Tocsin

I'm sure DaveNCL can say his preferences, but for me the eInk on the Kindle is much better for the eyes late at night than any other back-lit display (plus it takes weeks to drain the battery!) ^

Edit to add - thanks again DaveNCL for the informative update!

gmitchs

I will be following along too. I enjoy seeing how others manage the day to day minutiae of international travel for work.

DFW_CK

I'll jump in with my response. I use a Tumi ballistic wheeled carry on. They are not cheap but I absolutely swear by it. It has lasted me 10 years and only had to send it in once to have the wheels and zippers upgraded.

http://www.tumi.com/p/frequent-trave...ry-on-022922D2

Singapore_Airlines

Great TR! As a consultant (as many seem here), I can relate to this and it's very interesting. I'd do it as well but unfortunately my travel becomes very routine, as I am typically taking the same exact flights on Mondays and Thursday and staying in the same exact hotels for months at a time.

I also usually carry an iPad mini and a Kindle. I like the Kindle because I don't like anything backlit for the last 10-20mins before I go to sleep, and I bring the iPad as I usually avoid using my work computer for personal things.

DaveNCL

Thanks for all the comments and views. Busy day yesterday and today is looking the same. 38c in Warsaw, its a bit hot!

I did get some good pictures of Warsaw last night so I hope to post the next update tomorrow when I'm back in the office and I can download the pictures from my camera.

Thanks for the encouragement!

Thanks for the comments and interaction. For me on this trip the iPad is the extra item rather than the Kindle. I much prefer to read on the kindle. My iPad easily fits into my laptop sleeve and as I'm pulling the case the weight makes no difference to me.

greycap7 I think you may struggle with the size of the trolley if you only plan on taking one bag. I can use it for up to 4 day trips but generally I'm not carrying suits. So laptop, notebook, 3/4 shirts, trousers, casual cloths and toiletries would fit but it would be tight.

If planning one bag I would go with the larger cabin case, as long as you are not restricted by airline hand luggage restrictions.

BA5E

Have subscribed, this is going to be a very interesting TR. Love trains, so enjoyed the first part of the journey^

Flythe96flag

I feel the same way about backlit screens, though I recently discovered a nice piece of software called f.lux for computers and iOS devices. It 'removes' a lot of the blue light, and gives the screen a warmer tone appropriate to time of day, making it significantly less straining for the eyes IME. ^

Great TR btw, will follow with interest.

mattyw

I've gone through short spells of non-stop travelling similar to the OP's schedule but anyone who does it regularly has my admiration. Good luck and thanks for documenting it all for our benefit.

DaveNCL

Week 1, Day 3

Trip - Poland Field Trip
Agenda - Customer visits, training session and meeting
Transport - Plane
Hotel - Intercontinental - Warsaw
Baggage - Rimowa Business Trolley
Additional Info - A long but rewarding day!



Route NCL-AMS
Flight Number 0952
Departure 0605 (Actual 0605)
Arrival 0830 (Actual 0830)
Seat 8A (Economy)
Aircraft 737

Leaving the house at 4:30 I was at the airport within 15 minutes. I parked in short stay as it is right outside the terminal with very easy access now and for when I return.

The queue for security was stretched back a little, probably and 10-15 minute wait, which at NCL is longer than average. Luckily fast track was empty and I was through within 2 minutes.

For the last 6 months or so NCL has been undergoing refurbishment, it is now starting to take shape. Extra food outlets have been created to give more choice. Before there was only a bar, coffee shop, Burger King and a food court. Bars, restaurants and coffee shops have been added, however I still would never plan on spending too much time here. For HBO I arrive 1 hour before and when checking luggage a maximum 90 mins before departure. This gives enough time to get through security and grab some breakfast. One issue from the refurbishment that really bugs me, as it does at other airports, is the insistence on having the duty free immediately after security. I understand the marketing but twisting through merchandise stands in a confined area when people are still trying to put on belts on fiddle with bags is asking for trouble.

Once in the lounge I took some cereal, coffee and a few pastries. The Aspire lounge is used by all airlines offering a lounge facility, except BA who have their own. This turns into a bucket and spade lounge in the summer, although busy today it wasn’t the worst I’ve seen it. I could tell food was in short supply when I arrived as there were around 10 people queuing for bacon rolls at the hot cabinet.



