Were you expecting another shameful Blog Giveaway post promoting myself? (If you act now, you can still get a copy of my book! OK, I’ll drop it.)
It saddens me that my time as the featured blogger on BoardingArea has come to an end. We’ve had such a great time together, wouldn’t you agree? By the explosion in blog viewership I would concur.
I would like to give many thanks for the great comments, the insightful feedback, and the critics out there who will keep me on my toes from making more legal, blogging, and grammar faux pas.
Before they snatch the mic away from me and before my gate to BKK service with uncertain service to Burma is called (there is only 1 Gate in the Mongolian Airport), I would like to invite you to keep following me on all the usual social media platforms or check me and the other up-and-coming bloggers on Prior2Boarding or directly on ThePointsOfLife.com.
I trust you have found my blog to be a bit different from others and hope you welcome that my tone and style of writing is a little more explicit than the norm.
I’ve made a slide show to commemorate all the time we had together.
Till next time,
Keep Churning My Friends, both new and old.
Alexander
JD/MBA/WorldExplorer/Author
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You were always on my mind, you were always on my mind.
A wise man once said, “Take 1/2 the Clothes and Twice the Money.” I wonder if that wise man is now regretting his own advice as he makes his way down to the South Pole. Regardless, my friend and fellow T-Bird Alum Lee’s words have been with me since I started Part II of my MBA in Travel and Tourism in 2009.
When I first set out on Part I of the MBA Tour, I had no idea what I was doing. Arriving at Dubai Airport, I looked like the Arab Elle Woods carrying these two bags, plus a backpack, plus a roller.
Marhaba, I’m here for the MBA program.
From Dubai it was off to Mexico then Czech Republic with these dead weight Samsonites (as reliable as they are) holding me down. I still remember trying to get on the London Underground when the door shut on Mr. Samsonite and I thought he would be gone forever.
Today, I take it personally when I have to check bags and always try to avoid the suspecting stares from those behind the ticket counter as they try to convince me otherwise. For me, carrying on has less to do with fees and more to do with pride that comes from a bag well packed.
I’ve narrowed down my travel checklist of what I must bring which has reduced my luggage to the following:
Still not the lightest traveler to ever do it but it does give me the space to throw in that extra shirt for the Roxbury.
While nobody has asked me, “What do you pack when you travel,” I’ll use the blogger’s creative license to pretend that someone has. This list hasn’t changed much over the years and is kept in my darling Blackberry so I can erase each thing off the list whether I’m packing to leave or making sure I didn’t forget anything while on the road.
Here it is:
FINANCE
Passport + cover
Wallet
Money bag (coins): all those loose bills/coins not worth being converted.
VIP lounge pass + airline award card: E.g., your Citi Exec Card, your Ink club card.
Booking credit card: Mongolian airport made me show the card I used to purchase my ticket. I didn’t have it so that was a hassle.
Debit card: Charles Schwab, you know who it is! No fees internationally.
Passport photos: For all those visa issues.
Money Clip: I prefer my gunmetal money clip. I can feel it in my pocket and haven’t been robbed yet, except by taxi drivers.
SIM card: AT&T Unlimited International Data SIM if using local card while living abroad.
Keys: You may need these when you come back.
Business cards: If you don’t have a business card for that random billionaire you meet, you may look foolish, especially in Asia.
ELECTRONICS
Laptop + charger + case: I spell each out because laptop with no charger is like Instagram with no filter.
LG G3: Blackberry’s camera sucks and doesn’t support Spotify.
Blackberry: Love this damn thing.
USB charger (2) + wire (2): 2 of each are necessary because one always breaks and I have too many devices.
Jambox + Charger: Watch out for the TSA.
Camera + waterband + case + cleaning kit: The infamous creeper cam.
Camera: The real camera.
Camera chargers
Extension cord: I used to bring an extension court that was 6 feet long because hostels never have plugs and hotels didn’t have them in convenient locations. Puzzled looks by fellow travelers subsided when they started using it.
Headphones + case: Shure headphones only, not those crappy Beats.
External hard drive: What’s worse than running out of space?
Memory card converter: In case you meet someone that takes a bunch of pics and you no longer believe they will send them to you when they get home.
Power Adapter: Multi-prong power adapter has replaced extension cord.
TRX Ropes: Gotta stay swoll ya’ll.
Portable charger: That Blackberry is my lifeline so I bring the quick power charger so I can keep up with my 2 BBM contacts.
