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.

My Criteria for the Perfect Hotel Lounge and my #1 SPG Lounge

Posted on February 6, 2017 by Shelli. 4 Replies

Do you have a favorite hotel lounge? I don’t mean one that’s good, but rather one that takes good and turns it into GREAT. Seems to me many lounges are fine, or even good, but in each hotel chain there are usually a few standouts. Before I tell you my favorite great one, it makes sense to define the qualities that make for greatness. See what you think of my 13 criteria. Here’s my list (in no special order):

1. REAL food. For me, snack foods don’t count. And include salad, please! Too many lounges put out bowls of what they call salads, but they are usually unidentifiable and filled with some kind of dressing. I’m talking about a simple green salad with some vegetables.

2. Fresh fruit. During the day, it’s great to be able to stop into the lounge and get a piece of fruit.

3. A concierge who is outside of the lounge. I’ve seen this set-up in a few places and it makes total sense. It keeps the lounges quieter and less congested. Continue reading →

Poll Question: Do you Prefer Chatty or Silent Pilots?

Posted on February 1, 2017 by Shelli. 15 Replies

Do you prefer when a pilot gives you lots of information about your flight or do you prefer when they keep quiet? Or do you prefer some other happy medium? Last week, I had a strange experience on an Alaska Airlines flight from Seattle to San Diego and want to see what you all think. The flight time is about 2.5 to 3 hours, and during the whole flight the pilot said NOTHING. Not one word!

I didn’t even realize the pilot hadn’t said anything until my travel companion said, “I really don’t like it when pilots don’t explain or apologize when a flight is delayed.” Then it struck me, the pilot, he or maybe she, hadn’t said a word.

The flight did take off almost 30 minutes late. Nothing about that from the pilot, or the weather, or about seat belt signs, or about landing or temperature upon arrival. Nothing even about all the gorgeous scenery as we flew over snow covered mountains. No Happy New Year and thanks for flying Alaska. Not a word. We did hear from a flight attendant on occasion about the Alaska Airlines Credit Card and using the appropriate bathroom for your class of service! Continue reading →

PSA: Renew your TSA PreCheck, Global Entry, NEXUS or SENTRI Membership Early

Posted on February 1, 2017 by Shelli. 14 Replies

Quick question, do you know when your Global Entry card expires? A few months ago, I realized I hadn’t checked to see when mine expired. I’ve had it for years and yet couldn’t actually say for sure. So I took a look. Yikes, it expires in 2017! And as the idea of Global Entry has caught on, the numbers of people applying to the program has ballooned, and the turnaround time in getting both the new and renewed cards was SLOW! So I got on the ball and started the renewal process for my Global Entry card. You can renew your current card up to 1 year in advance, so it is best not to wait too long.

Luckily, the Global Entry program has a helpful step-by-step guide for renewing your membership:

Log onto GOES (click here).
Select Manage membership – the Trusted Traveler Program Enrollment page will display.
Select the blue Renew Application button – the Personal Information page will display.
Use the Application Wizard to change your personal information by selecting the specific category(ies) hyperlinks.
When complete, select U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Trusted Traveler Program List on the Application Wizard – the Trusted Traveler Program List will display.
Click the box next to each program that you wish to renew.
Select the enrollment center hyperlink to see a list of available enrollment centers.
Select Next – the Trusted Traveler Program Application page will display.
If a FIX Errors hyperlink displays, you must provide the information requested to proceed.
To continue, select Update to go to the Program Application page.
On the Program Application page, select Certify at the bottom of the page – the Certification page will display.
Answer Yes or No to “Do you certify?”
Select Next. The Final Review: Application Shopping Cart will display.
Select the box next to Fees. Fees are for application processing and are non-refundable. To agree and proceed, click here. The Home button changes to a Make Payment button.
Select Make Payment. The online payment page displays.

Continue reading →

11 Ways to Find Adventure, Have Fun & Stay Healthy While Traveling

Posted on January 31, 2017 by Shelli. Leave a reply

When I’m not traveling, drinking coffee, or thinking up and writing posts for TWG, I’m a holistic health and fitness coach. So combining traveling with finding fun, fitness-oriented adventures is my passion. And it keeps me healthy while on the road! I also talk with many people about how they combine their travels with adventures in fun and fitness. And we all had great ideas. So whether you travel solo or with family and friends, or whether you travel for work or pleasure, or a combination of both, see what you think of these ideas to upgrade your travel experiences.

1. It’s always great to get ideas from the locals, and in person.

When I’m in a new place, I always stop by the local running shops or sports stores to see what they recommend. Usually they have info not just about running but about biking or swimming pools, as well. Who knows, maybe you’ll join a local running event that you never even knew was happening while you’re visiting!

2. I’m old school when it comes to using maps.

Find a site you want to see that’s far from your accommodations and then plan a walk or bike ride to those sites. I usually find a coffee house I want to check out that’s far from my lodgings and head there! Continue reading →

Part 3: Interview with a Professional Uber/Lyft Driver – Driver Turnover, International Expansion & Profitability

Posted on January 28, 2017 by Shelli. 1 Reply

Part 1: Interview with a Professional Uber/Lyft Driver – Tipping, Surge Pricing & More

Part 2: Interview with a Professional Uber/Lyft Driver – How Much Money do Drivers Earn?

I first met Harry Campbell back in August 2014, long before he was the ride-sharing guy. His first web presence was at www.yourpfpro.com, a financial website for young professionals. And as it turned out, Harry is also a miles and points guy, so we’ve stayed in touch ever since.

Then a few years ago, he turned his time and attention to his new brand, TheRideShareGuy.com. Maybe you’ve heard of him or seen his blog/podcast/Youtube channel. He’s my go-to resource when I have ride-share questions, so I wanted to sit down with him and get his view as both an insider, because he still drives for both Uber and Lyft, and also as a mentor and resource for drivers.

I asked Harry some tough questions, because as a consumer, there’s a lot about the ride-sharing world I’d like to understand. I want, as I’m sure you do, to have the best possible ride-sharing experience, and understanding this from both a passenger as well as a driver perspective helps! Harry’s got a unique window into the sharing economy, so let’s see what he has to say.

Shelli: Is there an over-saturation of drivers (in certain places of course)? Is this why Uber/Lyft can keep cutting back on how much drivers earn?

Harry: Both Uber and Lyft cut rates almost annually on drivers, but they don’t really give very convincing reasons why. They say lower rates will bring drivers more money, but we have not seen evidence for that. Over-saturation of drivers is definitely an issue, but so is Uber’s burn rate of drivers. In 2015, Uber announced nearly half of its drivers quit after one year, but so far it doesn’t look like as though the pool of drivers will let up. Flexibility and the ability to earn money on your own time is tempting for a lot of people, even though Uber and Lyft cut rates. Continue reading →

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