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10 Most Hated Jobs

At one time or another, we have all known at least one person who has hated his or her job. That person may have suffered silently or vented constantly, but at the end of the day there was no question this person was truly unhappy with where they spent at least 40 of his or her waking hours every week, for 51 weeks a year.

The reasons for job dissatisfaction vary. Low pay, irregular hours, and lack of a window seat are all assumed to be culprits, and to be sure they can all contribute to a bad attitude on the job. These are actually not the primary factors driving a worker to regard tomorrow morning at 9 o'clock sharp with dread and ill will, however, according to one resource.

CareerBliss is an online resource that bases job satisfaction on multiple factors, including workplace culture, coworkers, and the boss.

According a survey of hundreds of thousands of employees conducted in 2011, CareerBliss determined the 10 most hated jobs, rated on a scale of 1 to 10. In almost all cases, respondents reported that the factors causing the most job dissatisfaction were not lousy pay or a desk near the bathroom. CareerBliss found that limited growth opportunities and lack of reward drove the misery index up more than anything else.

Read about the 10 jobs with the highest levels of employee unhappiness. The results may surprise you.

1. Director of Information Technology
For all the press that teachers and nurses get for their long hours, low pay and thankless tasks, it may be surprising to see the most hated job was that of information technology director, according to CareerBliss. After all, the salary's pretty good and with information technology such a prevalent part of everyday business, an IT director can hold almost as much sway over the fate of some companies as a chief executive.

Still, IT directors reported the highest level of dissatisfaction with their jobs, far surpassing that of any waitress, janitor, or bellhop. Of those who responded to the survey, one simple, five-word response summed up the antipathy very well: "Nepotism, cronyism, disrespect for workers."

2. Director of Sales and Marketing
A director of sales and marketing plans implements efforts to promote companies and generate business. Responsibilities often include budget management, public relations, and employee training.

Sales and marketing directors reported the second-highest level of job dissatisfaction of all survey respondents. The majority who responded negatively cited a lack of direction from upper management and an absence of room for growth as the main sources of their ire.

3. Product Manager
"Product manager" is a wide-ranging job title that takes on many meanings, depending on the company and its sector. In some cases, the job requires simply evaluating what products are best suited to a company's business model, and in others marketing, resource management, and scheduling are involved.

The level of job dissatisfaction was very high for this position. One respondent complained that it restricted growth, saying that it was "very hard to grow up the ranks." Another was less polite and said "the work is boring and there's a lot of clerical work still at my level."

4. Senior Web Developer
Senior web developers design, maintain, and develop applications for the Internet. With every business expected to have some kind of Internet presence these days, developers are found working in every type of company, in a full-time, part-time, or freelance capacity.

A senior developer is expected to be fluent in client-side and server-side contexts, and know his or her way around Python, Ruby, or whatever other arcane technology requires taming. Senior developers reported a high degree of unhappiness in their jobs, attributable to a perception their employers are unable to communicate coherently, and lack an understanding of the technology.

5. Technical Specialist
A technical specialist "leads the analysis, definition, design, construction, testing, installation, and modification of medium to large infrastructures," according to CareerBliss. This means that if a company wants to design a project, the technical specialist evaluates it to see what's possible and what isn't.

The job is a lead position that requires intimate knowledge of engineering; familiarity with Linux helps, too. However, technical specialists reported that for all their expertise, they were treated with a palpable level of disrespect. They cited a "lack of communication from upper management" and felt their "input was not taken seriously."

6. Electronics Technician
Electronics technicians maintain, troubleshoot and collect monthly measurement data for electronic systems. They work in every sector and can be employed with the phone company, a chain of fast-food restaurants, or the U.S. Navy. Whatever the case, technicians work on-site and off-site, have constant contact with clients, and must have an ability to quickly solve complex technical problems under intense pressure.

Employee dissatisfaction in this job is attributable to several factors. One respondent complained of having "too little control," while another had a litany of complaints: "Work schedule, lack of accomplishment, no real opportunity for growth, peers have no motivation to work hard, no say in how things are done, hostility from peers towards other employees."

7. Law Clerk
Clerkships are among the most highly sought-after positions in the legal profession. A law clerk assists judges as they write opinions, and the ones who get the job are almost always near the top of their class at law school. Six justices of the U.S. Supreme Court, including Elena Kagan and current Chief Justice John Roberts, were all law clerks early in their careers.

The job clearly beefs up a resume. Yet law clerks still report high levels of dissatisfaction. The hours are long and grueling, and the clerk is subject to the whims of sometimes mercurial personalities. The Bureau of Labor Statistics also reported the job brings in a median salary of $39,780 a year—not exactly striking it rich—and those looking for advancement within the position simply will not find it.

8. Technical Support Analyst
Technical support analysts help people with their computer issues. This typically amounts to calmly communicating technical advice to panicked individuals, often over the phone, and then going on site to find the client simply hadn't turned the printer on.

