When I started traveling frequently for my job, it became difficult for my wife and I to keep all of our activities straight. Between my business travel and the countless events she manages, it wasn’t effective enough for her to keep a calendar in her purse and for me to keep my Outlook calendar.

We tried a printable calendar for each month, but the dates changed too frequently and it was inaccessible if you weren’t standing in front of the fridge.

We tried a large whiteboard style yearly calendar but the dates were too small and it was as inaccessible as the printed calendars. When Parker (our son) came into the mix, it was obvious that we needed a digital solution to keep everyone going in the right direction.

Enter – Google Calendar.

Amanda didn’t have a Google Account (a requirement for entry) but it was easy enough to set one up for her. The benefits of an online, browser-based calendar are innumerable. Here are a few of the benefits we’ve experienced over the past year:

• We can each have our own personal calendar and share them to coordinate schedules (easier than it sounds)
• Each of our accounts is color coordinated to make it obvious who entered what event
• Event entry is simple, click, enter a description, save
• We can plan years in advance, especially for vacationing (which my wife loves)
• It’s easy to block off walls of time for family coming to visit – sort of like a reservation system
• I created a third account, colored it green, and put in when all of the monthly bills come out of the checking account
• Amanda’s work schedule is flexible, so she can see when I am at home, and schedule herself accordingly
• Recurring events make it easy to capture birthdays that will remind you every year, forever
• You never need to miss another sports event – importing college or professional sports calendars is two clicks away

These are just a few of the uses of a shared Google Calendar. I highly suggest it for anyone who travels, has a ever-changing schedule or needs to keep track of one or multiple children, or just needs a reminder from time to time about an upcoming sporting event, movie release, etc.

You can start using the calendar by clicking “calendar” at the top of your Gmail account. Don’t have a Gmail account? Click here to get started. Let me know if you have any questions and leave any tips or tricks in the comments below.

Here are some tips I have after a week of driving around Las Vegas as a tourist for 7 days this Summer:

1. Take your GPS – everyone has one, and they are expensive from the rental service
2. Don’t take the gas option – gas just off the Strip is cheaper than airport gas
3. Get familiar with the following North and South running streets:
   • Paradise Rd gets you from the Hilton to the airport with not too many stop lights
   • The Strip – besides 8p to 2a, this is a fun and exciting way to get around
   • Koval Road – this is the entrance road to most of the casinos on the Eastern side of The Strip
   • S. Valley View Road – a little more “seedy” but still useful for travel on the West side of the strip
4. Get familiar with the casinos on the strip and utilize the roads named after them including: Sahara, Desert Inn, Flamingo, Harmon and Tropicana
5. Be sure to pay close attention to the “self-park” signs for each casino, most are behind the casinos, but a few (like the Wynn and City Center) are right off of the strip
6. Stay in your lane – unlike in most cities, Las Vegas does not use paint to divide lanes, instead using round reflectors – this took me a day or so to get used to
7. Remember that half a mile from the strip, Las Vegas is a normal city. Make use of the restaurants, gas stations, Walmarts, Walgreens, etc.
8. Take your rental car back early. The complex is a bus ride away from the terminal and can take as much as 45 minutes to return your car and get to the airport.

Renting a car is a great way to see all that Las Vegas has to offer. I highly suggest renting one on your next trip.

My wife and I had this conversation several times, all the way up to the minute before we boarded the plane. Now that we are back, I would say you can definitely have a good time with a baby in Las Vegas, but it is a different kind of vacation. Here is what to expect:

When we were trying to decide where to go on family vacation, our criteria was simply – have a good time, spend time together, get out of our current town. We typically try not to go to beaches since we live at one. I have always enjoyed Las Vegas, and have been there now five times. It fit all of our criteria and gave us a chance to do something you don’t typically do when visiting there, actually explore the city. It was also something we thought we could do with our five month old.

When most people think of visiting Las Vegas, I don’t think they consider it a “vacation” but more of a “getaway.” By that I mean most people go to Las Vegas with a mission – get drunk, gamble, find girls/guys, stay up all night. Our approach was different – let’s see what Las Vegas is like during the day. We planned trips to Hoover Dam, Red Rock Canyon and the West Rim of the Grand Canyon (we didn’t make it) as well as side trips to see the World Series of Poker, The Ultimate Fighter Training Center and the Pawn Stars pawn shop.

If you are taking a baby to Las Vegas, I highly suggest you rent an automobile and take your own car seat. The car seats offered by rental car companies, that I saw, are pretty raggedy. With the car, we had the opportunity to explore the outskirts of The Strip, something that would cost you a fortune (or your life) without transportation. Driving through Summerlin, up and down Paradise and Spring Valley Road, as well as making it to Hoover Dam are all things you can enjoy with a car. Paradise and Spring Valley Road are two of the “side roads” that you can use when trying to avoid the traffic on the strip.

