with Hilton, you're treated like freaking royalty.

Ditto for rental cars; pick a company (Avis and Hertz aren't bad) and stick with them to earn points and rewards.

If you have to go to a more remote location (example: Albany, GA), it is cheaper and faster to fly to a major hub (in this case, Jacksonville, FL) and drive to your final destination. The amount of time you spend in a layover and second flight is greater than the ~3 hour drive. And those flights into small airports are waaaay more expensive.

In reply to Sky_Render:

Why would anyone go to Albany, GA?

I went there once for a bike ride. The ride sucked. It rained the whole time.

SVreX wrote: In reply to John Welsh : It's probably not good at all that guys who are as white as you and I are understand that reference.

I'm white as heck and I've heard of the Ontario Provincial Police...

John Welsh wrote: In reply to Sky_Render: Why would anyone go to Albany, GA?

Insert swear word intended in jest.

John Welsh wrote: In reply to Sky_Render: Why would anyone go to Albany, GA?

To get eaten by gnats.

Nexus card is WELL WORTH IT.

You also get TSA pre check and global entry with it.

I get rentals through Costco, cheapest I have found.

I fly Delta, mostly international, and much prefer Detroit to Atlanta as my international hub.

Because my trips originate from smaller regional airports, I fly a lot on smaller regional jets. Standard roller carryons will not fit in those overheads. I got a large rolling suitcase that does fit and cut the inside partitions out of it. I can pack in that and a backpack for 10 days.

On longer trips, I use the hotel laundry service so I can pack lighter.