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.

a black and white logo

Sheraton Lisboa Hotel: The Great, the Good & 1 Thing that Could be Better!

Posted on by . 21 Replies

It had been a while since my last Sheraton stay in Europe. The timing of this trip was perfect for the Sheraton Lisboa Hotel & Spa in Portugal, and I’m glad to report it turned out to be a great hotel choice. I don’t give too much credence to what people write about when they review hotels online, but I do glance over them just to see what people have to say. I often find it’s better to create my own experience and see for myself. There were a few things people mentioned online that I’ll address in this review, just so you’re well informed.

a screenshot of a hotel

Image source: https://www.starwoodhotels.com/sheraton/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=292

Continue reading →

a hammock on a beach

Amazing Photos! Snow in the Sahara Desert

Posted on by . 2 Replies

These past few weeks, the weather has wreaked havoc for travelers all over the world. But in the Sahara Desert, unusual weather patterns are producing some amazing sites. These photos are beautiful. Take a look!

snow covered hills with snow

Image source: https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/01/09/576747323/photos-the-sahara-desert-painted-white-with-snow

a hammock on a beach

NOT All Dreamliner Configurations Are Created Equal

Posted on by . 11 Replies

We gather miles and points and look forward with excitement to booking an award ticket. We’ve even got enough in our stash for a business class ticket… for TWO! We have our eye on a route and airline and we’re excited because they fly a Dreamliner 787. Maybe we’ve flown a Dreamliner before and can’t wait to fly it again, or maybe it’s our first time and we’re stoked. If this is you, and you either have a Dreamliner flight booked or hopes of booking one in the future, and you actually LIKE the person you’ll be flying with and want to share a fun Dreamliner experience with them, this post is for you. Why? Because not ALL Dreamliners are the same! And I don’t want you to have the same disappointing experience I recently had.

I’m a Dreamliner fan and given some routing choices, I will even position myself in a city to fly the Dreamliner. I wouldn’t consider myself an aviation geek, but I do enjoy flying different planes and seeing what they have to offer. Over the past few years, I’ve become enamored with the Dreamliner, so recently I positioned myself to Calgary, Canada just to fly Air Canada’s Dreamliner to London.

I found out something startling… at least startling to me. All Dreamliners are not the same in the way each airline designs the interior. Up until this point, all the Dreamliner flights I’ve flown had similar designs, so this potential difference in design never occurred to me. But Air Canada’s design has two major flaws.

a red maple leaf in a circle with black text Continue reading →

a black and white logo

New Hilton Honors Program Changes that I Wish World of Hyatt Would Copy

Posted on by . 2 Replies

Hilton’s recent unveiling of the newest perks and ways to gain Hilton points got me wondering which of these mattered to me the most. And if any changes mattered to our readers. I have Hilton Gold elite status and a healthy stash of Hilton points, though, last year I didn’t have any Hilton stays. Earning more points per stay, though, is always user friendly :) For people who stay at Hilton properties a lot, the milestone bonuses make sense. I prefer getting points rather than a free night stay that’s limited to certain categories of hotel. Elite rollover nights are a great benefit. I wish Hyatt did this! Gifting status after 60 nights is a great idea. Are you listening Hyatt? Looks to me like Hilton is upping their game, getting creative, and has put together a package of perks that will please loyal Hilton fans. How do you feel about this new program? Going forward, will you shift some of your stays to Hilton? Let me know!

Here is the complete Hilton member benefits email:

a screenshot of a social media post

Continue reading →

a close-up of a logo

Get 3 Months Free with Backblaze Cloud-Based Backup (Ends January 13)

Posted on by . 3 Replies

Updated 12pm PT on 1/9: Get 2018 off to a great start! Only four days left to get in on this offer. I like knowing my data is safely and securely backed-up, and Backblaze is the cloud-based system I use.

Maybe you can help me understand something I just don’t get, though I think there really is no answer that would make good sense to me. You see, I’m obsessive about backing up my computer! When I hear about the numbers of people who don’t use an automated backup solution, those statistics baffle me. Especially if you’re someone who travels. Last I read, less than 10% of computer owners use automated backup services on a regular basis.

And while I certainly can understand the confusion that sets in and leads to not being able to make a choice when you look at the automated backup solutions, at some point, you have to settle on one choice. I use Backblaze, and am very glad to recommend them to anyone who asks. I’m thrilled that they are offering a great bonus so you can get on the Backblaze bandwagon! Here’s the deal: you’ll get your trial month free and then if you purchase the monthly or yearly plan, you’ll get 3 bonus months of cloud-based backup as well. That’s four months free. I’ll get 3 months bonus as well when you use my refer-a-friend link!

a screenshot of a website

Continue reading →