As a child, I loved Paris-Charles de Gaulle for its space age bubble with the escalators going in all directions. It was avant garde with a touch of Star Trek before I knew about Star Trek. And it belonged to an era where there was still an illusion that air travel was chic.

Most airports today are strictly functional. And they were designed before security lines became hit-or-miss bottlenecks. So, much of the great window shopping is before the barricades and you end up with time to kill and nothing to do but work.

And what if you want a meal? At Miami International one night, the only food I could find in walking distance of my gate (and I can walk distances) was potato chips and beer nuts at a walk-up bar. Sure, it was bad planning, but workshifting isn't all glamor.

Occasionally, though, an airport can surprise you.

In Atlanta, I stumbled upon 20 large Shona sculptures lining the corridors that stretch from the security checkpoint to the concourses. They are stunning works of art, evoking multiple emotions. Joy. Whimsy. Heartbreak. And they tied me back to that time when airports were public spaces, not just public lift-off zones.

What airport has surprised you?

Photo Credit: PacoAlcantara

Okay, so I have returned from my workshifting train trip from NYC to Miami, and yes I am fully aware of how crazy that sounds.  I traveled on Amtrak for the duration of the trip using something that's called a USA Rail Pass.  Basically, you receive 8 segments in 15 days for just under 400 dollars, which considering how late I booked it, is a pretty good deal.  It was a total over over 60 travel hours.

Look, its no surprise that taking a train that distance will not be as time efficient as air travel.  However, I decided to take a train to mix things up a bit and investigate whether workshifting was indeed possible all the way up and down the East Coast.  

Now, for the question of whether I remained productive.  You know how when you get on a plane, you can just crank out work because there are no distractions?  Yeah, it was like that, except for 60 hours instead of six.  It was beautiful.

From a workshifters perspective, Amtrak trains are pretty solid.  They boast big, comfy chairs, probably the equivalent of First Class on most airlines.  They also have working outlets for each passenger so you can stay charged up at all times.  And of course, you can't beat the scenery.  No, the normal trains do not have WiFi, only some commuter trains do.  But I use Verizon Wireless broadband anyway which is built into my netbook.  I was very impressed with Verizon's service.  I had access to WiFi for the entire trip.  There were plenty of spots where I had no cell phone coverage on my T-Mobile Android device but was able to keep working on my netbook.

All in all, the trip was fantastic.  I was able to remain just as productive if not more so, while soaking up beautiful scenery, meeting some very interesting people and visiting some cool spots in the US.  I love experimenting and pushing the boundaries with workshifting because I believe we have reached a point (at least in most of the developed world) where work is truly what you do and not where you sit.  The ability to workshift is not just about productivity and connectedness, its about freeing yourself to take an adventure and bring your work along with you.  And that's exactly what I continue planning to do. :)

Since December 15, 2009, Melissa and I have been home for about 15 days.  Last week, we returned from a 91 day workshifting trip in Europe, and decided to ground ourselves in the East Village for a few weeks before our next adventure.  Problem: My little brother, who I call Boy, is graduating and he lives in Miami.

At this point, I am absolutely exhausted at the thought of another short haul flight.  So, I decide to do the only natural thing any workshifting nomad would do...take a train to Miami from New York City.

I just got a new netbook, and of course am rocking Verizon Wireless broadband card as usual.  I am actually curious to see if I can stay productive while traveling down the entire East Coast on an Amtrak.
P.S. The hashtag for this little experiment is #imonatrain.

In the last week I have taken two flights, rode in a bus and on a train.  While on these three modes of transportation I evaluated what type of work could I get done.  How productive could I really be while in transit from one place to another.  I usually sleep on a flight or in a train ride, but recently I have tried to make that time productive.  

I have not been lucky enough to be on a flight with internet as of yet.  So my productivity is limited to what I can sync offline and finish while in the air.  I used my time on a flight from London to Barcelona to answer emails and work on blogs posts.  Once we landed I connected to the internet and synced my emails and sent out my blog posts.  This was a pretty good use of the three hour flight to Barcelona, considering I would usually have slept that whole flight.