Technical support analysts often work in a variety of environments, and they may be required to travel at a moment's notice, sometimes on holidays or weekends. After all, there's no telling when a client's computer-whiz nephew might make a minor tweak to his machine, with disastrous results.

In the words of one of the respondents, "You can do better, really."

9. CNC Machinist
CNC machinists operate computer numerical control machines. For the uninitiated, this is a machine that operates a lathe or a mill. On the upside, it renders obsolete processes that used to be performed by hand, at a slow pace and with high risk to the operator's life and limb.

Now that the CNC operator has had most of the physical hazards of manufacturing replaced by a machine, there's not a lot to do but push buttons and perform equipment inspections to make sure the coolant is at a safe level. Since it's a specialized skill, the job offers no room for advancement, which caused respondents to report a high degree of dissatisfaction.

10. Marketing Manager
A marketing manager is responsible for overseeing advertising and promotion. This involves developing strategies to meet sales objectives, based on the study of such factors as customer surveys and market behavior.

According to CareerBliss, respondents in this position most often cited a lack of direction as the primary reason for job dissatisfaction. The most optimistic respondent described it as "tolerable," and gave it the faintest praise possible by saying, "It's a job." (In this labor market, that's not such a bad thing.)

Celebrity Failures

In recent years, multiple celebrities have attempted to extend their brand by venturing into the business world. Actor and comedian Will Ferrell found tremendous success with his website, FunnyorDie.com, while Rapper Sean Combs (P Diddy) owns multiple businesses, including a record label, a clothing line, a movie production company, and more.

Despite all the successful celebrity ventures in the world, however, there are numerous examples of celebrity businesses that have gone bust.

A celebrity name can automatically help a business, bringing in a recognizable spokesperson and a built-in fan base. However, just because a celebrity brand is attached to a business, it doesn’t guarantee success—and may occasionally cause more harm than good.

Celebrity businesses fail for numerous reasons, from poor business management and lack of experience, to bad concepts that were doomed from the beginning. Regardless of the reason, these celebrities have learned the hard way that success doesn’t always come easily in the business world.

So, which major celebrities launched businesses that flopped?

Britney Spears
Business: Nyla Restaurant

Named after Spears’ two favorite places—New York and Louisiana—Nyla opened in June 2002 in Manhattan’s Dylan Hotel. The restaurant originally featured dishes with a Cajun and Southern flair, with dishes such as Southern sushi and fried okra, with prices ranging from $16 to $26 a dish.

According to People.com, however, the restaurant received terrible reviews, was cited for several health-code violations, and eventually began to suffer from financial problems. In an attempt to save the business, Nyla underwent a menu overhaul in which the Southern cuisine was dumped in favor of Italian dishes, but this was not enough to keep the restaurant afloat. Less than six months after it opened, Spears severed all ties with the business.

Nicky Hilton
Business: Nicky-O-Hotels

As an heir to the Hilton family, Nicky Hilton should have the hotel business running through her veins, but her disastrous attempt at starting up her own hotel chain proved otherwise.

Hilton’s first venture was planned as a 94-room luxury hotel on Miami’s Ocean Drive, with a second location planned for Chicago. Italian fashion designer Roberto Cavalli was brought in to design the hotel suites. The hotel was scheduled to open in time for the 2007 Super Bowl in Miami and advertised a $1,000 per night Super Bowl package. Unfortunately, plagued by delays, the hotel never opened its doors.

The project filed for bankruptcy protection in 2007 and Hilton was later sued by the condo hotel developer, who claimed she didn’t keep up her end of their business agreement. The developer said Hilton had promised to promote the project and that she misrepresented her associates. The property eventually was put up for auction, and the Chicago project was abandoned.

Natalie Portman
Business: Vegan-Friendly Footwear

Natalie Portman is an advocate for animal rights, and she only wears clothing and shoes that are not made of animal byproduct. In early 2008, she collaborated with designer Te Casan to launch a vegan-friendly footwear line, which included shoes that were made without harming animals.

However, customers may have thought that the $200 price tag was a bit high and shortly after, in December 2008, the parent company, Te Casan, closed shop due to failing sales.

Kanye West
Business: Pastelle Clothing Line


Kanye West, known for having an interest in fashion, had been talking about starting his own fashion line for years, and in 2009 he attempted it with Pastelle.

But West’s clothing business never had a fighting chance: Two days after photos of his fashion line were posted on the Internet, the business folded. Shortly before, West’s reputation took a hit after he interrupted Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech at the MTV Video Music Awards, declaring that another artist should have won. Many speculate that this stunt contributed to the fashion line’s demise.

The Kardashian Sisters
Business: The "Kardashian Kard"

In 2008, Kim Kardashian and her sisters, Kourtney and Khloé, launched their own pre-paid credit card, dubbed “The Kardashian Kard.” The sisters stated at the time they were excited to create their very own financial product.

Their excitement waned, however, after consumer advocates complained of the card’s extremely high fees, and the Kardashian sisters quickly came under attack for aiming the product at young adults. The sisters backed out of their contract, claiming that they were unaware of the card’s high fees.
NBC’s "Saturday Night Live" was quick to ridicule the sisters for their decision to venture into a business they knew nothing about.

