Introduction

I’m 53 years old and a hardened road warrior.

Over the last 20-plus years, I’ve flown over 3,000,000 miles, spent over 1,000 nights in hotels and have rented untold numbers of cars.  I’ve been to every continent except Antarctica and visited about 40 different countries.

I give you this bit of background as my credentials for critiquing, or praising, the various institutes associated with my lot of life – That being a life on the road.

This “diary” is my outlet. 

I need a soapbox to stand on occasionally.  Somewhere on a quiet corner, in the middle of the world, un-noticed and un-seen, I will scream out at the top of my voice, “YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!”

There, I feel better already.

My main focus will be on TSA and airport security in general; airlines, hotels and rental companies.

First of all, I have my preferred providers.  I consider them my family.  As such, I recognize that they are less than perfect but still, they make me feel at home.

Let’s start with my preferred airline.  I fly United most of the time.  I have 1,900,000 miles on them.  I am usually a 1K member which means that I flew over 100,000 miles the previous year.  Being a 1K has several privileges, although they seem to be diminishing over time.  I get early boarding, preferred seating, free upgrades, double miles and I can use the Red Carpet room for free when holding an international ticket.  Most importantly, they have a hub in San Francisco so I can get a flight to just about anywhere I want to go from there.

My favorite hotel is the Hampton Inn.  I used to be a Holiday Inn person but Hampton Inns clearly try harder.  I am a Diamond VIP level person which means…not a whole lot that I can tell.  However, the beds are super comfortable and they have free internet and a free breakfast.  The people that work there are always nice.

For rental cars I choose Hertz.  I am a Gold Number One level member which means nothing other than I don’t have to stand in line to get my car.  Of all the travel service providers, this is the one I am least loyal to.  If any of the others would just improve a little, then Hertz would be gone.

I think TSA is a joke that should be completely thrown out.  More on that later.

Anyway, this is who I am.  I will post my experiences and recommendations as time goes by.  Every now and then, I’ll try to post a hint about something every traveler should be aware of.