I booked my WWDC 2006 travel plans this weekend. I’m flying my favorite airline JetBlue which is cheap, has in-flight personal satellite TV, and flies direct from Dulles (which is about 30 minutes west of me) to Oakland (which is about 30 minutes outside of San Francisco.) I’m going to have a roommate to share the cost of the hotel – they’re really pricey in August!

This got me thinking… there’s a difference when you’re booking travel as an Indie trying to live The Life and as a Corporate Programmer (hereafter “Corporate”):

1. When you’re Corporate, you try to save money because you’re trying to help the corporation make more profit. When you’re an Indie, you try to save money because you’re trying to stay Indie by not running out of money.

2. When you’re Corporate, you have to deal with some travel policies which might actually cost the corporation more for travel. When you’re Indie, you’re free to shop around for the lowest deals.

3. When you’re Corporate, you try to rack up frequent flyer miles on business travel. When you’re Indie, you try to use your frequent flyer miles on business travel.

P.S. If you want WWDC Hotel recommendations, email me.