Jennifer Lopez
Business: Madres Restaurant

In an effort to celebrate her Puerto Rican heritage, Jennifer Lopez opened Madres, which is Spanish for mother, in 2002 in Pasadena, Calif. The menu focused on Latin food that Lopez had enjoyed growing up, and included empanadas, ceviche, ropa vieja, and arroz con pollo, with dishes priced between $30 and $50.

Despite a star-studded opening, the restaurant received lackluster reviews, and six years after it opened a sign was placed on the front door that said, “Madres will be closed … until further notice.”

In addition to Madres, Lopez has also experienced failures in the fashion industry. Before it became common for celebrities to have fashion lines, Lopez found success in her clothing line JLO in 2003. Afterwards, she launched two additional lines, JustSweet (2003), and Sweetface (2005).

With the recession, her initial clothing line JLO was unable to remain profitable and was closed in the U.S. in 2007. Her additional lines never found success: JustSweet closed after only a few seasons at retail; and Sweetface, despite a revamp of the line, was halted in 2009.

Lopez may find success aiming at an older audience, however—the singer recently announced that a new line will come out this fall at the department-store chain Kohl’s.

Arnold Schwarzenegger and Multiple Actors
Business: Planet Hollywood

After the success of the Hard Rock Café restaurant chain, CEO Robert Earl created Planet Hollywood. Inside, diners could eat alongside memorabilia and props from various movies and TV shows. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, and Sylvester Stallone were among the company's celebrity shareholders and the actors helped to promote the restaurant.

Unable to turn a profit, the restaurant chain filed for bankruptcy protection in 1999. In an attempt to keep the business afloat, many locations were shut and the company focused solely on tourist destinations. These efforts were still not enough, however, and following a decline in spending after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the company was forced to file for bankruptcy protection for a second time.

In 2000, Schwarzenegger severed his ties with Planet Hollywood. At the peak of its success, the chain had more than 80 locations around the world, but today only 16 locations remain in operation, including restaurants in New York and Orlando, Fla.

By Jill Weinberger, CNBC.com
Click here to see the complete list of 15 Failed Celebrity Businesses

Hurricane & Typhoon Season 2011

Be Prepared

U.S. citizens considering travel to storm-prone regions during hurricane and typhoon season should carefully consider the potential dangers and inconveniences associated with their travel before finalizing plans. Those who choose to travel should devise an emergency plan in advance of their departure. Even inland areas far from the coastline can experience destructive winds, tornadoes, and floods from tropical storms, hurricanes and typhoons.

In the event of a tropical storm, hurricane or typhoon, the Embassy will send out a warden message and will monitor the storm's track, issuing updated messages as information becomes available. The Department of State may also issue Travel Alerts or Travel Warnings to apprise the traveling public of the situation. Please take this time to check your travel documents and those of your family members to assure that all U.S. passports are still valid and that any non-U.S. citizen family members have valid U.S. visas. You may need to travel to the United States on short notice and would not want to be stuck without valid travel documents.

Contact the OCS Call Center

For situations involving an injury to, or the death of, an American citizen, contact the OCS Call Center at 1-800-407-4747 (from overseas: 202-501-4444) 

Traveler's Checklist

• Prior to leaving the United States, enroll your trip on the State Department’s travel enrollment website or at the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate.
• Check with your tour operator, airline, or charter flight company (as appropriate) regarding travel services back to the United States in the event of a hurricane, and the possibility of early return if a storm is forecasted for your region.
• Obtain a cell phone that works internationally to stay in regular contact with family and friends in the United States and advise them of your whereabouts.
• Research the region you are visiting and familiarize yourself with local procedures
• Pack an Emergency Supply Kit.
• Keep extra bottled water and non-perishable food items on hand.
• Keep an up-to-date list of local emergency phone numbers, as well as contact numbers for the nearest U.S. Embassy, Consulate, or Consular Agency.
• Protect your vital travel documents from potential water damage by placing them in a waterproof container.
• Obtain travel insurance prior to your trip to cover unexpected expenses in the event of an emergency.
• Leave a detailed itinerary and your local contact information with a friend or family member in the United States.
• Make two photocopies of your passport identification page, airline tickets, driver’s license and the credit cards you plan to take. Leave one copy of each with family or friends at home and pack the other copies separately from the originals.  Leave a copy of the serial numbers of your travelers’ checks with a friend or relative at home.

Best Travel Books

Whether you're looking for a birthday gift for your favorite traveler or a great read for your next trans-Atlantic flight, we've got you covered! The staff of IndependentTraveler.com has gathered 10 of our favorite travel titles -- including both timeless classics and fresh new releases -- that are sure to please any traveler who loves to escape into the pages of a great book.