On the train I had my broadband card so I was able to access the internet to work on a client proposal and record a screencast for an application.  The train was nice because the seats were spacious and if you get on the train a bit early you can get a seat with table.  The hardest place for me to work was on the bus.  The bus was really cramped and extremely difficult to work on.  The space was too small to try to work on my laptop and the ride was bumpy making it really hard for me to read because I get motion sick.  So I used the rest of the bus ride to catch up on some sleep.  So at the end of it I got some sleep but realized that I can be pretty productive on a train or plane.  

What do you do while in transit to stay productive?  What type of work do you do on planes, trains and buses?

One of the most fundamental elements of planning any trip is where to stay.  At the moment, I am on a very long trip that, in the end, will span 3 continents and several countries.  Locating and booking affordable accommodations that provide what is important to me can become a pain sometimes.  For the past year, I have leveraged the collective wisdom of both Yelp and Foursquare to assist in these searches.  Below is a quick video post identifying the items I look for in accommodations while on workshifting trip.
 

What are the things you look for when searching for a place to stay?
 

February and March are two very busy workshifting months for AJ and myself.  We are going to conferences, meeting with clients, launching a client website and working on a charity project all while trying to keep our company and team productive.  We have traveled to the UK every six months for the past two years and have had many experiences with their internet options.  So here is what I have discovered. You have three options internet cafes, wifi in cafes or hotels or USB internet broadband cards.  

Internet Cafes usually give you decent speeds for up to 2 pounds an hour.  This is the only place I have been able to make Skype calls on a consistent basis.  However, you have to sit in the same, smelly place for hours.  And hour over hour you end of spending a significant amount of money.  

Wifi in cafes is extremely unreliable and can be expensive although it is available.  In most of my experiences with wifi in hotels I usually end of paying between 10 to 20 pounds per day, which just isn't a realistic option.  However McDonalds, of all places, has free wifi that is pretty reliable.

USB broadband cards are your best option for stable internet for email and general work on the internet.  You can buy a broadband card from Vodafone for 25 pounds which includes 3 gigs of internet usage.  You can also go with T-Mobile, the cost for the card is 20 pounds and you pay 2 pounds each day for 'unlimited' web usage. However, you cannot use Skype with T-Mobile and if you run too many applications at the same times (TweetDeck, Gmail, Facebook, Google Docs) then your bandwidth will be severely limited.  

Those are your options, here is what I suggest: Buy a Vodafone broadband card for 25 pounds for general use and if you need to have meetings with your team over Skype go to the internet cafe.  Also the UK has automatic content lock on all devices that access the internet so show your ID and ask for the content lock to be removed if you want to use Twitter, Flickr, Facebook, YouTube or other social networks.  

What are you suggestions for internet connectivity abroad?

Photo Credit: AJ Leon

I am on a long work related trip right now.  Actually, I have four different business trips that end with the beginning of the next.  This workshifting trip will keep me away from home for 65 days.  So, naturally, I have travel on the mind. 

I have been thinking about how to remain productive while traveling, and I will probably be sharing some of the things I have learned with you in the next few posts.  Yesterday, I was at Denver International Airport and decided to post a review on TripIt, an application for travelers that allows you to easily and seamlessly build trip itineraries.  I have used this app for a long time, and find it very useful.

If you can't view this video, you can check it out over on my Vimeo channel.

Have you used Tripit or similar apps?  What are your thoughts?

Photo Credit: 704 Race

Having spent the past couple weeks, working in Africa, I thought it might be a good idea to post a quick video about what it is like to workshift from this continent.

There are definitely many more challenges compared to our workshifting in the developing world.  The infrastructure is weak.  The ISP's blow. And finding a shop with WiFi that can load Gmail would be like finding a bar of gold in your next bowl of Cheerios.  However, workshifting is possible in many areas because of the significant investment made over the past five years by mobile providers such as Zain, Safaricom and Vodacom.