Whilst waiting for the gate to open I added a few FT links to my reading list for reading later. Boarding had already started when I arrived. This is always easier and avoids the scramble.

The flight departed on time and it was a straight forward flight to AMS. I choose 8C to ensure I was quick off the plane in AMS, although today I had a 75 minute connection and we landed at D3 which is closest to the transit area. My first time through the new connection zone, now there is no need to pass through security after border control. This is a significant improvement although I did notice the passport queues going the other way were backed up. I wasn’t aware of any changes going in that direction but I'll know more tomorrow.



Route AMS-WAW
Flight Number 1363
Departure 0945
Arrival 1145 (Actual 1140)
Seat 11D (Economy exit seat)
Aircraft 737

After a quick stop in the KLM lounge for a green tea and to download email, I was on my way to gate C18. My seat in 11D is part of the reconfigured exit row on the 737. Row 11 has no A or F seat to allow easier exit in case of emergency, this allows KLM to cram in even more seats. As is the normal procedure the crew outlined our responsibility, however the Frenchman opposite saw no need for this once he only had the choice between English and Dutch for the instructions and brushed off the chat. It would of been funny for the crew to simply move him from the seat but the crew were too polite.

The 90 minute flight passed quickly and was only interrupted by the crew to announce a couple were travelling to Warsaw to get married which triggered a round of applause in the cabin. I skipped the sandwich but took a tea and bagged a Stroopkoek for later on, I love these biscuits. I must of dropped off to sleep for 45 minutes as the next thing I knew we were on approach. It's very unusual for me to sleep on flights, especially upright, but it had been an early start with not much sleep the night before. A nice bright and clear day on arrival into Warsaw, I later learned it was 38c!

I was met by a colleague in the airport and once we found her car we were on our way. This would be an ongoing trend during the two days. I never thought I would get a guided tour of the multi storey car parks in Warsaw. So much so, that I started noting where we were parked to be able to find our way back quicker.

We visited customer locations until 5pm, stopping only for a light lunch in between. By this time I was beginning to tire a little, I was worried I maybe coming down with something. This would later prove not to be the case, but I had a constant headache for the trip, probably due to the heat and lack of hydration.

I had booked the Intercontinental on my colleagues recommendation (I will talk about hotel loyalty schemes later). After a little traffic towards the Warsaw I was checking in a 1730. This was swift and I had about 90 minutes before we were meeting for dinner. I used this time for a power nap to try and shift the headache and take a shower.

Room view






Poland was getting ready for Andrzej Duda to be sworn in a their new president. Duda had won the closest ever election in Poland back in May. It took two rounds of voting as no candidate took more than 50% in the first round. In the second round Duda and the former President Komorowski went head to head. Duda took 55% of the votes to win the election. It appears this has split the country especially as he is from Krakow which has raised a north/south split. It was expected there could be demonstrations in Warsaw as the ceremony will take place tomorrow. This proved not to be the case therefore we were cleared to go to the the old town that evening without the risk of appearing on Sky News, dodging protesters.

It was still in the mid 30s at 7pm, good job I didn’t pack the jumper I had be thinking about yesterday. My co-worker then took me on a very interesting walking tour of Warsaw, passing on the type of information that you only get from a local. It was very enjoyable on a splendid evening in a new city.

Palace of Culture and Science


Intercontinental






Park bench inscription. There was a button to push that started to play his music.


Presidential Palace


We meandered towards the old town and city walls and up to a great viewing platform. This tested the cardiovascular system with the steps and steep incline. The effort was worth it when we got to the top. Having not made any of my self imposed three gym sessions per week I enjoyed the chance to get a small workout.

Viewing Tower (Green dome)




Royal Castle






Cooling down!


"Don't jump"




Old Square


City Walls




We dined in the old square which proved a wonderful setting, however the service left something to be desired. Ordering around 2030 our starters took over and hour to arrive and then we finished our meals around 10pm. We later learned that all kitchens were struggling as electricity and gas demand could not keep up due to the heat.

Starters


There is a steak on there, somewhere in the shadows.


Walking back towards the hotel, through the city park, I got into bed around 11pm and swiftly dropped of to sleep.











