In Search of the Perfect Investment

I’m on a plane. Shannon to JFK.

My European banker friend tells me it will take years (perhaps as long as a generation), but Europe, excluding Greece, will be “fine.” He hopes Greece will stay in the Eurozone, but he has about as much respect for the politicians as I do.

Until then we continue to look at massive stockmarket volatility.

Useful Travel tips.

1. American Express platinum card will get you two business class seats for the price of one. It’s the bargain of the century. You can bargain with those airlines who don’t honor Amex’s platinum deal.

2. When they open the door into your chosen room immediately object (politiely) and ask if they have a better one. They always do.

3. Get over your dislike of fat people. They’re everywhere. And they’re eating constantly, in airports, in restaurants, in hotels and outside eating huge ice cream cones.

4. Never eat main courses in restaurants. They’re too big. Order one appertiser, or a soup and an appertiser if you’re really famished. If you travel, you have to fight the need to eat and eat and eat. They don’t have zillons of tourist sites. But they do have plenty of restaurants.

5. Leave at home all your credit cards and other ID stuff before you go. You don’t need it. And it probably et stolen anyway.

6. Don’t carry anything you care about — There are pickpockets in Lisbon , motorcycles thieves in Phukkit, Thailand and Phnon Penh, Cambodia. A woman tourist got killed in Phukkit when a motorcycle thief accidentally stabbed her. Her carried to the knife to cut her handbag strap.

7. Take two watches — one set for local time and one set for home time.

8. Make summer and winter lists of all the clothes you took last time, then edit for the next trip. Saves forgetting urgent stuff. Figure on two sets of underwear each day.

10. GPS often gets it wrong. Good idea to have a paper map for backup.

11. WiFi is ubiquitous. Free email is cheaper than pricey roaming phoning.

12. When you first log on to WiFi, always open a browser. Then do your email.

13. Always ask for extra pillows. Beg for feather ones. They’re much more comfortable.

Smooth scrolling in Firefox. It’s called Yet Another Smooth Scrolling. For your free add-on, click here. Very very useful.

Recent recommended reading:

+ America’s New Energy Reality by Daniel Yergin. Click here.

Best Irish “jokes”

+ How do you know an Irishman is drunk? He can no longer move.

+ How do you get an Irishman on the roof? Tell him drinks are on the house.

I’ll finish this tomorrow.