On the border of Kenya, I recorded some of my thoughts on workshifting in Africa.

If you can't see the video below, you can also find it hiding over here.

Many of us who workshift travel a lot, perhaps more than we'd like. Although I had the pleasure of a summer pretty much free from business travel, things are starting to ramp up again for fall. And while I love the opportunity to meet with clients and colleagues live and in person, I hate the drain traveling puts on my productivity. It's just not easy getting day-to-day work done from airports, taxis and hotels. Throw in delays, bad food, sick seat mates and time away from family and friends, and business travel is a necessary burden, not a pleasure.

But I have found ways to mitigate the impact. Here are a few friendly tips:

• Designate a carry-on bag that you take on every trip, and leave the things you know you need on the road in the bag. In my experience, these should include business cards, noise-canceling headphones, ear plugs, hand lotion and/or no-wash anti-bacterial gel, a notebook and pen, and breath mints.
  
  
• Invest in extra chargers for your cell/smart phone and PC. Then, leave them in that designated carry-on bag, so you always have power for your critical business tools.
  
  
• Pack healthful snacks for your trip--as many as possible to cover you for the duration. I like nuts, dried fruit, pretzels and hard cheeses. Then, I toss in some fancy chocolates, for a late-night treat. I also keep an empty water bottle on hand, and fill it when I'm past security. This lets me get smart calories and a reliable energy boost, without the crash of processed foods--and without the high airport and mini-bar prices. And it guarantees I won't go hungry or thirsty on the flight if we're stuck on the tarmac for hours on end.
  
  
• Check into your flight from home or the hotel, and print your boarding pass ahead of time. (Most hotels will let you do this free in their business center, or at a computer/printer by the front desk.) Also, print out directions to the hotel and any other locations you'll be visiting, and make sure you let the hotel know you'll be late checking in if, in fact, you will be.
  
  
• Request a room with no connecting door. TV noise and loud voices carry in the space underneath the doors, so you're more likely to get some peace and quiet with a solid wall between you and your neighbors.
  
  
• Try to get in a workout whenever you can, whether that means hitting the hotel health club or going for a run in the neighborhood before your first--or after your last--meeting. Stretch in your room, and take the opportunity to walk whenever you can, even if (especially if) you're in front of clients all day.
  
  
• Plug your devices into an outlet whenever you can.  There's nothing worse than running out of juice mid-trip, and not being near a power source when you need (or simply have the time) to get work done. Consider investing in an extra battery for your phone and PC, too (and then leave them in your travel bag).
  
  
• Make a list of tasks you can reasonably expect to get done on your trip during your down time, but don't be too ambitious. Sometimes, it's nice to take advantage of being disconnected from the regular slew of calls and e-mail--a nice benefit of being on the road. 

What tips have you found that are useful to YOU for staying more productive while traveling?

Photo by: Chris Brogan

I absolutely love traveling.  Trying new foods.  Experiencing different cultures.  Meeting new people.  Trying new foods...wait, did I already say that?  

Traveling for pleasure is easy, especially for the adventurous type, just make some basic plans, do a bit of research and on you go.  Traveling for business...not so much.  Add to this, international travel, particularly multi-country trips and there are a litany of considerations and variables that one must consider.

Take the business trip that I have been on for the past three weeks.  Now don't get me wrong, I am a planner, meticulous and methodical, of OCD-esque proportions, but this trip got me good.  When working abroad, there are so many additional items to consider.  Take charging your laptop for instance.  Back home in the East Village (NYC) coffee shops I frequent for my workshifting needs, charging my laptop is a regular occurrence.  The freedom to "plug in" where ever I damn well please (one that I now feel should be embedded into the Bill of Rights) has become a fundamental element of my workshifting life.  In fact without that "freedom", I wouldn't be able to carry on as a workshifter for longer than a couple hours at a time.  However, in certain countries in Europe I have found the "Plug in for All" freedom has yet to evolve into the consciousness of coffee shop owners.