TOILETRIES
Eye cover: TUMI from Delta is the best.
Toothbrush
Cologne: I prefer my Bvlgari from my Emirates flight.
Deodorant: Optional.
Razor
Camelbak + hands free: For those hangover days when you don’t feel like sitting up to drink water.
Toothpaste + floss
Pen: I keep my Park Hyatt Sydney pen with me at all times so I can fill out the immigration card with chicken scratch (they never check the info) and get out quick.
Advil: See Camelbak.
Prilosec: See Camelbak.
Deet
Cyrpo: Can’t mess with food poisoning anymore.
Toiletries bag: I actually write down toiletries bag so I pack the bag itself.
CLOTHES
Gym Shoes
1 Loafers
Sandals
1-2 pair of Jeans
Belt
Boxers
1 white v-neck and one other t-shirt: Wear it over and over again.
3 Going out shirts: Never know when that urge to visit the Roxbury calls.
1 Shorts
Board shorts
Gym shorts
Sox
Dry fit long sleeve
Dry fit short sleeve
Jacket/Hoodie
Travel pants: The best pajamas in the world, the Givenchy pajamas from Singapore Airlines is what I wear on all flights and to some business meetings.
As far as twice the money goes, I’m still working on that.
Do you ever go to an ophthalmologist and tell him of your chest pain? He should know everything about the heart right? After all he is a doctor. The same can be said of attorneys who by their title of counselor are expected to know everything about every law.
I’ve been posting about my Blog Giveaway, a FREE flight on Southwest Airlines when somebody messaged me that I may be breaking the law by not including a “no purchase necessary” provision like they do in all those Mcdonalds commercials for monopoly. As I’m in Mongolia and no longer have access to Westlaw, I was unable to do thorough research as to the necessity of including this provision. As far as I’ve read, the rule applies to broadcasters but the definition of what is a broadcaster wasn’t explicitly explained.
Anyhow, the point of the giveaway wasn’t to turn a profit but to get everyone to give my book, Everyone’s Advice Is Wrong, a read so they can abandon their life in the cubicle and start searching for ThePointsOfLife. See what I did there?
But, because I am a lawyer and because people are too litigious I have responsibly changed the Terms and Conditions of the contest to eliminate the necessity of purchasing a copy. If anyone did purchase a copy feeling they had to do so out of necessity then return the book right away, Amazon will gladly refund you your money.
To enter for a chance to win, simply adhere to the following Terms and Conditions of the contest:
Take a photo of you enjoying the book anywhere and Tweet/Instagram @thepointsoflife with the hashtag #cubiclefree.
To ensure fairness, entrants must also email me abachuwa at gmail dot com a screenshot of where they got the book from and corresponding Twitter/Instagram page.
To ensure fairness, family and Facebook friends are excluded. (You’d think they would’ve bought the book already anyway.)
One entry per person.
Contest ends January 5th, 9PM EST.
The winner will be selected at random.
Flight booking must be made within 1 calendar year of January 5th.
Not redeemable for cash, not transferable.
This contest will have one winner.
No shady business, I am an attorney. (And now a more schooled one.)
Reading the book no matter how you come into contact with it makes you eligible for this contest so long as you abide by the other requirements. Is that explicit enough?
This is the debut of my Travel Guide section where I answer the first question muttered once you are forced out of the Lounge, get spoiled on the Flight, and make it to your 5-Star Hotel. Now what?
To answer this question, I had to dig up my old economics textbooks from my days at the University of Michigan for some inspiration. After an hour of hard work, I crafted the Guns And Butter: A Better Way to Travel methodology, the handbook for what you should do, skip, and attempt to do if you have the time and resources when traveling to new locales.
A more detailed primer is in the link above but for the sake of simplicity here is a quick overview:
A trip is composed of two factors: Labor And Lazy
Anything on the line (Production Possibilities Frontier for my fellow economists) is an efficient use of your time depending on your tastes and preferences.
Anything inside the line is inefficient as should be avoided.
Anything outside is aspirational but may be impossible to do given the constraints of time and resources.
The opportunity cost (what is given up) for relaxing and being Lazy is gained by being adventurous in the form of Labor and vice versa.
And with that, let’s head to Liberia, Costa Rica!
