One of the best benefits of the American Express Gold and Platinum Card is being able to select an airline of your choice. For the American Express Gold Card, you can earn up to $100 in airline reimbursements and for the American Express Platinum Card, you can earn up to $200 in airline reimbursements. You can change your airline of choice from year to year, but there’s a catch. You only have from the start of each year until January 31 to change your selection. Time is running out!
A week before my British Airways long-haul flight in business class, I asked TWG readers to choose my meal for me. The Braised British Beef was the clear winner, getting 53% of the votes! So that’s what I pre-ordered. Before I tell you about that meal though, I had a three hour British Airways flight (LIS-LHR) in business class that provided a lunch which I could not pre-order. Based on what I had heard from lots of different sources, I had very low expectations of British Airways. Both their planes and their food got absolutely no love, at all.
This short British Airways flight was actually a great experience. Nothing special about the plane itself, but it was the crew and meal that made the difference. The crew and service were great. They were fun to talk with and full of good cheer. They did mention that British Airways had a new catering service and menu, and that they hoped we’d notice and be pleased. It did feel like perhaps I was the only one in business class who wasn’t a British Airways regular, so that leaves me with nothing to compare this meal and service to except what I had previously heard from others.
The starter of prawns and seaweed salad was well prepared. Great combo of textures and taste. Since I knew I’d be eating beef on my next flight, I went with chicken for my main course. Big portions, way too much for me, and the chicken cooked just right. I didn’t have dessert or bread. No complaints at all on this meal, and as I mentioned, an all-around great British Airways inflight experience.
Has this ever happened to you? You read about someone’s travel experience of a certain place or site and it’s so different from yours that you have to double check to see if maybe your experience wasn’t what you thought. That happened to me when I read this post from Traveling the Globe 4 Less. Avoid the Milan Cathedral… no way. Like the plague… seems a bit extreme.
Milan Cathedral. Image source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milan_Cathedral
Do you think Uber drivers actually earn much money? Every now and again, since we first started writing about all the Uber ins and outs, I share stories about Uber that I find worth reading. I want to keep you in the know, so here’s my latest find from Mr. Money Mustache. I think you’ll find it as fascinating a glimpse into the backstory of driving for Uber as I did.
The Man, The Mystery, The Mustache. Image source: http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2017/11/22/mr-money-mustache-uber-driver/
What’s your favorite walk in the world? I have one that may strike you as an odd choice, but for me it’s one of my all time favorites. It’s quirky, but then again, so am I. A while ago, I went to Hong Kong and Bali. As you know, I always walk a lot wherever my trusty pedometer and I go. So yes, I walked a lot while I was in Asia. What I didn’t expect, however, was all the stair climbing. Tons of stairs in both Hong Kong and Bali. Here are 2 examples:
Tian Tan Buddha. Image source: http://www.parttimebackpacker.com/blog/2015/9/13/snapshot-tian-tan-buddha-hong-kong