Miss New York Has Everything
By Lori Jakiela
A small-town girl wants to get out and leave the suburbs of Pittsburgh, and her family, behind. What's a girl to do? Lori Jakiela became a flight attendant and got ready to see the world. The trouble is, short layovers, even if they are in Paris, do not a world traveler make. Instead of the glamorous life she imagined in New York, she finds herself broke and living in a decidedly unglamorous neighborhood in Queens filled with roommates and roaches. As we follow Ms. Jakiela through her stumbles and struggles, we begin to understand just how strong the ties that bind her to her small-town life are -- particularly to her father, with whom she has a complicated but deeply loving relationship.

This memoir is a sometimes humorous and sometimes painful look back at one young woman's struggle to create a new life and to escape the people and the places that define her -- until she realizes that back in suburban Pittsburgh is exactly where she belongs.

Excerpt:Not only was I not glamorous. I was also not a German speaker.

This is what I told Sheldon in Scheduling, when he called, for the third time in one month, to give me another twenty-four-hour layover in the industrial wasteland of Frankfurt, Germany.
Lost and Found
By Carolyn Parkhurst
"You've lost the game, but what have you found?" That's the question posed by the host of a ficticious "Amazing Race"-type reality show that serves as the backdrop for this new novel, in which teams are eliminated from a worldwide scavenger hunt. Chapters are devoted to individual players and even the show's host as we learn their secrets -- what's behind the mother/daughter team with the strained relationship? What's with the newly married couple who, until just recently, were both leading lives as homosexuals? Why are the two former child actors really on the show?

Fans of "The Amazing Race" will love the moments when we get a glimpse of the show's production team trying to "out" a participant or the contestants' struggle to complete the tasks needed to get ahead. However, the book is much less about the contest than it is about the people who are playing the game -- and in the end, they are all able to answer the question, "What have you found?"

Excerpt:"I'm just going to the bathroom," I say to him. "You can stay with Abby."

"Sorry," [the cameraman] says. "I've gotten instructions to follow you."

I was going to go around the far side of the column, out of Abby's sight, but I change course and head towards the public restrooms near the steps of the terrace. I hope Ken will follow; I don't know how I am going to manage a private conversation with him, but he clearly has something to say to me, and I can't have him following me and Abby.

Robert and I reach the door of the men's room, and I step inside alone. ... After a moment, Ken walks in. It embarrasses me to look at him directly. I turn on the water and hold my hands under the cold spray. Ken walks over and stands at the sink next to mine.

"Hi there," he says. "Romantic little spot you've chosen."
Traveling While Married
By Mary-Lou Weisman
Though not necessarily a how-to guide on traveling better with your spouse, "Traveling While Married" does provide insights, many of them hilarious, into what it is like to travel with your husband or wife. It's largely an account of the travels of Mary-Lou Weisman and her husband Larry, but any married couple will see themselves in the pages of this book. Weisman touches on topics like traveling with other couples, doing things you hate because the one you love wants to, and "fantasy real estate" -- the compulsion to own property in every wonderful place you visit.

For couples who love each other and love to travel, this is a touching and insightful read. We can all relate to the opening page of the book when the author professes, "I, Mary-Lou, take you Larry, to be my constant traveling companion, to Hong and to Kong, in Cyclades and in Delft, for deck class or deluxe, so long as we both can move."

Excerpt:Travel can put an extra strain on a marriage. Being the same old couple in a new and different place is a disorienting experience. All too often, when people don't know where they are, have jet lag, don't speak the language and can't figure out the money or maintain intestinal regularity, they get hostile. And since they don't know anyone else in Kyoto to take it out on, they take it out on each other.

Some marriages are saved by going on vacation. While the marriage is at home, the partners may be contemplating divorce, but send the marriage on vacation and they're on a second honeymoon. On the other hand, a marriage that gets along swimmingly at home can be a fish out of water on vacation.

The Singular Pilgrim: Travels on Sacred Ground
By Rosemary Mahoney
Trudging on weary feet along Spain's road to Santiago de Compostela, visiting the holy shrine at Lourdes and rowing down the waters of the Ganges, Rosemary Mahoney is a modern-day pilgrim, traveling to some of the world's holiest sites in search of answers to her own spiritual questions. As a self-described rational person who is predisposed to doubt rather than to believe, she views the passion of true believers with mingled fascination, envy and bemusement. Can she find her own faith by following in the footsteps of the faithful before her?

I was drawn in immediately by Mahoney's compelling, ruminative account of her own pilgrim's path. She describes each stop on her journey with insight and compassion, but the chapter that lingered in my mind was the one about her stay in Varanasi, India. There she meets Jaga, a remarkable 16-year-old boy who is not only her guide to the city but also a kindred spirit: "His faith, I knew, was similar in nature to mine -- faded, worn, resentful, and stubbornly evasive. And yet it was there." By the book's end, Mahoney's faith is not drastically changed; there are no easy answers to the difficult questions she poses here. But her journey leaves both her -- and the reader -- with a measure of peace.

