As the wheel of time turns, generations come and go. With the changing of the guard between baby boomers and millennials slowly drawing closer and closer, companies are being forced to adapt new policies and implement social media to address the needs of the new, tech-savvy generation.

Business Travel for a New Generation

Of course, one of the first noticeable changes given the growing dependence on mobile devicesis the switch to paperless boarding passes.

“All of my tickets can go on my phone,” said Darren Osleger, a consultant who trains hospitals, nursing homes and other health care providers in disaster preparedness techniques. “I scan it at the T.S.A. and scan it at the gate. There’s no reason to print out airline tickets again.”

According a a recent New York Times report, “Millennials are heavy users of mobile apps and social media when they book a trip, check in and deliver feedback on their travel experiences.”  To further cement this notion, George W. Hamlin, president of Hamlin Transportation Consulting, agreed. “These are people where paper could very well disappear from their lives for all practical purposes,” he said. “They expect to do things online and 24/7 wherever they are.”

Of course, with these new changes comes the company responsibility to adapt and offer their employee’s a better customer service experience. This includes offering more service outside of normal business hours to respond to young travelers’ expectations that they can use a smart phone or laptop to gain instant access to questions they may have.

“They’re savvier because they’ve traveled more as young people,” said Chris Klauda, vice president for quality services at Shifflet. “When we look at some of our approval ratings, they are more critical because they have stayed in a number of hotels and have some experience level, to the point where they know what’s good and what’s not.”

It will interesting to see how businesses and hotels will change their amenity options, with many already shifting their focus to providing tech-friendly options like free wi-fi, as technology continues to grow and change. Of course, always ahead of the curve, PC Housing has corporate housing and furnished apartments that feature many of the great tech-friendly amenities you expect when out on the road!

The world has gone digital. Or, at least it seems that way. Think about it, when was the last time you booked a trip using your phone…..to actually call someone and book it (gotcha). With the influx of new technology, business travelers have been adapting by getting organized and relying on their mobile devices as well as their tablets to secure booking for their journey.

With online bookings worldwide expected to hit a record high of $284 billion this year – up from $256 billion last year, we’re guessing you’re going to be spending even more time clicking away on travel websites. With that in mind, PC Housing was inspired to do a bit of research to see where our clients prefer to place their travel trust online.

Fly Fast With This List of Speedy Sites

With a little sleuthing we came across data requested from  a 15-month survey done by Compuware Gomez to monitor website performance and find the fastest and the best websites for the frequent business traveler to use. The study found that several travel sites take more than two seconds for their homepages to load, which means many people will abandon the sites and go elsewhere for their information. The study was conducted from March 20, 2011 through March 22, 2012.

Below are the rankings for the very best travel websites to use when booking your next business trip. As we previously stated, these sites are ranked on a variety of factors, including page load times and efficiency of use rather than cost factors such as low price fares or travel package deals.

1. AirTran
2. Hawaiian
3. Delta
4. Frontier
5. United
6. Continental
7. American
8. US Airways
9. Spirit
10. JetBlue
11. Southwest
12. Alaska

Don’t see your favorite on the list? Gives a holler in the comments and sound off on your secret! We would love to hear from you. Of course, booking a flight is only the first step of a trip. In need of corporate housing suites? Furnished apartments? PC Housing specializes in these living arrangements and will gladly set you up in the perfect spot during you next business trip.

Image: Travel4Airline

With our recent discussion regarding the growing dependence on mobile devices when out on the road, we thought we’d shed some light on another dependency that is sure to be no stranger to our community: Caffeine.  No matter if you take it in small doses via sodas or teas or in 36 ounce quadruple espressos nearly every American consumes caffeine every day. Most of us simply equate caffeine with being productive and awake but what is it, really? And how can you make sure you’re not overloading yourself and becoming too reliant on it?

The Best Part of Waking Up

Where Does It Come From?

