How can you write a freaking article every week of the year?

How can you write a freaking article every week of the year?

Many of my friends ask me how in the world I can write a column every week. They can’t believe that I wrote 252 consecutive weekly columns for the San Juan Star and a few months ago I started another run with the Puerto Rico Daily Sun. I hope I can surpass the San Juan Star record if the universe works in our favor.
This column is a good example of how do you find material to write about week after week. I am sitting in the British Airways Lounge in Heathrow Airport in London waiting to connect to my final flight to Cape Town, South Africa.
Since my main purpose to write a column is to inform, persuade or entertain you, my dear readers, I always have my eyes and ears open so that I can pass along the information to you. I know that I will have lots to tell you about South Africa but now in the middle of the trip, I have to write my column, so let’s see what I can tell you that could prove useful to you.
Ok, let’s start by telling you that those of you that fly American Airlines know that AA is part of what they call the One World Alliance. You know that when you fly any of the airlines in the alliance, you get credited for the miles in the airline that you use the most. Since I live in San Juan, American is the airline I use the most. I have to qualify every year to earn the status of executive platinum which means I need to fly at least 100,000 miles a year. To get a platinum designation, you need 50,000 and for a gold, just 25,000 miles. I also qualify for elite in Continental Airlines and in that airline, which has a better frequent flyer program than American, I aim to reach 25,000 miles which gives me at least a silver status, good enough to place me in first class whenever there is space. Continental will seat you in first class automatically with just a silver designation, with American, you need coupons to get to first, unless you are an executive platinum. This is a big difference in Continental’s favor, but they simply don’t have many flights out of San Juan, and they don’t fly to Miami which is a very popular destination.
So, keeping in mind that going to South Africa would get me a lot of miles, I tell the travel agent to book me either American or any of the one world alliance airlines.
My last long trip, to Korea, I booked it through Continental so now I am over the 25,000 miles in that airline.
Well, guess what? I write my contact in AA, a wonderful young woman and friend, Elizabeth Massanet about my trip and she tells me that the leg Dallas- London will not get me frequent flyer miles. Why, because since American also flies that route, if I fly it in British Airways, I don’t get credit. My travel agent was warned that I wanted to fly to South Africa in airlines that would accumulate me miles in the one world alliance, but obviously she didn’t know. Her ignorance in this matter has cost me thousands of miles. Those of you in the same position that I am in now, remember that if your main airline flies to a city, if you book with another airline, even if it is a member of the alliance, you don’t get credit for the miles. So what will I have to do now? Go through the back door. Become a member of the British Airways program, get credit for those miles and then I can use them with American Airlines in the future. Hahahaha, I feel like I beat the system, and believe me, it is very satisfying to do so.
Another lesson to share with my readers: To fly to South Africa from San Juan, there are a few routes, but the one I am in now takes me San Juan- Dallas, a five hour trip, Dallas- London, about 8 hours, a layover in London of eleven hours and a final trip London South Africa that takes 11 hours. So, do the math. It takes me 35 hours to get to South Africa from San Juan. Long, long trip my friends.
Another interesting point worth writing about: The British Airways lounge here in Heathrow airport is great. It is huge; it has all kinds of food and beverages, televisions all over the place, business center, newspapers from all over the world and a beautiful view to the runway. This layover of so many hours is not as bad with such a nice lounge.
Writing about airports, I have to tell you an interesting story about a character that works in the airport. When you walk towards the Admiral’s Club you pass a guy that yells at you “shoe shine, shoe shine, shoe shine”. I am used to seeing him and I always say hello to him and on occasions I get my shoe shine. Yesterday (Sunday) there was another young man shining shoes. So, I stop to get my shoes shined and I ask about the other guy. He tells me that he is off that day and that is why he is there. He also tells me that he works the shoe shine booth in the airport where Delta airlines is and that he pays this guy a rental fee for working the booth.
If you haven’t shined your shoes here in front of the Admiral’s lounge, you have to go through the experience. The guy has a massage chair that gives you a back massage while you are shining your shoes, he has the day’s newspaper available and a television set in case you want to watch television. Both kids are real nice and you can talk to them and they tell you what is going on in the airport.
Here is a good example of someone that is becoming an entrepreneur in a very simple business. He gives good customer service, does a great job of shining your shoes, he is thinking about how to make your experience delightful and he is making money from the other shoe shiner who rents the Delta booth from him. You all know that to really make money in life you have to find a way to earn passive income, in other words, money that you make that is not dependent on your presence. This kid has found a way to do that. Anyone can do that, you simply have to identify the opportunities and act on them.

You see, I have written a full article and I still haven’t made it to South Africa. This is how you do it. You look at life with your eyes and ears open and life will give you plenty of material for you to write about.