Author Archives: Shelli

About Shelli

Shelli Stein is a health and fitness entrepreneur who travels the world in search of culture, food, and fun! Besides contributing to Travel with Grant, you can find her at Joy in Movement.

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What’s Your Funniest Travel Story? Here’s Mine!

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Happy Saturday, everyone! It’s the weekend, so let’s relax and have some laughs. I was thinking about how there are certain experiences we’ve all had that no matter how many times we conjure them up in our memories, they ALWAYS make us laugh. And since we all travel a lot, I wondered if any of your “always make me laugh out loud” experiences are travel-related. I have one that’s travel-related to share with you!

A few years ago, I was staying in an Embassy Suites. I was working while I stayed there, so I preferred to have housekeeping as little as possible. After a few days, it seemed to me that my room needed to be vacuumed. I looked in the hall and didn’t see a housekeeper. I did see a vacuum, though. I thought, why bother the housekeeper when it would only take me a few minutes to vacuum. Turns out the vacuum was broken and barely worked.

a vacuum cleaner on a carpeted hallway

This is not the vacuum I found and this is not the hotel I stayed at. Image source: https://www.tripadvisor.com/LocationPhotoDirectLink-g255069-d257801-i231589895-Pullman_Cairns_International-Cairns_Cairns_Region_Queensland.html

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Best of Bean Around The World

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Some things we do just go hand-in-hand. Maybe you like to travel and sample different beers around the world. Maybe you travel and ride famous roller coasters or visit Disneyland around the world. For me, travelling and drinking coffee go hand-in-hand. I’m not telling you anything about me you don’t already know, given I write a series called Bean Around The World! I’m a coffee snob who never misses an opportunity to support local roasters, sample local coffee houses, and get to know local baristas and other coffee fanatics wherever I travel.  Since the high summer travel season is upon us, I wanted to bring together all the blog posts I’ve written about coffee so you’ll have easy access to use them when you’re planning a visit to these places. I’ve covered quite a bit of caffeinated ground :)

Newly added in October 2018:

When you head to Scandinavia, you’re in for a real treat. Here are my recommendations for Copenhagen and Stockholm.

Newly added in July 2018:

1. If you like a combo of great coffee and wonderful pastry, try this place in Boston.

2. Madrid is a coffee drinkers paradise. See for yourself.

In Europe, the two places I’ve written about so far both hold a special spot in my caffeinated heart. Both Lisbon and Slovenia are places I fell in love with after my first sip. When you visit these places, do not forget to enjoy the very unique coffee scenes. Read about the Lisbon coffee scene here. Slovenia’s local coffee scene required two articles!

a cup of coffee with a design in the foam

Cokl Flat White

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Kick Back with Bonus Alaska Airlines Miles (Promo Expires July 3)

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Need to top off your Alaska Airlines mileage account in order to, as Alaska Airlines puts it, “Whisk yourself away on a dream vacay”? Ok, that may sound hokey, but the alliteration is good, and Alaska’s mileage plan has indeed provided me with the start to many wonderful journeys!

We all have our favorite airlines and miles programs. Maybe I’m biased because I usually start my travels from the West Coast, but I’m a big fan of Alaska Airlines and I can never have too many Alaska miles. If your Alaska miles account is short on miles, Alaska has a 40% offer on purchased miles expiring on July 3. This brings the cost to 2.1 cents per mile. Alaska miles have great value for me. Why? I like that Alaska isn’t a part of an airline alliance, but rather that they have a long list of airline partners that offer incredible business and first class products. My two favorite Alaska Airlines partners are Cathay Pacific and Japan Airlines. I recently flew Cathay Pacific Business Class to Asia. My first time flying Cathay Pacific was back in 2012, and even after all these years and having flown many different airlines, I’m still a huge Cathay Pacific fan. I have a Japan Airlines flight booked using Alaska miles, so I’m really looking forward to experiencing JAL’s current product.

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Visiting Vancouver, British Columbia? Here’s What You Need To Know!

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There are some places that are wonderful to visit any time of year, and they become an even more spectacular destination during the summer months. With the high travel season upon us, one of my favorite cities has been on my mind. I’ve been to British Columbia during all different times of the year. In Vancouver, I’ve slogged through slush and snow during December, and ventured out at midnight in freezing weather to see the New Year’s Eve fireworks. I’ve walked through Stanley Park in the most gorgeous October weather when the trees were in full fall foliage colors. And I’ve had the Grouse Grind hike on Grouse Mountain totally kick my butt as I finished it with mud all over my clothes, yet with a smile on my face. Vancouver is an amazing destination any time of year! With summer upon us and many travelers heading up to British Columbia, I wanted to bring together all the blog posts I’ve written about Vancouver so you’ll have an easy time using them when you’re planning a visit.

a seaplane on a dock in front of a city

Seaplane in Vancouver Harbor

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World of Hyatt: Improved Elite Benefits and Summer Promo News!

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When Hyatt sends good new our way, my ears perk up. As the official Hyatt fangirl around TWG, there’s one promotion and one piece of good news to share with you today.  Hyatt heard that members wanted more opportunities to be rewarded for their loyalty. Well of course we do! For a while now, World of Hyatt has been providing more exclusive promotions and special offers that help care for members when they travel. As part of this continued momentum, World of Hyatt is launching a new loyalty promotion that will help members’ travel add up to even more.

Here’s Hyatt’s latest promotion!

Starting June 1, 2018, you can earn 2,500 bonus Hyatt points after every five qualifying nights at Grand Hyatt and Hyatt Regency hotels, with a checkout date of August 31, 2018. There is no limit to the number of bonus Hyatt points you can earn, and bonus Hyatt points are redeemable at any Hyatt hotel worldwide, including participating MGM resort destinations in Las Vegas as well as Miraval and Oasis locations. Just register here by July 15, 2018. You’ll receive your bonus points within 3 weeks after you complete a 5-night stay. Remember, there is no limit to the number of bonus points you can earn. And eligible paid stays and award nights will count towards this promotion. But only stays with a checkout date on or before August 31, 2018, qualify for the deal.

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