Naturally occurring in 60 different plants, coffee beans, tea leaves and guarana to name a few, caffeine is a chemical that works by increasing your dopamine levels and blocking adenosine receptors. The science-y description is that caffeine is a crystalline xanathine alkaloid that acts as a psychoactive stimulant drug.

It is extracted by pressure cooking the beans or leaves with CO2 to produce the drug in a powder form. Check this sweet infographic for a more in-depth look at the physical effects of introducing caffeine into your body.

Though it can temporarily enhance comprehension, memory, reflexes, and clarity of thought, the effects generally diminish within 3 hours. It is also has a significant chance of causing  physical dependence and withdrawals that last up to 9 days and include headache, tiredness, depression and irritability.

Does This Look Like Your Typical Day?

How Much is Too Much?

For reference, caffeine intoxication (the jitters) occurs after consuming around 300mg of caffeine. Here’s an interesting chart that displays many popular drinks and where they rank on the scale of 0-300. Like to do the dew? Mountain Dew surprisingly only contains about 60mg of caffeine as most of its kick is from high sugar content. On the other side of the scale, a tall coffee from Starbucks will shoot you up with nearly 270mg of caffeine. The key to avoiding a caffeine overload is to be aware of how much you are consuming and the timeline for how long it should still be in your system to avoid jumping above the 300mg threshold.

Coffee Lovers Tip

Yearly, nearly 50% of the caffeine consumed in our country comes from coffee.

Of course, PC Housing has all the luxuries of home in our corporate housing suites and furnished apartments. Included in that list is a coffee maker, but few people truly know how to brew good coffee at home. These tips from Newsweek should help you step up your home brewing game for better drip coffee when out on the road.

Images: Newsweek, Nonmaleficence

Behold Our Mighty Infographic Fellow Travelers

Last week we brought you what is arguably the greatest infographic on Mobile Dependence ever created. Capturing the hearts and minds of readers across the internet, it’s clear that we’ve stumbled upon a hot button issue in the world of business travel. With that in mind, we decided a little follow-up was in order.

The debate about whether we, as a species, have grown TOO attached to our mobile devices will continue until people begin to get them implanted into their bodies and everyone finally agree’s that enough is enough…bring back the Google Glasses!

While we tried to remain impartial in our exposition of the data we gathered, it’s hard not to feel like a growing dependence on ANYTHING that is not essential to survival (food, water, wi-fi, etc.) can be seen in a positive light. However, such is not the case with mobile technology, as the reasons for why we have grown so dependent upon it are the same reasons why it was created in the first place, i.e. to make life “easier.”

For business travelers this is especially true. Airline app’s make rushing through terminals only to discover a flight has been delayed a thing of the past. Mobile translation app’s help lessen the culture shock of being in a foreign country. In fact, just about every conceivable need a business traveler may have is covered by their smart phone in one way or another, so it stands to reason that this specific group would be the most entrenched in their tech addictions. The question that remains, then, is how much is too much?

Well, considering that there are already “digital detox” vacations being made available (complete with in-house therapists to assist guests in coping with life without a phone), the answer is apparently all or nothing. When people begin to sacrifice their personal health in the name of being overly-connected and can’t even leave their bed in the mornings without checking in on their phones, it’s time for a change. In ancient times, circa the year 1997, life was hard. Before apps, before iPhones, before….Yelp! But we persevered, knowing that a brighter future was on the horizon, and now that it’s here, it’s time to stop constantly looking forward to what’s next and taking the time appreciate what is now.

Planning a vacation based on the desire for a “digital detox” may seem a bit ridiculous in practice because the power to disconnect yourself from the digital world is always, you know, in your hands and all. But the inherent philosophy behind it remains sound. The only true test of whether you’re “too connected” exists within the user themselves. Most of us know what life was like before these smart phone things, and despite all the benefits, we know when we’ve crossed over the line into addiction territory. There’s nothing wrong with utilizing the tools at your disposal, however, never let yourself reach the point where you could never imagine life without one.

Image: Penraker