Slightly later than yesterday!

view

Good read, thanks for sharing!

Calchas

Interesting. Subscribing.

MarylandFlyer244

Very interesting report. Fun to see the life of a constant traveler! Thanks for the report and good job so far! ^

gaobest

Great TR - thanks so much! I loved the Warsaw pix. I know that early mornings and late nights are all part of work travel, but I still feel tired thinking of you waking at 4am in Newcastle and having supper at 10pm in Warsaw.
I look forward to more in this thread. How would I "subscribe" on the flyer talk app on iPhone? Admittedly it's easy to just find this thread in FT app so it's not a big issue.
And for those of you who travel regularly for work, I encourage such TR if you wish. It's still fun to read. You may enjoy reading what you posted a year or four later :-)

Btw I was surprised that NCL would be so busy at 4:30am. I assume that for LHR AMS FRA but not Newcastle!

DaveNCL

Week 1, Day 4

Trip - Poland Field Trip
Agenda - Customer visits:- training session (am) / meeting (pm)
Transport - Airplane
Hotel - Intercontinental - Warsaw
Baggage - Rimowa Business Trolley
Additional Info - Oh boy its hot!

So after busy day yesterday I woke before my alarm at 7am, took a shower, packed everything away and I headed down to breakfast. There was decent selection with a chef on hand to make any egg dishes. He got full marks in my book when we were having a chat about where I came from. As soon as I said "Newcastle" he began rattling off past Newcastle United players and remarking about the stadium. He even remembered the nearest we will ever come to winning the Premier League in 95/96.



It tasted better than it looks


I was meeting up at 9am so I headed down to reception at 0830 to check out and managed to catch up on a few emails and post a few replies to people on this thread. It was only a short walk to our training location near the railway station. The first bit of good news today was from our Moscow office. I received an email confirming my invitation letter was with the Russian Embassy in London, ready for my application ahead of my trip next month.

This customer training session was conducted in Polish and before yesterday I knew no Polish. The furthest east I got on the language map was the Hungarian word for 'cheers'. This may tell you how many times I've sat at the hotel bar with a Hungarian. The only reason I remember that is because I link it to the former racing driver Alain Prost.

Anyway back to Poland, after around 24 hours in Warsaw I now know three words. Two of which I could use in a training session, one of which I definitely could not. If I did it would probably be followed by a slap. The training session took place over 2 hours and after about 40 minutes I couldn't realistically look entertained any longer. So I started looking at some email and there may of been a very quick look at Flyertalk. Well I had a flight due to work commitments later on so, you know, I may need to know certain airline based news. Realistically I didn't need to know which celebs had recently flown on BA or what good tier point runs people were looking at.

I digress, the most important topic that I could see was that BA had a mistake fare from Oslo to the US. New York, SFO, LAX, MIA and SEA seemed to be the main ones. Well I had to do something to pass the time! I quickly looked at fares and found JFK, MIA and SEA on various dates for around £350 return in Club World. Had I been at home I may of looked for more complicated routes. But for just over £1000 I could have 3 U.S. trips booked in for next year.

The next problem was both payment and getting over that big that purchase anxiety I get in situations like this. My biggest issue was my AMEX was up to the limit after just paying for another BA holiday to Toronto. Obviously I didn't play out this scenario when packing and the only other credit card I had was my work card. Now in an emergency I'm sure I could use this and then work it out later. Some how I don't think this is an emergency. So I transferred money from my savings current account to my main current account for the debit card I had with me. Then viola, I had 3 trips booked over the next 9 months......oops I mean I had been working diligently though work email and big deals!

Next job would be to notify my boss about these big deals, or holiday dates as most people would call them.

Feeling slightly jubilant with myself I now need to wait and see if these are to be honoured, I won't be booking anything that isn’t refundable around them yet.

After lunch we then had a meeting at our customers head office which went very well. We worked on some new product introductions and confirmed some testing to be completed in the next few months. Lastly and most importantly we secured some business that was at risk.

All in all it had been a very productive two days in Warsaw, not including my BA spending.

