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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Up Close and Personal with My Award Booking Team

Do you ever wonder where the expression, “You don’t do business with a business, you do business with people,” originated? Ok, I’ve never thought about where it originated either, but after all my years in business, I can tell you it’s a total truism. When I find good business people to do business with, I love it! As a frequent traveler who likes to travel “well” and use miles and points for award tickets, I’m a long-standing client of Juicy Miles. But that’s just a business name, isn’t it? The man behind the business, and at the helm of this great group of people, is Adam.

A few weeks ago, it dawned on me that the image that many people must have of award booking businesses is that they aren’t “real” businesses. I think many people think it’s something people do in their spare time to help friends and family members figure out all the rules and regulations for using that stash of miles/points. But in the case of Juicy Miles, it’s the real deal. It’s very well run and they’re great at what they do. And they’ve just redesigned their Juicy Miles website which makes submitting your requests super easy! I want you to get to know Adam better, so I reached out to him with a few questions about what he does, why he does it, how he trains his team, and more. Hope you enjoy the interview!

  • Shelli: Juicy Miles started in what year?
  • Adam: Believe it or not, Juicy Miles went live all the way back in 2011 (I think we first communicated in 2014 or so).

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The #1 Essential Travel Skill

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There are so many skills that are essential to traveling well, it’s mind boggling. Maybe your idea of essential is different than mine, but having just come off a three week trip to four different countries, I’m moving sleeping well to the top of the list.

A while ago, I wrote about how to get a good night’s sleep in hotels, but the bottom line really is being able to fall asleep no matter where you are, even on planes. Sleep deprivation is a chronic problem for people, and especially for those of us who travel a lot. Here’s a great, helpful article I just read about a method developed during WW2 so that pilots could fall asleep within two minutes. The article’s approach is simple and well worth trying. Take a look at the article and see what you think. Are you already someone who can sleep anywhere and fall asleep quickly? If so, share your tips with us in the comments!

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How to Maximize Dining Rewards When Eating Out

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Have you ever read a blog post and felt like such a slouch for leaving so many points/miles on the table? I have, and it’s embarrassing. Especially when with very little effort and a slight change in my thinking, those points could be where they belong… in my account! We all know that using a credit card that offers bonus points for dining is the number one way NOT to leave points on the table. But there are many other ways to accrue miles and points for dining out that I’ve been neglecting, and that’s not good. Lee at Bald Thoughts wrote a great piece about making the most of eating out to build up those miles and points.

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Image source: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/18999629662316428/

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Calling all Ann Arbor Coffee Drinkers

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Calling all Ann Arbor coffee drinkers! I have a family event I’m attending in Ann Arbor and want to know where I should drink coffee while visiting. I’ve never been before! As you know, my Bean Around The World reviews sometimes become Bean Around The Corner reviews :) While Ann Arbor isn’t exactly around the corner from my hometown cafe favorite, I’m excited to explore what I figure will be a vibrant coffee scene. So please post your suggestions in the comments below. Thank you, and stay caffeinated!  And in case you missed it, check out my recent post on coffee in Lisbon.

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Hello Kristof’s Flat White

If you liked this post, please check out all the other cities I reviewed in Shelli’s World Coffee Tour.

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New Program Benefits Available for Hilton Honors Members

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Hilton Honors program updates went live last week. They say, as you can see from this email, that the new program elements and perks are based on feedback and will give Hilton travelers more of what they want. Maybe, maybe not. I don’t have any Hilton stays booked right now and Hilton is only my third most used hotel chain, but I am a Hilton Gold Elite Member, and I do have a stash of Hilton Honors points which I intend to keep from expiring, so I figured I should take a look at these changes.

Changes like these usually reward the more loyal customers who stay more often and spend more money. If you’re an infrequent customer and spend less with Hilton, you’ll receive even less in the way of benefits. I fall into the second category. Hilton’s confusing award chart as well as its point award devaluations have kept me away from the program these past few years. Hilton Diamond Elite Members likely see some of these changes as positive, though I get the sense more and more travelers are looking closely at Marriott/SPG since the merger.

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