Excerpt:
I was only halfway to Santiago. I folded the map up and threw it across the room so that I couldn't touch it. I fumed a while longer, then went quiet, because I knew that what was really upsetting me was that love was failing in my life. At its core, love, like faith, was not a product of reason. ... Real love required a risk, an act of daring. In my relationship there was not enough trust and too little daring. Walking to Santiago I had tried not to think too much about it, but it was the most important thing in my life at that time, and it kept cropping up in front of me and blocking my path.
Honeymoon with My Brother
By Franz Wisner
What happens when the worst thing that's ever happened to you turns into the best thing? Franz Wisner learns the hard way when his fiancee, whom he'd loved for the better part of a decade, breaks up with him only five days before their wedding. Devastated and confused, he decides to go on his honeymoon anyway -- with his younger brother. The two-week honeymoon proves only a taste of what was to come. Soon after they return home, the brothers do what many of us have only dreamt of: quit their jobs, sell their houses and take a much longer honeymoon, this time around the world.

In this memoir, Wisner captures their two-year, four-continent journey with a keen eye and an appreciation for the little ironies they encounter in their travels -- like the time they show up at a restaurant recommended in their guidebook and find "ten tables, Anglo faces at each one ... Mass at the Church of the Lonely Planet." (It's then that they decide to ditch the guidebooks and rely on the kindness and wisdom of locals, a decision they never regret.) The brothers gradually fall into the rhythm of the road, leaving their past lives and loves behind and developing a deep friendship with each other. Wisner's straightforward, concise writing style isn't always effective; I found myself wanting more detail in some parts of the book and grimacing at a few cute but clunky rhymes ("the tired, hired, and mired trying to replace the fired"). But for the most part I found "Honeymoon with My Brother" a moving, funny account of the best kind of travel: the kind that not only takes you around the world but also changes your life.

Excerpt:
Vietnam today is the young Buddhist monk, draped in orange robes, taking pains to prune a bonsai tree on the grounds of an ancient and decaying temple. ... It's the women in their pencil tip bamboo hats, crouched on the sidewalks, hawking delicious noodle soups piled high with bean sprouts and fresh basil. ... It's the dragon face long boats on brown rivers that shuttle tourists during the day and sleep families of ten at night. It's warm Cokes and bad karaoke (is that redundant?), a new house for every thousand old steel-roof shanties, bicycle rickshaws carrying dead cows, and bootleg everything. It's fishing nets, war trinkets, and warm baguettes.
The Poisonwood Bible
By Barbara Kingsolver
The setting is the Belgian Congo in the 1950's. Fresh off the plane is a fundamentalist Christian preacher from the American South named Nathan Price, who has brought his wife and four daughters with him to spread the Word to what he considers a godless continent. But as Reverend Price aggressively pursues his missionary agenda in the face of increasingly fierce local resistance, it is his family who must suffer the consequences.

"The Poisonwood Bible" is a haunting novel about what happens when cultures collide -- specifically, when an outsider blunders up against the customs and beliefs of a society he doesn't even try to understand. Kingsolver effectively captures that prickly feeling of being outside one's comfort zone, one many will recognize from their own travels. She also writes beautifully about the landscape of Africa, its colors and smells and sounds, in the voices of four very different young women attempting to adapt to their alien surroundings. The novel builds steadily to a devastating climax, but then inexplicably continues for another several hundred pages -- making the last quarter of the book feel a bit directionless. But that's a forgivable flaw in a novel as lush and powerful as this one.

Excerpt:
Imagine a ruin so strange it must never have happened. First, picture the forest. I want you to be its conscience, the eyes in the trees. The trees are columns of slick, brindled bark like muscular animals overgrown beyond all reason. Every space is filled with life: delicate, poisonous frogs war-painted like skeletons, clutched in copulation, secreting their precious eggs onto dripping vines. Vines strangling their own kin in the everlasting wrestle for sunlight. The breathing of monkeys. A glide of snake belly on branch. A single-file army of ants biting a mammoth tree into uniform grains and hauling it down to the dark for their ravenous queen. And, in reply, a choir of seedlings arching their necks out of rotted tree stumps, sucking life out of death. This forest eats itself and lives forever.
Dave Barry Does Japan
By Dave Barry
If you've read too many deep, nuanced, "I went around the world and found myself" travel books, here's your remedy: "Dave Barry Does Japan." The syndicated columnist known for his sophisticated sense of humor (booger jokes, anyone?) hits the road with his wife and 10-year-old son, leaving political correctness and cultural sensitivity back in the U.S. The family spends three weeks bumbling around "in a disoriented, uncomprehending manner" in search of their next train, their next meal (preferably food that isn't still alive) and the secrets of Japanese success in the auto industry (hint: robots). Along the way Barry presents indispensable travel tips such as how to eat with chopsticks: raise them in the air to call your waiter and ask him for a fork.

I found myself laughing helplessly throughout the book, but my favorite part was Barry's description of the Kabuki play he went to see in Tokyo. Here's part of the plot as he understands it: "Everybody is upset and whining. Meanwhile some assassins are lurking around." If you're looking for an in-depth analysis of Japanese culture, look elsewhere. Aside from a chapter on Hiroshima, which not even Barry can joke about, this book unapologetically aims no further than drawing a few laughs -- and he succeeds, effectively skewering not only Japanese culture but also our own.