Route WAW-AMS
Flight Number 1366
Departure 1710 (on time)
Arrival 1815 (on time)
Seat 11B (Economy exit seat)
Aircraft 737

By the time we left the meeting it was 4pm, my flight was at 1710 and we were 20 minutes away from the airport. Cue a race back to the car, I had memorised its location, and a drive to the airport. We made it kerbside by 1620 and I headed through a busy security and had time for a quick drink and a charge of my laptop in the lounge.

The SkyTeam website had the Bolero and Ballada lounges noted on its website for use. I soon found Bolero to be closed and eventually found Ballada down stairs. On entering I showed my pass and KLM card. The attendant advised me to go to the newly opened Fantazja lounge upstairs which was "nicer and had a better selection of food and drinks". Not having much time I thought this was some kind of fob off. However I followed his directions and indeed he was correct. This lounge is one of the nicer EU ones I have been in. A good selection of F&B, nice decor and floods of natural light. I only had around 15 minutes but I wish I had longer to sit and relax.



Boarding commenced around 1640, the one issue I had on both days of travel is that KLM failed to enforce priority boarding. Slightly annoying when it’s listed as a benefit, anyone and everyone joined the line. Clearly from the boarding passes I could see these people should not of been in the queue. Not to much to worry about as I made it on board.

For the duration of the flight I worked through email and wrote up my notes from our afternoon meeting. Follow ups and responsibilities were listed and communicated and I knew this would take up a good proportion of my Friday morning. Having the extra table from the missing seat certainly helped to put my drink and sandwich on when I was working on my laptop.

Landing on time into a low numbered C gate it was a quick walk through to border control. Once again the priority lane wasn’t enforced, even with Schiphol staff standing at the lane entrance. At this time the queue was at least 30 deep but I had plenty of time so no real worry.

Route AMS-NCL
Flight Number 0971
Departure 2205
Arrival 2205 (5 min delay)
Seat 14F (Economy)
Aircraft 738

Once through passport control I made the long walk to the KLM Crown lounge 52. Unsurprisingly it was very busy during rush hour but I managed to find a seat and put together enough ingredients to make a type of evening meal. Again I worked through until it was time to walk back towards the gate. My thinking was the more I could get tonight the earlier I would be able to finish on Friday.





Balanced diet


What did I say? This place was full when I arrived.




Since my earlier exuberance of booking my BA flights I had realised that one trip conflicted with a work event covering a Friday night in November. This would require my attendance in Germany until the Saturday morning. Luckily I knew BA offered a 24 hour cooling off period when I booked so I called the BAEC silver line to cancel. I was initially told there would be a wait in excess of 30 minutes however I think I waited less than 5. I managed to get this cancelled without question and everything was fine with the world. I couldn’t resist asking if my other flights had been ticketed, I had received the e-ticket however I wasn’t sure if this meant it was fully confirmed. The agent said all was normal, so I guess we wait and see a little longer.

Around 2130 I walked towards the gate as I still wasn’t sure what the new security situation was at the gates. Happily all gates are now open so I had a 5 minute wait until boarding started. This is a much more civilised and makes travelling through AMS a much more pleasant and relaxing experience.

Once on board I was surprised just how much room row 14 had, certainly more than the 737-700 reconfigured seating. I only choose this row as it was the closest to the front that wasn’t a middle seat. Not sure if I just picked a good row in front of the emergency exit or it this is normal. I certainly don’t remember it quite a roomy as this in the standard seating. To start with we had three people in the row. Mr 14D then moved to the free emergency exit seat after takeoff, however Mr 14E stayed sitting next to me with the free aisle seat. I’ve had this happen before when the person hasn’t moved along to create a little extra space. I don’t understand why people don’t move across.





As is common I spent most of the flight looking a FT pages in my iPhone reading list and listened to music. Landing on time I was back home by 2245. My case will be unpacked in them morning and I spent an hour or so catching up on TV and relaxing before bed.

RIP to the Rimowa liquids bag

DaveNCL

Thanks for reading and giving comments.

Thanks, I normally don't have too many problems with the early start however I think the heat got to me a little on this trip. The power nap and shower certainly helped to get me through.

It's all relative on how busy NCL was. Its only a small regional airport so it can build up quickly, there was only 4 security lanes in use on that morning.

In the summer months there are several charter and low cost flights going out between 6 and 8. A lot of these people travel once or twice a year so liquids, pockets full of metal and a general lack of preparation all cause hold ups.