Charging laptops is just one example of the woes of the international workshifter, there are also electrical converters to consider, Internet access, tethering ability, data access on mobiles.  As you might imagine, I have now meandered into the land of business travel expert by forgetting to consider pretty much all of these variables.

So, in the spirit of community sharing, I thought I might post a video to help any other workshifter planning an international trip so that you might learn from my many, many mistakes.

What other tips do you have for workshifting internationally?  How do you prepare for traveling internationally for work?

Working while on the road is complicated. Acclimating yourself to new cities or cultures. Getting to meetings. Finding internet access that won't require you fork over the deed to your house. 

Today, we have a guest post from Hugh Tonks.  Hugh manages one of the three Citrix Labs research groups, based just outside Cambridge UK.  In coming months Hugh hopes to explore some of the thinking underpinning the work we are doing in Cambridge and elsewhere which is looking at many different aspects of remote working, so that's all to come.  To start though Hugh wanted to examine another excellent reason for teleworking: traffic congestion.

Cambridge is a city with a long and venerable history, dating back to Roman times - nigh on two thousand years. The University is, this year, celebrating its 800^th anniversary, and maps of the city centre from several hundred years ago are still recognisable today - landmarks such as the Round Church, the Market and many of the central Colleges were all in place back then. And, of course, so were the roads connecting them. No eight-lane highways for Cambridge, however; the streets are, in some places, barely wide enough for a bus. This is just as well, because buses are the only vehicles allowed in much of the inner town centre these days.

As the City expanded, its reputation for scientific excellence attracted companies, and business "parks" began appearing on the outskirts. Most of the villages around Cambridge now house people who work in places like the Science Park in the north of the City. The consequence, of course, is that the daily commute into these places is a nightmare. Road building has simply not kept pace; the bus services need drastic redesign; and despite Cambridge being known as Cycle City, roads throughout the city are stuffed to breaking point with cars morning and evening, most containing only one person.

Things are much better during the school holidays; the 10% reduction in the the number of cars due to the lack of a "school run" seems to solve the traffic problems at a stroke. But during term, things are pretty grim. Banning the school run would be a tad draconian as a solution, but to my mind there is a much simpler alternative: promote teleworking.

If everybody working in an office or high-tech company worked elsewhere for one day every two weeks, we would see a reduction in car levels approximately equivalent to that experienced during the school holidays. Problem instantly ameliorated, if not actually solved, at virtually zero cost to the taxpayer.

Naturally, this solution is too easy for many local Councillors, who would prefer to implement a ghastly "congestion charge" - with all the costs of collecting the charge, the disruption of setting it up, the need for car numberplate recognition systems, and the consequential fury of motorists who already feel they get a raw deal.

All I have to say is: come on, chaps, sometimes the answer really is staring you in the face...

Photo by: Wootang01

During my weekly travels I am always quick to strike up a conversation on a plane or in the terminal, and I usually come across other workshifters. Horror stories of travel are swapped and tips and tricks are shared, but I am always amazed at how many of these regular travelers aren't aware of the sites that make my life much easier than it used to be.  Over time, I've come up with my 5 sites for better flights to share with other workshifters and road warriors.

1. Kayak.com
This is where every trip begins for me.  Kayak, named 'Best of the Web' by BusinessWeek, is a site that searches hundreds of travel sites based on your search terms.  Most major airlines are included, but you'll need to go check a few separately (Southwest and JetBlue, for example). After you enter your initial search terms you can use the sliders to narrow down the specific flight you need.  Leave before 7:30am from IND and get to BDL by 11am but leave BDL before 6:30pm that night and get home before midnight?  Yeah, it can take care of that. You can also uncheck boxes to remove certain flights from the results.  I always remove 2+ layovers, and anything going through Chicago O'Hare, and typically check the SkyTeam flights to help with my quest towards the elusive Platinum Elite status.

