Holiday Part One: Paris

I am enjoying a holiday in Paris - and I was basically forced to come here.

Nine months ago I was seriously considering moving out of LA. My life was lacking a some joie de vivre and I was feeling pretty ... blah.

Work is the same! No decent men to date! I'll never be able to buy a house - much less a condo!

I needed a change. And moving to Portland was the best one I could come up with. 

I thought about it for weeks (I knew it was serious when I subscribed to Portland Monthly) and then shared my grand plan with those who knew me best. In return I was given plenty of feedback, most of which translated to: bad idea.

You're just running away! Your business is in LA! Do you know it rains all year in Oregon?! 

Most understood my need for change, but they suggested that, perhaps, it wasn't the city that was the issue (couldn't possibly be me?!) and that I should search for other avenues for significant change. I was given three palpable gems of advice for how to shake things up:

• Take a long vacation
• Get a new apartment
• Find a hobby (thanks, C!)

So here I sit in a Parisian cafe drinking wine, eating cheese and writing - and I totally see that they were right (and I was wrong?!). 

In Paris, things are a little different ... Lunch is a bigger deal than dinner, wine is cheaper than water, peeing in toilettes on the corner is normal, and long breaks from work is totally the norm (if not required by law).

So I think the French - and my business partner Bob - are definitely on to something: time away from the regular ebb and flow of life is somewhat of a necessity in order to avoid completely burning out.

I've never taken two weeks off of work - and not because I wasn't encouraged to do so. It was mostly because I thought there was some kind of honor in being continuously available to the needs of my business... Not checking email? Blasphemous! The office function without me? Doubtful! Business travel surely counts as getting away?!

But as I prepared to exit the country and leave my workload with my colleagues, I felt a wonderful sense of freedom. Unplugging from email, voicemail, payroll, billpay and client needs- and allowing others to take care of those things (or at least prep well enough so their work was minimal)- felt like a luxury. The idea of traveling abroad was almost secondary. I finally understood the idea du jour of needing time away from the daily grind, and appreciated the art of letting others provide support. Two life lessons in one two-week trip!

I'm sure that this vacation will not completely cure my addiction to working - when I get back I will still feel mildly guilty about taking a day off or asking for help with my workload - I am a career- driven American after all! - but I do think my mentality will be changed. And surely my job will not seem so much like "work" when a long vacation is the reward for a solid year of productivity.

So, basically, I almost have my life figured out ... or I'm at least two-thirds of the way there (I also moved into a new apartment that I love). So once I find that much-needed hobby (possibly on my next stop in Italy?), I will be completely on track. 

Here's to hoping the hobbies don't include daily wine drinking at noon or peeing in public.

Au Revoir!

** Note: I am now home, but due to the lack of free wi-fi in Europe, I couldn't actually post these blogs while I was traveling!

Miles, Points and Perks

I have a very special relationship with my American Express card, Hilton Hotels and American Airlines. They all give me points (at least one per dollar spent!), which I frequently redeem for free flights, hotel nights and Lakers tickets.

I selected brands and began collecting points five years ago - and I've become so tied to their promises of free hotel nights and roundtrip tickets that I’m incapable of trying cute new boutique hotels, flying the hip upstart airlines, and using a Visa card for business purchases. What if I don’t make my status this year?!?

These psychological wonders – aptly named Loyalty Programs - began in 1981 with the launch of the American Airlines AAdvantage program and have gained steam over the last few decades as companies realized the fiscal benefit of retaining current customers to the cost of wooing new ones. According to Jonathan Barsky, a consultant for the hospitality industry, in 2007, 37% of guests said that the loyalty program was a key factor in deciding where to stay. Not a shabby statistic.

But that ever-steady number began to decline in the first nine months of 2008.

Could this down-turn be attributed to cost-cutting measures that resulted in decreased service, added blackout dates, and fewer perks? Or an outcome of a slowing economy? Yes.

But I also think part of it may be due to a new generation of younger, savvier consumers who expect more from their brands and are willing to pay for an experience that is important to them. Many of these brands don’t have the old-school loyalty programs we have become accustomed to – and that’s probably what adds to their appeal.

Now that there’s been a nationwide shift in saving vs. spending, maybe the added benefits of traditional loyalty programs seem more important - fiscally, a free breakfast might outweigh the desire to sleep in a room with solvent-free paint.

As I begin planning my spring travel season, I wonder… should I stick to the comforts of priority boarding, first class upgrades and free nights at the Hilton? Or do I venture off for an exciting personal experience at a trendy hotel via an airline that offers a healthy food choices and internet access? What are you planning to do this year?

Either way, I know I will be charging it to my American Express card, whose Membership Rewards program only seems to get better with age - and gets me great seats to see the Lakers.