Let's Talk About Uber

Where to begin? Uber really is a two-edged sword. It is both a fantastic service and a necessary evil.

As a frequent traveler that doesn't own a car, I need a way to get to and from the airport efficiently and safely, as well as a way to get around town when I'm in a location where renting a car simply isn't practical such as New York City, San Francisco, and Las Vegas. To that end, I typically turn to Uber as my go-to car service, and this experience tends to be a mixed bag. Almost every driver has made me feel welcomed and safe, but the problems start when I have to deal with Uber the company and specifically support.

Uber's support is probably one of the worst support groups I've ever encountered, and the app itself, hard codes all the support options making it incredibly difficult to actually get help on the specific topic you need help with. To date, I have yet to get an issue resolved on the first go. In fact, I firmly believe that it is Uber policy to not offer help unless you push the issue further. Even worse, and as an IT professional this irks me in the biggest way, they seem incapable of reading a support request and comprehending the problem on the first go regardless of the verbosity of the description of the problem.

However, on the positive side, as I mentioned, the drivers for the most part are great. I get that everyone has a bad day, and sometimes you just don't feel like chatting, so I forgive those drivers that made me feel a bit meh. I have had some great conversations with drivers, and I think it is great that they come from all walks of life and different life experiences, and I've actually learned some interesting stuff from drivers. But I've also had a driver--NYC--scare the crap out of me dodging cars, driving on the wrong side of the road, and taking risks that I thought were insane. The good news is that when you rate these drivers, Uber is great about following up right away and taking action with these sorts of drivers.

The best advice that I can give you regarding Uber is always, always, verify the license plate number before getting in the vehicle. And compare the driver's picture in the app with the person driving the vehicle. Finally, read the Uber FAQ. This is probably the number one thing everyone should do before you start using Uber or before you start using them extensively. These same tips also apply to Lyft, by the way.

So have you taken an Uber ride? If so, what was it like? Any tips? Any of you drive for Uber? Any secrets you can share with us?

Hilton Garden Inn San Diego Mission Valley/Stadium

The first room that they put me in was on the fourth floor, which I would normally prefer--high floors tend to be quieter--but the room was actually located right next to the elevators and ice machine, which seasoned travelers know is a terrible location for a room. But the staff was very understanding and happy to move me to a different room on the third floor that was near the end of the hallway, which tends to be the quietest rooms. The pictures below reflect both the rooms, so you can see the differences, or lack thereof, between the rooms.

The Good: There are a lot of good things that can be said about this hotel. First and foremost, the rooms are very dark at night and very quiet. I never had any problems falling asleep, and there were no "extra steps" that I had to take to make it easy to fall asleep. The staff were all friendly and helpful, and I never once had anyone deny a request and they were always happy to help. The room was also very clean, and well maintained. The hotel restaurant is quite good, with only one thing disappointing me (see the mention of bacon below). I ate dinner there every night except one, and every meal was great. The Internet access was very good and I never had any problems connecting. The room had adequate space, including the restroom. The hotel's location is also very good - depending on where you need to go - being located right off the freeway, and on a non-main road for commuters.

The Bad: The location of the couch next to the bed led to me literally breaking my toe on the foot of the couch my first night as I was going to bed. The bacon at breakfast was kind of hit or miss with it be firm, thick bacon on one day and limp and paper thin on others. The parking spots are incredibly tight, so much so that most people double park just to fit in, which means fewer spots for everyone. There is a "parking garage," but it is very small, and the large columns make parking in a lot of the spots challenging. To add insult to injury, they charge $14/night for parking, which still amazes me that hotels are still charging for parking separately. Why not just roll the cost into the nightly stay and spread it out to everyone and lower the overall individual cost for the parking, but still have enough to pay the bills?

The Ugly: Nothing would prevent me from staying here again.

Suggestion: Hilton needs to start looking at what competitors are doing regarding the modern traveler and technology needs and desires. I stayed at a Marriott a couple months ago, and they had an integrated entertainment unit that allowed guests to easily plug in devices like Chromecasts, laptops, etc. But even better, the TV was a smart TV which directly allowed me to use my Netflix account, and then automatically deleted my account data upon check out. We need to see more of this happening in the hotel business.

How Does This Happen?

When I see articles like this from respected travel bloggers, I really get a icky feeling. The first thought that comes to mind is "sellout," followed by "misleading." I understand that these sites and bloggers need to make money (why do you think I have ads turned on for this blog?), but so much of this article is full of just blatant misleading advertising that it leaves me scratching my head.

If you are an experienced traveler, you should know the pitfalls of days travel, and not be recommending things that will not only not help, but could actually make the travel experience worse. It's bad enough we have to contend with the airlines. Why would you want travelers to waste their hard-earned money on toys that are unnecessary?

https://www.tripit.com/blog/2017/05/9-must-business-travel-gadgets.html

I want to run through the list real quick to provide clarity based on my own personal travel experiences.

Charging Case

I completely agree. You have to have power available to you, but there are a lot of options out there. I prefer the largest power battery pack I can find that isn't too large or heavy. Honestly anything touting recharging more than three times, isn't worth it because it is very rare to have a situation where you are going to burn through that much power without being able to use an outlet along the way.

Laptop Charger

An extra battery is all you should consider. Laptop charging packs tend to be MASSIVE, and I would hate to travel with something that weighs just shy of a tank. An extra battery is bad enough.

Mobile Scanner

Use the camera on your phone. I've never ever found a need, or wished I had a mobile scanner. If you get the ExpenseIt app, that will automatically move receipts into Concur, and fill in all the expense details via your phone's camera. There are also apps that you can use for document scanning, business card scanning, and even language translation--all done with the camera you already have.

USB Ink Pen

Are you kidding me? Seriously? I need a pen maybe once a week, if that, and something like this is just an unnecessary expense. Get a decent sized USB drive, which the pen won't be, and toss it in your bag. If you need an occasional pen, toss one in your bag, but most people have a pen in their office when you really need one. Most of your work can be done on your laptop or tablet.

Smart Luggage

I just posted about this the other day--NO! It's a complete waste of money. I just purchased and received a TravelPro bag that has a nice pocket on the side for a battery pack to be dropped in to, and a port on the back to plug a device into. That's the furthest I would go with luggage. Anything else is a waste of money, and will definitely inconvenience you when you try to get through TSA.

Micro Projector

I have yet to see a micro/mini projector that can project a satisfactory professional level image. It might be useful in a pinch, but you're much better off using the proper tool. I make sure all my customers are aware of my requirements before I arrive and never have a problem providing a projector or monitor. What I would suggest is a multi-video adapter that has all the possible connections on it.

Mobile Hotspot

I agree with this section. I've saved my sanity many times by having a Mi-Fi available.

Smartwatch

This seriously doesn't belong in this article. You either have a watch or you don't. I wear a FitBit Surge to track steps and because we have competitions at work, but it isn't even close to being essential for travel.


Noise-canceling Earbuds

I agree with this one as well. Fantastic for planes.

Perhaps somewhere along the line, if people are interested, I'll do a post of what I carry. Let me know in the comments if that is something you would be interested in seeing.