Excerpt:
One night in Tokyo we watched two Japanese businessmen saying good-night to each other after what had clearly been a long night of drinking, a major participant sport in Japan. These men were totally snockered, having reached the stage of inebriation wherein every air molecule that struck caused them to wobble slightly, but they still managed to behave more formally than Americans do at funerals. They faced each other and bowed deeply, which caused both of them to momentarily lose their balance and start to pitch face-first to the sidewalk. Trying to recover their balance, they both stepped forward, almost banging heads. They managed to get themselves upright again and, with great dignity, weaved off in opposite directions.

"Around the World in 80 Days": A Companion to the BBC Mini-Series of the Same Name
By Michael Palin
In 1989, Michael Palin succeeded in getting someone to cover the necessary expenses to travel around the world. His premise involved following the route -- as precisely as possible -- taken by Phileas Fogg in Jules Verne's "Around the World in 80 Days." Palin would restrict himself to the means of travel available to Fogg -- so boats, trains, horse-drawn coaches, children and camels would all be allowed.

In an effort to squeeze every penny out of Palin, the BBC decided to publish the journals he kept during his trip. And although the book was intended as a companion to the 1989 BBC mini-series of the same name, the journals really do stand alone. The feel of the book is fully informed by a man who took every occasion to dress up in women's clothes for a laugh (stirring conclusion to "The Meaning of Life" for instance). He doesn't take himself very seriously, and yet his intelligence and self-awareness allow him to convey the ridiculous circumstances in which he finds himself. At the Pyramids, a camel renter insists that the camel is named "Michael" and that Palin don a traditional Arab headdress. He dines on salted squid innards -- a dish his guide tells him is literally unpalatable to Europeans -- in Tokyo, before giving a rousing rendition of "You are My Sunshine" at a local karaoke bar. Aboard an L.A.-bound container ship, he takes part in a bizarre ritual involving copious amounts of fake blood (ketchup), break-dancing and King Neptune's blessing as he crosses the International Date Line. But you don't have to take my word for it. Read it yourself.

Excerpt:
I venture into the streets of Bombay in search of someone to remove eight days' growth of beard ... Sandwiched in between a professional letter writer and a man who organizes mongoose and snake fights, I find a barber who shaves me then and there on the grubby pavement with a cut-throat razor. Not something I shall tell my mother about, especially as I'm convinced from the way his fingers rather than his eyes seek out my face that he is blind. By the time he's finished shaving me, a crowd has gathered that would not disgrace a third division football club.
The Monk and the Philosopher: A Father and Son Discuss the Meaning of Life
By Jean-Francois Revel and Matthieu Ricard
Instead of detailing an actual road trip, "The Monk and the Philosopher" is a book about the "spiritual journey." Jean-Francois Revel, a prominent French intellectual entrenched in Western science and thought, meets his son Matthieu Ricard, a Buddhist monk, in Katmandu to discuss both why Ricard decided for a clean break from the West and the difference between Eastern and Western thought in general. Ricard was once a promising young scientist in France, but after successfully defending his doctoral thesis, he shocked his family and friends by moving to Bhutan and becoming a monk. What drew him to the East? What are the points of contention between father and son? How have the ways each has chosen to live affected their relationship? These concerns drive the dialogue.

The book begins with a conversation about how Ricard has evolved from aspiring scientist to ordained Buddhist monk. But after clarifying how and when Ricard abandoned his research career, the men begin to engage in a dialogue informed by pride, bitterness and sincerity. Much of the book is an elucidation of the Buddhist approach to life, and Ricard's insistence that Buddhism is not unflinching dogma, but a living, breathing framework, from which one can arrive at a spiritual destination. Revel seems incapable or unwilling of understanding this key point, and this tension speaks volumes about the differences between East and West, father and son. Even for a Buddhist monk, the very embodiment of serenity, Ricard's patience is repeatedly tried. Both are trying to come to some understanding of what the other holds dear, while also resolutely defending their methods for tackling philosophy's primary quests -- eliminating the fear of death, while living the "good life." Their unique experiences traveling through life are certainly food for thought -- perhaps inspiring enough to start the reader on his or her own quest.

Excerpt:
No dialogue, however enlightening it might be, could ever be a substitute for the silence of personal experience, so indispensable for an understanding of how things really are. Experience, indeed, is the path. And as the Buddha often said, "it is up to you to follow it," so that one day the messenger might become the message.
Travels with Charley in Search of America
By John Steinbeck
As one of the great American authors, Steinbeck has little to prove in terms of writing. But there came a time in his life where he began to get the sense that the America he had written of in his seminal works had morphed into something wholly unfamiliar. To reacquaint himself with a clearer picture of his motherland, he decided to set out on a three-month journey with his friend Charley the standard poodle. The natural beauty he encounters along the way in places like Montana and the redwood forests of California are juxtaposed against the ugly bigotry and closed-mindedness of many Americans he meets. This hatred is certainly very painful for Steinbeck, and the sad realization that his ideal vision of America -- an America where the loss of innocence may open the door for positive growth -- may never materialize makes for a melancholy experience.