2. SeatGuru.com
After getting your flights arranged, head over to SeatGuru to figure out where you should be sit on the plane. Just choose your airline and then the plane you'll be traveling on. Seats are ranked as green, yellow or red with remarks in regards to why the seat is rated that way.  Red seats typically are near the lavatory or limited recline. A bulkhead seat might be yellow due to the lack of under-seat storage in front of the seat.  Green seats = exit rows.  Get them while they're hot. (My favorite green seat: 14F on the Continental 737-300... just look at all of that legroom for my lanky 6'3" frame.)

3. TripIt.com
After you set up an account on TripIt, just forward those confirmation emails to plans(at)tripit.com and your itinerary is created. From there you can add hotels, car rentals, and other items for your itinerary.  Download the iPhone app for a quick glance of your trip and be one touch away from maps of addresses in your itinerary, as well as phone numbers for customer service of the airlines/hotels you are using.  Bonus - Check out TripIt Pro for under $10/month and get text message + email updates on all of your flights. When I get the notifications I feel like Shia Lebouf in Eagle Eye with TripIt Pro.  "Disembark at Gate C37.  Your flight departs from Gate A7 at 5:47pm.  You have 49 minutes." If you want to feel like an action movie star as you rush across the terminal, give it a try.

4. Yelp.com
Nothing is worse than getting off of your flight with a rumbling stomach. You've arrived, you've eaten nothing but salty pretzels for 2 hours, and you're hungry.  Search for food on Yelp.com to figure out where you want to eat and how others rate about the place.  Get away from the regular chains and find that hole in the wall you'll be raving about for years to come (hopefully).   

5. search.twitter.com
Yeah, you're on Twitter already.  And yes, you've updated your loyal followers that you have landed and the guy next to you smelled like sweaty gym socks.  But now it's time to really use the power of Twitter.  Whenever I have an extended layover or am looking for some local cuisine and can't decide between what I've found on Yelp, it's off to search.twitter.com I go. It's easy to find people nearby with a quick search or the advanced search, which allows you to search within a certain radius of where you are.

I view every layover as a potential tweetup.  Search your airport code with and without a hashtag (#JFK, for example) and look for others who are tweeting from their layovers.  See if there is anyone interesting passing through and if your terminals are close and the time allows, see if they want to grab a drink or a bite to eat. Just like the popular book states, 'never eat alone'.  Break up your mundane travels and trips with the opportunity to meet others and expand your network.

What do you think?
What are your favorite sites for better flights?  Leave a comment and spread the love.  And as always, happy workshifting!

Brad J Ward is the Chief Explosion Officer at BlueFuego. He is a proud SkyTeam Elite member and thinks a quick flight the best way to boost productivity.  Find Brad on Twitter (@bradjward) and share your favorite tips and tricks with him.

I'm writing this on a flight from Philadelphia to Boston. Luckily, it's so early in the morning that my flight is ridiculously empty. I have an entire exit row to myself.

Here's tip #1: flying ridiculously early sometimes gives you better seating options (unless you're flying to Washington, DC, where everyone gets up before you).

Here are some more tips:

Before You Board

• Sign up for all the various airline and hotel rewards programs. They add up faster than I thought.
• Keep a text file on your phone with your flight confirmation number, your hotel name and address, your airline and hotel rewards account information, and any contact numbers you might need. You might check out the service TripIt, which manages this neatly (even more so for iPhone users).
• Buy a few energy bars and stuff them in your carry on. These always trump the $4 price tag for the same bar at the airport, and they help you make better eating decisions.
• Also, buy a drink before boarding the plane if you get thirsty easily. That way, you don't have to sit there feeling anxious that the flight attendants haven't served drinks yet.
• Getting to the airport really early makes every other choice work better. (More time to maneuver).
• You can change seats at check-in, if there are some available.
• Not sure about the best seat on the plane? Check it out for yourself at SeatGuru.com.
• You can also check with the gate agent before boarding the flight to see if there's a better seat, even if you were denied at check-in.
• Not sure what to do with that extra time you got by getting there early? Remember, A.B.C. = "always be charging." Find power outlets in earshot of your departure gate. (Hat tip to AlwaysBeCharging.com.)
• Related to charging, if you bring along a power strip, you can make friends fast at a busy outlet.
• I don't pay for wifi any more. It was more cost effective to buy my own Verizon EVDO card (mine's a USB stick). Check with your wireless carrier, and even if the company doesn't spring for it, consider it.