Scrolling through the Country Count List and clicking on Costa Rica will reveal to you everything you need to know about this country from the stupid fees of the airport to the fees of Frontier. Aside from those annoyances, Costa Rica is a must for anyone searching for adventure and an adrenaline rush. Luckily, getting there is as Easy as Steps 1, 2, 3.
I stayed at the Andaz Peninsula Papagayo Resort which is adjacent to the Four Seasons. While the resort is nice enough, (a full review will be done later in the Hotel Reviews section) the location is inconvenient. The cost to get to and from the airport is $40-50 depending on your bargaining skills and level of patience with your taxi driver and tour guide. Furthermore, there are not many dining options outside of what’s in the hotel, the 4 Seasons, or the marina leaving you to miss out on delicious local food.
Look for the Red Taxi and do not pay more than $40. I don’t care what the cost of petrol is!Andaz Peninsula Papagayo Resort
The real fun comes when you find a way out of the fortress of the hotel and plot your ziplining adventure. A note of caution: Don’t book through the hotel, it is over the top expensive. Contact a local ahead of time for a more reasonable rate. I ended up paying $140/person for the following:
Ziplining, Tarzan, and Rappel
Hot Springs, Water slide, and Volcano
Waterfall
Local Dining
Upside downCan you spot me?The hot mud baths.The showers. Insert your own joke.More mud.Sitting in the natural hot springs was great after ziplining.By far the highlight of the trip and even more fun than the ziplines, the water slide luge.Some TLC for all of youChased it.
Getting out to the ziplines and mustering the courage to do one of the most enjoyable activities required the most Labor though it was well worth it. Eating delicious Costa Rican foods requires some work but is more appropriately aligned with Lazy. Everything else fell within that spectrum.
Lunch is servedBetter than pizza at the hotelSeriously, why would Hyatt think I would go to Costa Rica for pizza?
Day 2 the choice was Tamarindo and the airport for $150 for two or head to the Four Seasons. I think we made the right choice:
Four Seasons PoolFour Seasons: When you have made it in life.Four Seasons private beachImperial. Damn right.
But next time, Tamarindo is definitely on the list.
Is something amoral or immoral? I used them interchangeably in my article “Is it Amoral to Uber?” then thanks to a nice reader realized the error of my ways. Immoral means wrong and amoral means lacking moral sense. I meant the former but used the latter and I’m glad someone politely pointed it out. The alternative is Yahoo Answers where people rip you for being the dumbest of the dumb which I would meekly accept for not double checking the correct meaning. Bottom line: even I, the great professor, will admit when I’m wrong.
And now back to the FREE Flight on Southwest!
People are definitely getting the book after reading this Blog Giveaway so I’m going to continue to shine the spotlight on my FREE flight on Southwest before my time as a featured blogger on BoardingArea ends this Monday.
In case you missed it here are the Terms and Conditions:
The winner of this blog giveaway receives a FREE flight aboard Southwest Airlines using 8000 of my Rapid Reward points. 8000 Points is enough for a one-way trip across the country.
I’m even paying for the taxes. Again, the winner gets a FREE flight on Southwest Airlines!
To enter for a chance to win, simply adhere to the following Terms and Conditions of the contest:
Take a photo of you enjoying the book anywhere and Tweet/Instagram @thepointsoflife with the hashtag #cubiclefree.
To ensure fairness, entrants must also email me abachuwa at gmail dot com a screenshot of where they got the book from and corresponding Twitter/Instagram page.
To ensure fairness, family and Facebook friends are excluded. (You’d think they would’ve bought the book already anyway.)
One entry per person.
Contest ends January 5th, 9PM EST.
The winner will be selected at random.
Flight booking must be made within 1 calendar year of January 5th.
Not redeemable for cash, not transferable.
This contest will have one winner.
No shady business, I am an attorney.
Pets fly free on Southwest if you win this contest!
Uber is in the news all the time. Whether it is because financial analysts applaud its unprecedented valuation or because the underground Las Vegas mafia is plotting its Nevada demise, Uber will always come find you wherever in the world you are.
Everyone knows what makes Uber great i.e., the convenience, the mobile app, and the reduced risk of price gouging from unsavory taxi drivers. But, aside from all this, one question still remains: is Uber unfair to taxi drivers?
My experience as a taxi cab driver led to serious introspection as to whether I should or shouldn’t Uber.
After graduating from law school, heading off to business school, then passing the New York bar, I decided to become a taxi cab driver. As an author who spent too many days on the typewriter and not enough at the firm driving a cab provided me with two things:
Quick cash to keep the power on my laptop on while I edited and reedited my manuscript.