Steinbeck is a natural reporter, able to convey scenes, such as his route through the changing New England foliage, with great accuracy. But he also injects his writing with experience and passion, and this is what makes "Travels with Charley" so engaging.

Excerpt:
For many years I have traveled in many parts of the world. In America, I live in New York, or dip into Chicago or San Francisco. But New York is no more America than Paris is France or London is England. Thus, I discovered I did not know my own country.

Hotel Points

When people think about travel points, the first programs that come to mind are usually airline mile accounts. However, the number, variety and value of great hotel points programs have grown exponentially over the past few years, and consumers are starting to take notice. Thanks to their versatility, flexibility and elite perks, hotel points are some of the hottest commodities in travel points.

The bottom line is: Hotel points matter--even if it's free airline tickets you're after. Here are a few of the reasons why, and what you should be thinking about as you get started with them.

Higher Value: Unlike airline miles, which usually amount to a value of about 1-2 cents each, hotel loyalty points' value can be worth much, much more. The combination of rising airfares, reduced flight capacities and scarcer award seat availability can make finding ideal award tickets challenging. On the other hand, although hotel rates have also risen dramatically over the past decade, capacity keeps on growing as well (or at least remains fixed since you can't switch buildings if you don't sell out your hotel, whereas you can switch out aircraft) as hotel chains expand and keep on adding brands. That means that more rooms--and more expensive rooms--are up for grabs to loyalty point program members. Enough stays at an Embassy Suites can translate to overnights at a Waldorf Astoria. The 20,000 Starwood points you earn staying at a Sheraton can get you a night at the St. Regis Rome.

Exchange Rates: Airfares were high this summer thanks to a number of factors including the skyrocketing cost of gas, but Americans have been feeling even more of a pinch thanks to the weak US dollar. That holds true for hotel rates as well, especially in Europe, where the Euro is pummeling the greenback. A hotel room that would cost $200 in Los Angeles could go for the equivalent of $600 in Paris. That makes using your hotel points wisely more important than ever. Plus, the Starwood Preferred Guest program has a "Cash & Points" option that gets you hotel rooms for both fewer points and less money than using one method of payment or the other. For example, a Category 4 (out of 7) Starwood property like the Westin Grand Berlin, would cost you 4,000 Starpoints and $60 USD using the "Cash & Points" option versus paying over 250 euros (around $360 at the moment).

More Options: Though hotel points are generally only redeemable within a single hotel group (like Marriott or Hilton), most of these chains have created, incorporated or bought other brands to put under their umbrella and usually you can both earn points on stays at any of the brands within the chain, as well as using points earned at any of the brands within the chain for stays at any of the other brands. Just to give you a quick rundown of some of the biggest:

-IHG Priority Club: This is the biggest group, with over 4,000 properties worldwide, and brands like InterContinental, Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn.
-Hilton HHonors: Another huge hotel group of over 3,600 hotels worldwide with familiar names like Hilton, Waldorf Astoria, DoubleTree, Embassy Suites and Hilton Garden Inn.
-Marriott Rewards: The next largest chain, with over 3,400 properties in the Marriott, JW Marriott, Ritz-Carlton, Renaissance, Edition and Residence Inn brands.
-Starwood Preferred Guest: This group has over 1,000 properties across several great brands including Westin, St. Regis, W Hotels, Sheraton, Element and Aloft.
-Hyatt Gold Passport: One of the best hotel programs out there (which I'll talk about in a future post) even though they only have just over 400 properties across brands like Hyatt, Park Hyatt, Andaz and Hyatt Place.

Airline Transfers: Just because you pick a hotel loyalty program and start accruing points in it doesn't mean you can't still use them for airfare. In fact, most hotel programs allow you to transfer points to several different airline mileage accounts. For instance, right now, Starwood Preferred Guest members can transfer their points to 31 different mileage programs including those of American Airlines, British Airways, Delta, Air France, United, US Airways and Virgin Atlantic (see the list here), and SPG will give you a bonus of 5,000 points for every 20,000 that you transfer. (What does that tell you about the value of hotel points versus airline miles?). Hilton HHonors members can already transfer points to 40 airline partners (see the list here). In general, however, hotel points are more valuable when used on hotel stays rather than on flights.

Constant Promotions: Whereas airlines are much more targeted and seemingly random with promotions, hotels are known for offering constant promotions and deals to earn and use points, so staying on top of the news can be extremely beneficial. Right now, for example, Hyatt just announced a promotion where Gold Passport members earn 5,000 bonus points for every three nights they stay in a Hyatt property, up to a limit of 30,000 points. While this is a lower bonus level than some of Hyatt's previous promotions, it's still a good deal. Starwood has also recently announced that Starwood Preferred Guest members will earn triple points on every stay between September 6-December 18, 2011, on stays that include either a Thursday or a Sunday night. This is clearly aimed at non-business travelers, but could still be quite lucrative for members with flexible schedules, and SPG members will at least earn double points on all other stays for the same period. You just need to register here.