There are some other things you can expect to do (or take advantage of) when traveling with a baby in Las Vegas:

1. Taking naps and resting more than usual (this makes Las Vegas much more enjoyable)
2. Carrying around bottles, diaper bags, toys, etc.
3. Searching for the elevators in Casinos (see future post)
4. Saving money by gambling less
5. Getting stopped to have people tell you how cute your baby is
6. Not being hung over every morning
7. Visiting more free attractions/exhibits/museums/parks
8. Saving money on alcohol and night clubs

Most of the above are positive. We really enjoyed the time we had in Vegas with our five month old and I wouldn’t have traded it for a month of babyless Las Vegas – just expect a different kind of Las Vegas.

Always put down the arm rests.

Seriously?

In all fairness, I’m not skinny. I have to be cognizant of staying on my side of the seat and have a tendency to take up more leg room than I really should. I understand it sucks to be heavy and I get how hard it is to lose weight. Therefor, if you sit beside me on the plane, make sure you follow these rules:

I strongly suggest, before anyone sits down beside you, you immediately put the arm rests to their lowered and locked position. Here’s why:

On a recent trip back from San Diego, I got stuck in the middle seat. This is never a good thing, even if two members of the Swedish Bikini Team are on both sides. You can’t stick your feet in the aisle, and you can’t lean or look out of the window. It’s just bad.

In this case, I was stuck between a self-proclaimed “big man” coworker and a gentleman who was no less than 400 pounds. I’m not kidding, this guy was not only in his seat, the aisle, and my seat, but he was also taking up all of the leg room in my section of the “under-seat area.” It was so bad the flight attendant felt bad for me and asked me several times if I needed any extra water, a pillow, and shot me the knowing – I’m glad I’m not you – glance.

Normally, I’m a pretty easy to get along with nice guy. But seriously, this guy was 100% invading my space, no matter how many times I huffed, sighed, elbowed him, wiggled or moaned. When he wasn’t snoring loud enough that the people around me were laughing, he was bouncing his leg hard enough to cause the people in the aisle across from us shoot me dirty looks.

About two hours into the flight, I decided my only defense was to put down the arm rest and at least get him kind of off of my side. I looked down at the arm rest but there was absolutely no way I could lower it on to this guy’s leg which was nearly 50% under the arm rest. I did the only thing a self-respecting business person could do, I lied about work.

When the guy woke up and noticed me kicking his leg to get to my computer stowed beneath the seat, I said warmly, “Hey, sorry to bother you but I need to get this report done before we land. I don’t want to elbow you so I’m going to lower the arm rest.”

Scales in the terminal?

The dude literally had to move completely off the seat to give me room to put down the arm rest. When the arm rest finally reached the full down position, it was like I moved directly to First Class. I could feel my legs again, I could reach the magazine pocket and my lungs could fully expand.

The guy got mad.

To rub it in, I powered up my computer, opened a Word document, sighed a big loud sigh, closed the laptop and muttered, “I guess this can wait until my layover” closed the computer, spread out in the seat, and drifted off to a warm nap, comforted of the rhythmic leg-bouncing all the way to Atlanta.

I hate to check bags. I never think they’ll make it to my destination, I’ve heard the horror stories from friends and coworkers. All I imagine is some TSA agent shuffling through my underwear. I especially dislike the buzz-kill that is arriving at a fun new location and standing around for 30 minutes waiting on your bag.

This week’s site is great for frequent travelers and those of us who pack way too much. One Bag.com is about “the art and science of packing light.” Written and maintained by Doug Dyment, the site is primarily about packing for any trip using only one bag. Doug’s introduction lists the following purposes of the site:

1. What To Pack, avoiding the temptation of lugging around too much stuff;
2. What To Pack It In, understanding what to look for in efficient & effective luggage; and
3. How To Pack It, particularly the management of clothing so that it doesn’t get wrinkled.

The site has numerous awards and has been featured on Expedia.com, PC Magazine, Britannica’s Internet Guide and several others.

If you only have time for one page of the site, check out the One Page Checklist.

If you’re the curious type, check out the interesting folding method the site offers. I’m looking forward to my next plane trip to see if I can get away with just the things listed.

Though text heavy at times, this site is definitely worth your time if you are a frequent traveler who hates to check luggage.

Cheating the Mini-Bar

Drink from the mini-bar when desperate, but hang the privacy sign and replace the drink from a local alcohol or grocery store at less than half the cost.

I was very thirsty at the end of a long day of interviewing CEOs and watching protesters. I walked all around the 14th floor of The Omni looking for a water fountain or a soda machine or something, but with no luck. When a tumbleweed rolled out of my mouth I finally called the front desk. Not only was there no soda machine on the 14th floor, but none in the building and none within a three block radius.

I was forced to drink a coke out of the mini-bar. $3.50 per 12oz can, and a 21% restocking fee (how does that work?) The can had marketing from last year’s Summer Olympics, but I was really thirsty.

The next day, my previously mentioned co-worker and I had the idea to walk to the alcohol store (about three blocks) and purchase Cokes (they were about the price of The Omni restocking fee). We put the replacement cans behind the original can and stashed our empties. Our little walk (we were out and about anyways) saved us a combined $13.