On Board

• Using a small enough rollerboard suitcase for travel and carrying it on sure beats waiting at the luggage carousel. When picking one out, I'm finding that the 4-wheel version are much nicer to maneuver than the old 2-wheel ones.
• My version of best seat in the house might differ from yours. I have broad shoulders, so window beats aisle (unless you like being smashed into all day).
• Paying the extra bucks for the extra legroom means you can actually use your laptop. Consider it a business expense.
• Airplanes are the best way I have of catching up with email.
• If you're reading business books on the plane, keep a notebook and pen handy. I get my biggest inspirations while 30,000 feet above the ground.
• Offer your seatmate your magazines or newspapers when you're done (if you're not keeping them). That poor schlub doesn't really want to read the SkyMall magazine. Share.

When You Land

• Even if you don't think you have to pee, go. Getting stuck in traffic in a cab after a long flight is never worth it. (I'm a dad. This advice serves a dual-purpose.)
• If you're picking up your bag, everyone crowds the area where the bags first drop. Yes, you'll save an extra 23 seconds standing there, but if you want better access to your luggage, stand downstream.
• If you're staying at a hotel, have the contact info and phone number ready before you hop in a cab. If you're planning on taking public transit, call the hotel ahead of time and get appropriate routing information from them.
• Know where the following stores are in relation to your hotel: a drug store, an office supply store, a clothing store (casual and professional), an electronics store (appropriate to your profession). The Lord made Google for a reason.
• If you're renting a car, consider the extra $15 for the GPS. It sure beats fumbling with maps and missing client meetings.

Error Handling

• If your flight is delayed at take-off for whatever reason, and you're supposed to make a connecting flight, the flight attendants will almost never have the information you need while in-flight. Stop bugging them. Relax. What's done is done. Just think up your next moves and phone calls for when you land.
• Bags get lost sometimes. If you've checked your bag and there's something mission critical in there (toothbrush?), keep it in your carry-on. Also, don't leave the airport without a phone number and a URL to check on the status of your stuff.
• If your flight is canceled or delayed and you're forced to stay overnight in the connecting city, the airline usually won't pay for hotels if it's weather-related. They might pay or offer a discount voucher if their scheduling has kept you over. Sometimes, their discount vouchers aren't as good as what you can get at Priceline. Consider your options.

Your Turn

What are your tips for the ideal air travel experience? How do you fly the hostile skies? What's made a difference to you as a workshifter in bringing what you need with you on the road?

We'd love to hear from you.

As a web commuter we spend most of our time in cafes, airports, hotels, flying, driving, or a number of other places and modes of travel.  This means that we're usually at the mercy of whatever is closest and fastest for food.  We're also constantly surrounded by food which leads to the temptation to snack more than usual.  Before web commuting became a regular part of my life, anything that included traveling was excuse enough for me to eat anything and everything I could find.  Fast food at the airport. Check. Multiple snacks on the plane.  Yup.  A cookie at the cafe. Uh huh. 

Now that I spend most of my time away from home, I've had to re-evaluate that strategy.  It was great while it lasted.  The temptation is always there for us though, isn't it?  If you work in a traditional office, you only have to worry about the vending machine or bowl of candy at the receptionist desk.  Not us.  We have to be even more conscious of it because our offices are places where there's normally food of some kind being served.