On The Road Again

Posted by Pamela S. on Tuesday, August 7th, 2012

Most private investigators spend a lot of time on the road. Sometimes you need to take a trip out of town, for a file, or a conference or other business. It’s not a vacation, but that doesn’t mean your journey can’t be comfortable. When you are traveling on the client’s dime, you also need to consider cost. You don’t always have to do things the typical way. Think outside the hotel room.

Why stay in an expensive hotel or a low end motel, when you can stay in a comfortable home? Airbnb.com offers accommodations around the world in all price ranges. People rent out their homes and apartments on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. If you are planning a long term stay, it is much more relaxing to stay in an actual residence, where you have cooking facilities and the comforts of home. For example, If you had to go to New York on business, you could spend $200 or more on a hotel, or you could stay here, in this lovely New York one bedroom apartment, for $209 per night.

You could rent this three bedroom house in Orlando, for $125 per night, or stay at the Holiday Inn.

If you want to spend even less, you can rent a private room in many homes listed on Airbnb.

If you like hotels, and some people do, I’m sure you know about Trip Advisor. On the off chance you have been living under a rock, don’t go anywhere without reading the reviews posted by other travelers. They give the real story about the hotels and motels you may decide to visit. Trip Advisor also provides restaurant reviews by real people. You can also write a review if you were impressed or want to warn other travelers about a place.

I hate to even bring this up, because it makes my skin crawl, but bedbugs have become a real problem for travelers. Check out bedbugregistry.com before you travel. Input the address of your accommodations and the site will let you know about any reports of these insidious creatures.

It’s not all jet setting and fancy hotels. Investigators spend most of their time in a vehicle.

If you use a vehicle for business, you have to keep track of costs. Lemur Vehicle Monitor’s EconoDriver tracks your mileage, fuel costs and fuel efficiency, through your vehicle’s computer and creates a trip report. It sends this information to a key fob unit that you can carry with you.

Every investigator I know has been in a situation where he or she followed someone out of town, maybe to a remote area, and ended up sleeping in the car or van. You can always carry a small tent, and a sleeping bag. If you somehow end up deep in the bush, you will be ahead of the game if you have the JakPak. This is a waterproof jacket, tent and sleeping bag all combined in one. I wouldn’t recommend it for hardcore camping, but in a pinch it comes in handy, when you are in “Survivor Man” mode.

Be prepared, as the Boy Scouts motto goes, and wherever you go, and how ever you get there, you’ll be more comfortable.

Former FBI Assistant Director Tom Sheer has recruited the best from the FBI, DEA, IRS and Secret Service to build a formidable team at Sheer Investigations. Our private investigators have the sensitivity and experience to handle the most delicate investigations.