Beyond those benefits, driving a cab has made me appreciate the grind that taxi drivers face day in and day out.
For a moment, let’s assume that Uber was banned in all markets. Putting an end to Uber does little to help the cab driver because the real problem are the owners of the taxicab companies who hire cabbies as independent contractors meaning they have no health insurance, receive no benefits, and are usually not covered by workers’ compensation.
Each day, a cabbie has to go into the yard, pick up his car, and is charged (at least in Arizona) around $100 to take the car out for a 12 hour shift.
Let’s start running the meter on how much the taxi driver makes on a ‘good day’.
The day starts by paying for gas to get you to the yard. Which car doesn’t fit in this picture?
Cost of gas $2; Meter: -$2
Make sure you are wearing your uniform or you can’t go out that day.
Cost of Uniform $15 already paid: Meter: Still -$2
Hopefully you don’t get a dated car with too many miles that breaks down mid-shift. This often happens.
Cost of taking car out: $105: Meter: -$107
277,000 and still running strong!
Can of soda for the road: $.75: Meter: -$107.75
Make sure you do your inspection sheet.If your car comes back like this then forget the meter, you better carry your own car insurance.The sad Prius.Cab looks good from the front.And sexy from the backDon’t forget your ID. Fine is $300 if you do.
After twenty minutes of inspection, you are ready to hit the road waiting for fares to flag you down or come through the system.
Meter Rates
Here’s some facts about the meter of which most people are not aware:
When you call a taxi and they come pick you up, that $2.95 you see, $2.15 of that goes to the taxi company in addition to the $100 paid for renting the vehicle.
When you call Uber simultaneously and he shows up first and you don’t cancel the call to dispatch, the taxi driver still has to pay the $2.15!
When you call a taxi to take you half a mile, the taxi driver still has to pay $2.15.
Everything above the $2.15 including tip goes to the driver. This begs the question, “Why should I tip?” The answer reveals itself below.
Call #1: 1/2 a mile down the street. Total fare. $3.45
Profit: $1.30: Meter: -$106.45
Off you go darting all over Phoenix, putting over 300 miles in a shift.Pick up the rich who don’t tip!Avoid the police or your night is over
More fares, more fares, more fares. Don’t count your money now, you want to make sure it is hidden from the real threat of robbery.
Stop for more caffeine.
Redbulls, Beef Jerky, Coke Zero $12: Meter: -$118.75
Uber isn’t the only competition, there are other taxicab companies out there vying for the smallest piece of the pie.
Yellow Cab, our rival!
Not only do you have to deal with Ubers taking fares but let’s look at the impostor taxicab companies out there infringing on the trademark of taxicab companies. They are the most immoral of them all. Here are a few of the impostors: Read their names carefully. None of them say Discount Cab but if you’re slightly intoxicated you can see how easy it is to get confused. From there you get ripped off, believe that Discount Cab is the one that is cheating you, and then take it out on the next honest driver.
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And how can we compete with God himself?
The Divine TaxiEnd of the shift carwash and vacuum are necessary otherwise you get fined.
Carwash cost $3: Meter: -$118.75
Gas for the night $25: Meter: -$143.75
Waiting in line to check the car back in and hope I made moneyAfter inspection, park your car.Deal with the rude personnel who don’t care about your credit card machine not working, your printer running out of paper, somebody throwing up in your car, someone stealing your fare.Pick up your summary report and hope you don’t owe the taxi company money.Head to your favorite burrito joint, los betos.Eat all your food.
Los Betos $15: Meter: -$158.75
Count your money
Meter: $200
Be proud that you made the hardest $200 you’ve ever made in your life.
Sign off forever because it just isn’t worth it.
I worked 4 days a week at 12 hours a shift for two months. While there are plenty of funny stories and lessons learned, there were times of danger, times when I wondered how anyone can make ends meet while driving a taxi full-time.
Taxi drivers are caught in a system where they have to hustle hard everyday lest anything goes wrong and they end up underwater to the taxicab owners. Once that happens, it’s virtually impossible to recover. You may ask, why don’t they just work for Uber? Most taxi drivers can’t afford to be an owner-operator, where they keep everything they make let alone moonlight with their own automobile.
After this experience, I have concluded that Ubering may not be immoral but taking for granted your local cabbie’s efforts just might be.
