I recently had a 10-hour layover at Narita Airport in Tokyo en route back to the U.S. During the first hour of the layover, I was optimistic about my prospects of making it through the day without too much difficulty. After all, I had my laptop, plenty of email, a Boingo Wi-Fi connection, my iPod, a handful of airport shops, and some tasty-looking restaurants.

But by the end of that first hour, things started unraveling quickly. My laptop’s power cable was in a checked bag. I only had about 2 hours of battery life. Then, as I was racing through my inbox, I saw an email invite to deliver a presentation within hours of landing at LAX after the 8-hour flight. I burned through the remainder of my laptop’s power finishing the slides and then found comfort in a bowl of soba noodles. That comfort was short-lived when I realized the yens for the meal converted into more dollars than I expected. By the time I finished eating, I had 7 hours remaining until my flight. I was exhausted. I needed to sleep ASAP. But where????

I do not exaggerate: I turned around and there in front of me was a sign for “Day Rooms and Showers.” I marched right over. A friendly lady greeted me at the front desk, took down my passport, and processed my payment before handing me a key. The small sleeping room contained a single bed (twin beds were also available), a bedside table with a lamp, and a bathroom with a shower.  I slept for 5 precious hours until the scheduled wake-up call. The second I stepped out, a cleaning lady entered the room and immediately stripped the bed sheets. The cost for this very clean, very efficient room? Only $12 USD for the first hour, and $6 USD for every ensuing hour. So reasonable and so worth it!

Those 5 hours of horizontal shut-eye were my saving grace. I hit the ground running when I arrived in LA, made it through my presentation as well as an 8-hour work day, and arrived home for a full night of sleep on my own bed. Thank you, Narita Airport.

For more information about Narita’s Day and Shower rooms, including locations, click here. I’m told I was lucky to get a room without a reservation, so be sure to reserve a room online. Several other airports around the world offer on-site sleeping facilities for those of you who face the same long layover predicaments. The Guide to Sleeping in Airports is a great site that identifies airports where you can catch some zzz’s and includes user reviews. If you’ve been saved by an airport sleeping facility, let us know about your experience and whether you’d recommend it!

With 300 million people on Facebook, 8 million daily visitors on Twitter, and 40 million members on LinkedIn, social media is now the #1 online activity in the world (over porn). Just imagine the number of conversations taking place at any given time as people keep in touch with friends and family, share information, and express themselves.

But social media is no longer just about making conversation; it has become an important channel for customers to communicate with companies. According to a recent  USA Today article, 58% of survey respondents said if they tweeted about a bad experience, “they would like the company to respond to their comment.” Frankly, it surprises me that *only* 58% of Twitterers expect to be heard when they have a complaint.

The fact is, many of you are reaching out to Boingo via social media sites, and our goal is to respond to all of you. Here are some examples of how we’ve got our ear to the social media ground:

• A customer at the airport had trouble connecting to Boingo on his smartphone and tweeted about it. We responded and determined (yes, in 140 characters) that the user needed to update his Boingo Mobile software.
• A Facebook fan left a post on our  Facebook wall, requesting a Boingo receipt for her expense report. We sent her a personal message with instructions on how to access her account online.
• A Boingo LinkedIn Member had a question about which Android phone he should purchase. We exchanged emails with him to determine the types of phone features he preferred and then provided a recommendation.

The Boingo team is immediately ready for you to reach out to us using your preferred communication channel — whether it’s phone, email, chat, Twitter, Facebook, or another network you want to tell us about. We understand that there’s a social media revolution going on, and we’re glad to be a part of it.

In support of cancer awareness in general (October is Breast Cancer Awareness month), we interviewed survivor extraordinaire, Meaghan Edelstein.

Two years ago, at age 28, Meaghan was diagnosed with stage 3B cervical cancer and told her chances of survival were slim. But she waged a victorious battle against the illness and then went on to establish  Spirit Jump, a “grassroots non-profit organization with a mission to provide hope and comfort” to those battling cancer. During her own ordeal, Meaghan was so comforted by the “uplifting cards and inspirational gifts” that she has duplicated this experience for other cancer victims through Spirit Jump.

Meaghan, yours is a remarkable story of survival against the odds and we toast to your continued health! Good luck as you travel around the globe dispensing comfort to others battling cancer.

Here are a few of Meaghan’s travel tips:

1. Is there a gadget you can’t live without?

I cannot live without my iPhone! Spirit Jump runs 100% through social media and email. We have people all over the world trying to connect with us and that means at all hours of the day.  With my iPhone I can stay connected no matter where I am or what I am doing.

2. What is your favorite city in the world and why?

I LOVE Boston. It’s a city full of history and full of life. I received my cancer treatments at Dana Farber Cancer Institute so there is a very special place in my heart for Boston.

3. What is your favorite dining spot in the world?

What a hard question to answer! There are so many great places and I think each city has a specialty.  I just got back from Vegas and ate at a fabulous restaurant in the Venetian called Zeffirino.

4.  What book is on your nightstand?

One of my favorites books The Time Travelers Wife.

5. Where have you been recently that you liked or were surprised by?

Las Vegas. I just got back and I have to say it was a blast! When I was diagnosed with cancer I thought I would never get to Vegas but I guess I proved myself wrong. It was a great city with wonderful food, shows and people!

6. What’s the most surprising/unexpected place you’ve ever visited?

St. Augustine,  Florida. I went on a short weekend vacation and had no expectations. My boyfriend and I had such a wonderful time there. It was absolutely beautiful, full of history, Tiffany crystals, ghosts and a wonderful winery. I can’t wait to go back. The Saragossa Inn in St. Augustine Florida was amazing!

Thanks, Meaghan!

If you’d like to support someone battling cancer through Spirit Jump, get more information here.