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.

Ultimate Disneyland Playbook Update: Disney Vacation Accounts (DVA) Ending on 9/27

Posted on August 17, 2017 by Shelli. Leave a reply

When I wrote the Ultimate Disneyland Playbook, setting up and using a Disney Vacation Account and using that account was the number one hack that everyone suggested for increasing fun at Disneyland, and also for saving money! It also made being at the park and paying for things much easier. Disney trips are expensive! Sadly, we now have to say RIP to DVA.

For the most up to date information about what to do with your Disney Vacation Account, check out Ed’s post on Pizza In Motion. He explains all your options if you have any money in your account. You may have already received word of this big change, but just in case you haven’t, I wanted to keep everyone up to date.

a statue of a man and mouse in front of a castle

Image source: https://disneyland.disney.go.com/destinations/disneyland/

Shelli’s 100th Post & Amazon eGift Card Giveaway

Posted on August 16, 2017 by Shelli. 54 Replies

Update: The $10 Amazon eGift Card winners are announced here.

Time flies when you’re having fun! It’s amazing to me that yesterday’s blog post was my 100th. When I starting writing here at TWG, Grant’s only instruction to me was to write what you’d like to read about. I have very broad interests, so 100 posts later, I sure have written about all kinds of different topics related to travel, miles and points.

To celebrate my 100th post, I am giving away 5 $10 Amazon eGift Cards. All you have to do is leave a comment telling me which of my 100 blog posts was your favorite. You have until Thursday, August 17 at 11:59pm PT to leave a comment. I will pick 5 winners on Friday morning and Grant will send the winners a $10 Amazon eGift Card.

Simple enough? Thank you for reading and here’s to another 100 blog posts!

My Citi Prestige Credit Card Saved Me $1,000+ this Year with the 4th Night Free Benefit

Posted on August 15, 2017 by Shelli. 22 Replies

Since the Citi Prestige Credit Card just went through some benefit changes, everyone who has the credit card is in assessment mode as to whether or not they’ll keep the credit card. And those who don’t have the credit card are considering whether it’s still worth getting. Even before the changes in benefits were announced, I had planned on writing about the credit card and why, for me, it’s been a keeper… and still is!

I was early on board with this credit card, originally thinking I’d primarily use it for the free rounds of golf and American Airlines Admirals Club access. And maybe the 4th night free hotel benefit. Turns out, I never used the free rounds of golf (which is no longer a benefit), though I did use the American Airlines Admirals Club access from time to time. The real surprise for me was how often I used the 4th night free hotel perk and how much money I saved. Let me get specific!

Continue reading →

PSA: Bumped Flight? Make Sure Your Original Routing Miles Post

Posted on August 14, 2017 by Shelli. 6 Replies

Have you ever realized that after flying, your miles never posted? You happened to be checking your account for some totally different reason and you noticed something just didn’t seem to add up? That’s what happened to me a few days ago and I want to make sure it doesn’t happen to you! I was looking at my Alaska Airlines account to see about an upcoming flight and happened to glance at my Mileage Activity tab. I never do this because I’ve never had an issue with Alaska Airlines not posting miles I’d earned from flying. Never a problem… until today.

Remember the flight I took to Boston where I volunteered for my first ever BUMP? I didn’t see those miles post to my account :( Not being familiar with how bumps and mileage accrual works, I gave this some thought. Is it possible that because I got bumped onto a Delta flight the miles wouldn’t be earned on Alaska Airlines? This didn’t make sense to me because I had paid Alaska Airlines for the fare. Continue reading →

Coronado / San Diego Week: San Diego’s Best Beaches

Posted on August 11, 2017 by Shelli. 2 Replies

When you live or visit San Diego, life’s a beach! And even though it’s obviously all one coastline, each beach is really different. Some are great for walking, some for swimming, and some for surfing. So let’s take a ride up the coast heading north and talk about the different beaches to check out. Even if you live in San Diego, I find that local people tend to have their favorite spots and forget about how many great beaches the county has.

Let’s start with Point Loma and the Cabrillo Monument. It’s San Diego’s only National Monument. The drive out to the park is beautiful, with the ocean on one side and the bay on the other. After you enter the park, take the road to your right and go down to the tide pools first. It’s usually pretty easy to get a parking spot down there so you can enjoy the tide pools. If the surfers are active, it’s fun to sit on the rocks and watch them. Next, head up to the visitor center parking lot. It’s easy to spend an hour or more here. There’s a wonderful hiking trail and lighthouse to visit. The visitor’s center and gift shop have interesting exhibits. The whole area is a fun place to bring kids, too.

Point Loma Lighthouse in San Diego. Image: http://coastalsandiegorentals.com/about-san-diego/