All I know is that I leave Mongolia on Monday for Bangkok, Thailand, perhaps drop in for a quick night or two at the best Aloft in the world while I process my visa from the Myanmar Embassy which will undoubtedly give me problems as visas have here, here, and here. From there it’s all aboard a local overnight train to Chiang Mai for a different side of Thailand that I have yet to experience.
After that, I’ll hopefully cross the border by bus to Burma to see cities, places, and people that I’ve only heard about from reading the J Peterman catalogue.
The only certainty on this trip is my booked flight out of Myanmar to Kuala Lumpur on the 31st of December- certainty as to the fact that it is booked not as to whether I will take it.
I’m not sure where I’ll be spending New Years but the international tradition is very much alive and well and my Country Count will go up to 72. These are good things.
Also, I have to add, all of this was decided today.
Hmm, somehow there’s confusion with this blog giveaway. Let me make it clear:
The winner of this blog giveaway receives a FREE flight aboard Southwest Airlines using 8000 of my Rapid Reward points. 8000 Points is enough for a one-way trip across the country.
I’m even paying for the taxes. Again, the winner gets a FREE flight on Southwest Airlines!
To enter for a chance to win, simply adhere to the following Terms and Conditions of the contest:
Take a photo of you enjoying the book anywhere and Tweet/Instagram @thepointsoflife with the hashtag #cubiclefree.
To ensure fairness, entrants must also email me abachuwa at gmail dot com a screenshot of where they got the book from and corresponding Twitter/Instagram page.
To ensure fairness, family and Facebook friends are excluded. (You’d think they would’ve bought the book already anyway.)
One entry per person.
Contest ends January 5th, 9PM EST.
The winner will be selected at random.
Flight booking must be made within 1 calendar year of January 5th.
Not redeemable for cash, not transferable.
This contest will have one winner.
No shady business, I am an attorney.
Where will you go with your FREE Southwest Ticket if you win?
Many would say, “You got fired, you have no money, this is no time for a vacation.” I would retort, “I got fired, I have no money, this is the time to extend my vacation.”
And that was the case for me in the summer of July 2011. Unexpectedly orphaned from my cubicle, I set out for a tour of Eastern Europe. No cash in my pocket, no points to parlay, I had to do it the old-school way; day-today, hostel-to-hostel.
Here’s the picture preview of the Trip Report and Lesson 7 of the Book, You Can Run Away From Your Problems, Sort Of:
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Vienna, Austria
Bratislava, Slovakia
Bucharest, Romania
Sunny Beach, Bulgaria
Belgrade, Serbia
Montenegro
Budva
Kotor
Mostar, Bosnia
Croatia
Split
Hvar
Dubrovnik
Ibiza, Spain
Barcelona, Spain
DTWOnly bags I still use.Bulldog AmsterdamSchnitzel, ViennaAbsinthe, BratislavaPalace of the Parliament, RomaniaPool, Sunny BeachRemnants of War, BelgradeMountain Top, KotorBeach, BudvaBridge, MostarThe Square, HvarParty, IbizaExhausted, Barcelona
While book sales have been steady, the cubicle-ists are still winning. How do I know this? You are reading this from your desk as we speak with your fingers in a holding pattern over alt-tab just in case Mr. Manager walks by. “Hey Peter, we need to talk…”
So how do I get you to buy the book, read it, and leave the office once and for all?
Cue Price Is Right music…
How about a free flight to Las Vegas!
That’s right, the winner of this giveaway gets a one way ticket to sunny Las Vegas aboard Southwest Airlines or any destination of your liking available for 8000 Rapid Reward Points.
Wanna get away from work? Buy the Book And Enter to Win!
*Here are the terms and conditions of the contest:
Take a photo of you enjoying the book anywhere and Tweet/Instagram @thepointsoflife with the hashtag #cubiclefree.
To ensure fairness, entrants must also email me abachuwa at gmail dot com a screenshot of where they got the book from and corresponding Twitter/Instagram page.
To ensure fairness, family and Facebook friends are excluded. (You’d think they would’ve bought the book already anyway.)
One entry per person.
Contest ends January 5th, 9PM EST.
The winner will be selected at random.
Flight booking must be made within 1 calendar year of January 5th.
Not redeemable for cash, not transferable.
This contest will have one winner.
No shady business, I am an attorney.
This could be you! (Subject to the terms and conditions of the contest.)
