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