Wyndham Wisdom
Wendy Blaney, Women on Their Way Business Travel Expert
Wendy, a working mother of three, is responsible for setting up all of Wyndham Worldwide's corporate travel services. We recently sat down with Wendy to talk about her travel experiences and insider tips for your benefit. Here's what she had to say:
Number of Countries Visited: 22
Number of States Visited: 37
Favorite business travel location: San Fransisco. The city is beautiful, the food is fantastic and the city is so easy to navigate.
Favorite vacation spot: I love any vacation that includes a beach and spa. For trips where I just want to relax, I'm especially fond of Hawaii, the Caribbean and Mexico.
Why do you enjoy working in the travel industry?
The people who I have come across working in the travel industry are simply the friendliest people that I've met! It's great to meet others who share the same passion for travel that I do.
Tell us a little about some of your most memorable trips.
One of the coolest things that I've done on a vacation was to go on an archeological dig in Israel. It was just so different and amazing.
I also went to the Philippines on a business trip -- that was unique because the culture is very different from ours here in the states. I really enjoyed that trip.
Any words of wisdom to share with our readers?
When I was in my early 20s, I went on a trip to Amsterdam with one of my girlfriends. During our trip, I realized that I had lost my passport and wound up spending all day at the US Consulate trying to get it all worked out. Upon returning back to the states (and after spending over $100 at the Consulate), my friend realized that she had grabbed both of our passports after we had checked into the hotel. I had wasted time in Amsterdam, as well as that $100 and since then, when traveling internationally, I ALWAYS bring a photocopy of my passport with me and carry it in a separate spot from the actual one.
I also always confirm hotel reservations a day or two before checking in and make sure that the rate is what I expect. Another good thing to do is to confirm flights a few days prior to trips and to make certain that seat assignments are confirmed.
Articles by Wendy Blaney:
Published: Endless Vacation May/June 2008 Issue
