A few weeks ago I went to see the movie “Bucket List“, and although I enjoyed it very much it really did have a much deeper meaning. For those of you that have not seen the film it is about two older men facing terminal illnesses and how they become friends and decide to see and do everything they can on their list before they ‘kick the bucket’; hence the name of the movie.

So this got me thinking – I have been to most, if not all the places visited during the movie, but what would I put on my list? If I was told I had six months to live I certainly wouldn’t spend it waiting to die. I would do just as Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman did and try to accomplish everything I could on my list before my departure. What a better legacy to leave than having really enjoyed life right to the end?

Because I have traveled extensively throughout my life it took me quite some time to come up with exactly what I would do. With that in mind, for now some of the things on my bucket list would be, and not in any specific order, the following:

1. See the great migration in the Serengeti

2. Win the lottery just so I could have the fun of giving it all away to those that are less fortunate

3. Drive a Lamborghini on the Autobahn

4. Go to Antartica

5. See the polar bears in their natural habitat

6. Climb Machu Picchu

7. Find out who my father’s birth parents are

It’s a pretty short list for now, and I’m sure I would think of a lot more if I really did only have six months. How about all of you? Anyone want to share their list?

Reprinted from my blog at a national travel magazine

I am really a pretty easy going air passenger. I don’t ask for much. I rarely bother my seatmates. I can handle sitting in coach and I don’t even moan when the person in front of me leans the seat back into my lap. I typically turn on my iPod, put my noise canceling headphones on and read a book or take a nap. However, I draw the line at children under two sitting on an adult’s lap anywhere in my vicinity.

Different authorities have voiced many opinions on this practice, but now I am going to throw in my two cents. First of all, what parent in their right mind thinks it is okay to hold an unbelted child on their lap while an aircraft takes off or lands? Let’s just look at the safety aspect to begin with. The adult is safely tucked in while the small child is free to become a projectile at the whim of turbulence, and this is assuming the adult is awake. If the adult has fallen asleep then it is anyone’s guess.

My second point is purely service oriented. It is bad enough that we sometimes get stuck in a seat that will not allow us to move in any direction and oftentimes leaves our bodies in a permanent sitting position long after arriving at our destination. However, the child under two is an added annoyance. Don’t get me wrong – I don’t dislike children, but I don’t like them sitting on my lap unless invited to do so either. I have a pet peeve with little ones falling asleep on me, kicking me, spilling their food on me, or worse yet, drooling on me in flight, and I fail to see the wisdom of an airline allowing parents with small children to inconvenience fellow passengers with this continued practice of flying free under two years of age as long as they are seated on an adult’s lap.

One time, while on the way to a one day business trip, I actually had a lap child spit up their mushy breakfast in my direction. While normally inappropriate in the best of circumstances, I was a little incensed at having to arrive at my meeting with the smell and stain of pureed peas on my suit. Another time, recently in fact, I attempted to get a few hours sleep on the way to New York from Los Angeles only to have the gentleman next to me allow his lap child to continuously hit me with various body parts as it restlessly tried to get comfortable across daddy’s lap. Despite being disturbed every five minutes I refrained from reminding “daddy” that the rule was the child stayed on his lap, not everyone elses. And just when I thought this was all bad enough, on my return trip from New York, I experienced another little jewel standing on her father’s lap while he slept in the seat in front of me. Not a big deal except she seemed to have some fascination with the contents inside her nose while leaning over the back of the chair in my direction.

So I ask readers, is it me or is this just an insane practice that has to stop? If I have to have a ticket to get on so should the child. If I have to sit in a seat, shouldn’t all children have to? Why is it okay for children under two to annoy and inconvenience paying passengers that are already annoyed at being crammed into a space the size of a dog carrier? And why for goodness sake do we, as a society, not have an issue with the reckless disregard for the child’s safety all in the name of saving a few bucks?

Reprinted from my blog at a national travel magazine

Las Vegas has always been one of those surreal towns where everything you see is fantasy. In fact, I don’t know of another town quite like it anywhere else and I often marvel at just how many people pass through there every year.

Recently, I attended a conference there and wondered how a city like this has been able to court so many business conferences when it is a man made playground. Does any work ever get done? I wonder. The truth is you can lose yourself so easily in this adult fantasyland if you are not careful.

It is a town where anything can be had for a price and money is rarely an object. However, there is a dark side to Vegas today and one that may actually be surprising to most. I have been coming to this town my entire life at least once a year, most times many more, and I have seen so much change over the years. When I was a kid I remember being escorted to a table front and center at the Hilton fifteen minutes before Elvis was due to take the stage as my father and the maitre d’ patted each other on the back. There was no need for him to buy tickets months or a year in advance at inflated prices. There was an unwritten code of conduct. Now, today we would call it unethical, but let’s look at the positive side of things.

