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.

Hawaiian Airlines Announced New Routes from the West Coast

Posted on December 5, 2017 by Shelli. Leave a reply

It’s NEVER the wrong time to think about booking a flight to Hawaii! And if Hawaiian Airlines has its way, we’ll be booking flights on their airline because they’ve just announced some new routes. I usually fly on Alaska Airlines when I go to Hawaii, but Hawaiian’s new routes have me looking more closely at their schedule. Especially if next Summer is an option for your Hawaii vacation plans, take a look at what they’re offering! And don’t forget to check out our Top Rewards cards to boost your points earning and travel more!

Image source: https://www.hawaiianairlines.com/

London is Giving us all an Excuse to Drink More Coffee!

Posted on December 2, 2017 by Shelli. Leave a reply

If you ever needed a reason to keep drinking coffee, especially when you’re in London, here it is! Check out this post: London buses to be powered by coffee. I certainly do my share of creating coffee grounds around the world, so good to see them being put to use. Hope we see this sort of thing more and more.

Image source: http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-42044852

Part 3 of the Saga: Southwest Monkey vs. Southwest Airlines

Posted on November 29, 2017 by Shelli. Leave a reply

No one likes to be bullied! I’ll let you decide for yourself whether what Southwest Airlines is now demanding of Southwest Monkey constitutes bullying or not. The saga unfortunately continues (part 1 and part 2) as Southwest Airlines now wants them to remove any evidence that they ever existed. See their latest blog post.

Hard to put yourself in their position, but what would you do?

Are You A Semper Gumby Traveler?

Posted on November 29, 2017 by Shelli. Leave a reply

If you travel enough, there are times when all goes wrong. Heck, even if you travel once in awhile, all going wrong is still possible. And then of course there are varying degrees of all going wrong! No matter what, though, flexibility can save your trip. I think we’d all agree that travel tests your mindset. Have you heard the phrase “Semper Gumby”? It’s a take-off on the Marine Corp slogan “Semper Fi”. Semper Gumby translates to “always flexible” because it relates to the animated character Gumby. I love this phrase and it’s become my travel motto. No matter what trip I’m planning, I spend a lot of time thinking and planning the trip. And yet, many times the trip won’t go exactly as planned. I find that my Semper Gumby mindset definitely increases the likelihood that I’ll still have a positive experience.

There actually is a logo of Semper Gumby! Image source: http://bootcamp4me.org/forum/off-duty/general-discussion-room/funny-stuff/342-semper-gumby

Continue reading →

Use the Mobile Passport Control App to Breeze through Customs at Select Airports & Cruise Ports

Posted on November 29, 2017 by Shelli. 10 Replies

Every so often, I’ll read or hear about some service or product that’s been available for a while and totally skipped my radar. I’d be surprised if I’m the only frequent traveler this happens to! Just last week, I read about the not-so-new Mobile Passport Control (MPC) app that’s available for iOS and Android phones and tablets. Back in the summer 2014, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) launched the first authorized app to expedite a traveler’s entry process into the United States.

MPC allows eligible travelers to submit their passport information and customs declaration form via a smartphone or tablet prior to CBP inspection. This first-of-its-kind app was developed by Airside Mobile and Airports Council International-North America (ACI-NA) in partnership with CBP. They piloted the program at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) and it’s now available at 24 airports and one cruise port.

Current Mobile Passport locations, as of 11/19/2017. Image source: https://mobilepassport.us/