Elite Status: Like airlines, many hotel brands offer their most loyal customers elite status upon completion of a certain number of stays or amount of money earned within a set time period (usually a calendar year). Once earned, elite status confers upon members a host of great value-added perks like early check-in, late check-out, room upgrades which can be worth hundreds of dollars, and more. For example, higher-level Starwood elites get free internet access that routinely saves me somewhere around $15 a day when I stay in one of their properties, while one of my favorite perks as an InterContinental Priority Club Royal Ambassador lets me take anything I want from my minibar for free.
M&M's anyone?
 

New Travel Rule (or should be)

ERUPTING volcanoes, exploding plane engines and stiffer fees for luggage - what a year it's been for travellers.

With the end of financial year approaching, I can't recall a more incident-packed, change-filled 12-month period for travellers since perhaps September 11, 2001.

It's as if all the rules of travel have been irrevocably changed as airlines and hotels ruthlessly struggle not just to compete for market share but also just to survive.

It's time for a new, updated list of 10 travel commandments in the light of events that have befallen Australian travellers:

1. Thou shalt realise that the party is over
Although there continues to be bargains for airline passengers, carriers have experienced the equivalent of a steep takeoff in terms of costs and competition. The days of easily accessed cheap airfares are numbered in Australia with the newly-rebadged Virgin Australia shedding its budget carrier past and joining rival Qantas as a "full-service" (read: full-price) carrier.

Rising fuel and labour costs, partly due to the high Australian dollar, are therefore being routinely passed on to passengers with a sharp rise in ticket prices, especially for long-haul flights.

2. Thou shalt expect to be charged for anything and everything
Recent reports revealed some airlines are making more money out of ancillary items, such as food, drink, sold separately on planes.

Airlines are continually looking for additional revenue streams such as getting tougher on baggage weights (see below) and charging for preferred seating options in economy, such as exit row seats for their additional legroom.
Standby for more cynical imposts, which many of us will accept without complaint.

 

3. Thou shalt keep thy pants on (and thy bathrobe done up) Despite the fact that they have long profited from in-house porno channels and from guests indulging in so-called dirty weekends, we may be about to see a more prudish, less accommodating hotel industry.

This follows the recent Sofitel New York hotel incident, with the former head of the IMF (International Monetary Fund), Dominic Strauss-Khan, being accused of sexual assaulting a house-maid.

Make sure that when you open the door to your room, your bathrobe sash is done up tightly. Funny business from frisky guests will no longer be tolerated (and rightly so).4. Thou shalt stay loyal As competition between airlines and hotels intensifies, you're far more likely to be rewarded in the form of seat and room upgrades and additional baggage allowances (see below) if you're a member of a loyalty program.
If you do not hold an airline club membership, now may be a good time.5. Thou shalt not over-pack One major area that airlines, such as Qantas, have cracked down on is luggage. Unless you're flying business class or an airline club with generous baggage allowance benefits, the days of sneaking those extra kilos on board are over. Most airlines are imposing stricter rules on baggage weight, including hand luggage.

Heavier planes do mean heftier fuel costs, but the Doc does detect a whiff of profiteering. 6. Thou shalt recline their seat back with care Travel is harder, more stressful and less enjoyable than ever - especially if you're stuck in cattle class. We're all in it together so let’s all behave better. This means reclining your airline seat gently and never doing so during meal-times, just like the good flight attendant says. 7. Thou shalt not forsake thy travel agent Tempting as it is to rely entirely on the internet for your travel plans, a succession of volcano eruptions, revolutions, wars and airline engineering mishaps have shown that it's worth having an expert back home when things go wrong.

If you're stranded overseas a travel agent is more likely to be able to help than an anonymous overseas booking website.8. Thou shalt make less calls overseas The time has surely come for a consumer backlash against charges for mobile phone calls outside of Australia. It seems the moment we step foot outside of our country, it’s fair game for exorbitant mobile phone charges, even when we take care to be conservative in the calls we make abroad.

The only way to fight back is to make fewer calls, buy an overseas SIM card and/or to use alternative means of communicating, such as Skype.9. Thou shalt enjoy the buoyant Aussie dollarAussie travellers are enjoying the unusual status of being among the world's richest travellers (though the Euro, sadly, is still worth more than it should be against the Aussie).

Unlike other occasions when the Australian dollar has risen to great heights and then dipped dramatically, it seems that a strong currency may be in for a long-term stay. But do still keep a close eye on those currency rate charts.10. Thou shalt keep travelling Despite all of the hassles, the dramas and the mounting rip-offs - nothing seems to be enough to stop Australians travelling beyond our shores. Seven million of us annually can't be wrong – though, don't push us.