Nowadays, there are shootings all the time, in front of major casinos, and sometimes in them. Crime is rampant. It is no longer as safe as it was to walk the strip at any hour and if you do, you have to wade through the hawkers trying to hand you little cards of phony escort services. Back in the day, none of this would have flown. It was a rough time in the mob days, but it was a safe town also. You never had to worry that you or your family would be involved in a shooting because that element was never tolerated and your loyalty to a casino earned you respect. Today is a different world. Corporate America moved in and the “bottom line” became the only thing that mattered. Now, I am not suggesting that the bottom line is not important, but let’s fact it – a casino will always make money and the house always wins so why treat your guests like a commodity. People are not pork bellies or oil futures.

Of course, I still go to Vegas frequently, but there are times when I really miss the old days when Vegas was for adults and it was who you knew not what you knew. A time when traffic meant an extra five minutes to cover the strip end to end or when Elvis was king and not an actor dressed in a suit marrying two intoxicated lovebirds. Alas, I suppose they have joined the fray and merely traded Uncle Vinny for Uncle Sam.

Reprinted from my blog at a national travel magazine

I will start off by telling you that I am most definitely a city girl. I love the city, almost any city. The hustle and bustle, sounds, smells and sights are all things I want assaulting my senses. I have the innate need to be able to find life at the oddest hours of the night, and good or bad it makes me feel part of the human race. I have a lot of favorite cities, but even my less preferred ones are still more desirable to me than spending time camping or trekking in vast wastelands where humans are rarely seen. Not that I haven’t done a lot of that, but it just is not my top choice when traveling for pleasure. In fact, one memorable experience many years ago had me in the outback of Australia being offered an item to eat that was still crawling, which, of course, I politely declined.

All this being said, I do recommend getting out of town at least one day if not more during city romps. Although I am not a fan of watching grass grow, which is my impression of what people do in vast wilderness areas, I do enjoy seeing unique parts of nature.

This may seem a little contradictory to you all, but taking short trips out of town to view wildlife or see unique natural or manmade wonders is something very enjoyable. Some of the top sights on my list are Iguaçu Falls in Brazil or Argentina, the Great Wall of China, any safari somewhere in Africa, Stonehenge, Denali Park in Alaska and the list goes on. As you can see, most of these sights are not all that far away from a city. However, I have broken my own rules for a few days at a time to experience these beautiful places.

Last week I was reacquainted with Muir Woods in California and was reminded just how beautiful nature can be. It was remarkable to stand next to these towering redwood trees that average between 400-800 years old and imagine what they could tell us if only they could speak. Now I know this may not seem old in comparison to sights all over the world that have been around for thousands of years, but I must remind you that very little in California is especially old. In fact, we consider anything 100 years old and still standing to be extraordinary.

So, get out of town. Even if you are just on business, take some time to venture out for even a half-day excursion. You won’t be required to watch grass grow or eat still-living creatures, but you will see a different side of life.

Reprinted from my blog at a national travel magazine

Well, it has been two weeks since I wrote last due to our wonderful Thanksgiving holiday, but I wanted to share a story with you about this delightful little day from a traveler’s perspective.

As a professor of International Business & Business Ethics, I spend quite a bit of time teaching my students about the fine art of understanding other cultures so it is always a thrill for me to be able to share with them situations when people in a foreign land take the time to understand our customs. Especially in these troubled times, it is important that they learn that we are not always viewed negatively abroad. Thanksgiving is a perfect example.

I have taken the opportunity many times to spend the holiday abroad as well as the years when I lived in London. Although Thanksgiving is, of course, a uniquely American holiday, you would be suprised at how other countries and cultures have begun recognizing it on behalf of American visitors. Last year, I spent the holiday in Italy. On Thanksgiving Day, I happened to be in Venice, which I will admit is now on my top ten list of places to visit. Now, I don’t think it is possible to be unhappy in Venice, whether it is a holiday or not, but one always has a twinge of sadness when on foreign shores on a day like this. As I walked the alleys of this most romantic of cities, I knew I could console myself with a delicious plate of pasta, a lobster tail and a glass of fine wine, but, alas, the pang was still there for the smell of my sister’s homemade rolls and pies baking in the oven. Just then, I began noticing that many of the restaurants were offering special “Thanksgiving menus.” When I asked one of the restauranteurs why they were doing this, he simply explained that they were touched that we would spend this very American holiday in Italy rather than around the family table back home. I confess I was also touched.

When I was in Costa Rica on the holiday many years ago, I also found it charming that people everywhere would wish us a “Happy Thanksgiving” the minute they discovered our nationality. When I lived in London my friends and colleagues couldn’t wait for the holiday to roll around to come to my house for the feast. In Hong Kong one year a hotelier was offering Thanksgiving dinner in the restaurant, albeit with a few local delicacies added into the mix; one of the more interesting interpretations I have experienced.

So, never be afraid to take the rare four day holiday to get out of the country and see the world. You might be surprised at how much you learn to love Thanksgiving all over again. Oh, and by the way, this year I ate rolls and pies at my sister’s house, but I was dreaming of pasta and wine….

Reprinted from my blog at a national travel magazine

Okay, so it isn’t just airports in the U.S. that are insane. London’s “one bag” through security rule has got to go! Talk about a business disaster. How can a business person traveling abroad possibly contain everything down to one small bag for carry-on? Are we supposed to leave our laptops home? Does this REALLY make us more secure or is it just another kneejerk reaction to create a false sense of security?

Alright, enough about airports! How about more on airlines? American carriers must be kidding! How much more can they torture us in economy? Now, normally I am fortunate enough to fly business, but this time there just wasn’t any room so I toughed it out and flew economy from London to Los Angeles. The food was nauseating and I almost broke a tooth on the frozen sandwich. The 4-inch screen on the back of the seat was at least bigger than my iPod, but a little difficult to see at two inches from my face when the passenger in front of me reclined. Not a big deal, though, as my knees were already in excruciating pain from being jammed past my upper leg and into my hip bone. Watching a movie became less important.

So, I thought, okay, I’ll just try and get a little shut-eye. I can actually sleep standing up if necessary, which is good as I wasn’t far from that position. There was a little 6-year-old cherub sitting next to me and she had been a fairly pleasant little girl with a quick wit. Not exactly what I had expected, but quite enjoyable as it also gave me a bit more room. Luckily, 6-year-olds are still small in the world of airline seats and rarely require use of the common two-inch armrest. Ah, wait a minute! What would really help is an ice cold beer or a cocktail to lure me into dreamland and hopefully keep my neck from freezing in the awkward position I was about to put it in. Alas, they were coming by with the drink trolley! How perfect. WRONG! $5.00 for a beer on an international 11-hour flight? Are they joking? Apparently not! It seems that American carriers started charging for alcohol in economy about two years ago over transatlantic routes – a barbaric practice that has still not happened on ANY international carrier. It was the one thing I could look forward to on a miserable torturous experience.

So, the moral to the story is – I will have to fly through or from London over and over again and I will complain every time until they change that ridiculous rule. However, I will NOT be flying any American carrier on a transatlantic route unless I absolutely must–and until I calm down, I won’t even do it in Business or First.

Reprinted from my blog at a national travel magazine

I come to you from a hard hit Southern California. Yes, this is where I live and have been all my life. I live in the canyons in an idyllic world. This week we have been devastated by fires and it happens to us every year this time. You may wonder why this blog is on a travel magazine site, but I want to tell you something about my state that not everyone knows.

Yes, we have earthquakes, mudslides and fires. Every year this time we hold our breath as the famous Santa Ana devil winds come through. A client asked me the other day why we keep rebuilding and moving back and I have a simple answer. After all is said and done, we love this place and feel so lucky to have it. People all over the world dream of coming here to visit or live; they dream of Hollywood, Malibu, San Diego and everything that comes with it.

Yes, we’re a bit quirky when the lights are shining on us, but we’re also real people. I would love to tell you all of the stories about how the people of Southern California stand side by side and help one another during times of need, but there just simply isn’t enough room here. I will, however, tell you two small stories. One is about a good friend of mine that was evacuated and had nowhere to go with her five dogs. A complete stranger found on the Internet handed her and her mother the keys to his motor home and told her to feel free to move it if she wanted to. He had never even asked for her last name, much less identification. He just knew he had to help. The next one is about the brand new Radisson Rancho Bernardo. A friend of mine from Sony told me about how the hotel, due to have already opened, kept closed to house any employees from Sony Electronics in Rancho Bernardo that had been evacuated or even just wanted to store cars. So, you see, we are no different than Kentucky, Mississippi or New York on 9-11. You probably don’t see us as anything more than a giant movie set, but we’re no different. Houses lost are homes, memories and so much more.

I also want to take the time to thank firefighters from all over the western US for rushing to our aid. You will never know how much we wish we could repay you for your brave and selfless work.

My hope now is that you all come and visit us sometime and help us rebuild our beautiful place. Come here on vacation. Hang out on Hollywood Boulevard, or the beaches in Malibu and San Diego. Go to Disneyland, Sea World, Magic Mountain. We may be a little down right now, but I promise we’ll show you a great time.

Reprinted from my blog at a national travel magazine