Category Archives: Trip Reports

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SF Travel Hackers December Meetup (12/14 7pm); Plug and Play Travel EXPO (12/15 in Sunnyvalle)

Good morning everyone, I wanted to announce that the SF Travel Hackers Meetup Group has scheduled their December meetup.  If you are planning on attending, please RSVP, space is limited and they will check names at the door.  Here are the details:

This month we’ll be having our annual holiday gathering. Expect a frequent traveler pub quiz style trivia night, prizes and a raffle for cool airline and hotel swag just in time for the holidays!  Last year’s was one of the group’s favorite events – hope to see you there!

  • When: Wednesday, December 14 @ 7-9pm
  • Where: WeWork Mid-Market, 995 Market Street, San Francisco, CA 94103 (Google Map)

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2 Podcast Picks: Abroaders (Travel Hackers) & How I Built This (SWA Founder Herb Kelleher Interview)

Good morning, happy Thursday and welcome to the first day of December.  This year is flying by, am I the only one that thinks so?  Anyway, as I walked to work yesterday, I listened to one of my favorite podcast: NPR’s How I Built This.  This podcast only has 12 episodes (as of December 1, 2016) and they interview successful CEOs and founders of various companies, ranging from technology (Airbnb and Instagram), fashion (Spanx), music (L.A. Reid and Radio One) and food (Clif Bar and Samuel Adams).  But the most recent podcast I listened to was about Southwest Airlines’ founder, Herb Kelleher.  He is currently 88 years old and I love the way he speaks.  He reminds me of how my grandfather tells stories and jokes with other people.  I wouldn’t mind sitting next to Herb on a Southwest Airlines flight and listening to him talk for the entire journey.  If you want to be inspired to start a business or need the motivation to grow your business, listen to How I Built This (you can listen to all their episodes online for free) or on iTunes or wherever else you listen to podcasts.

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A “Quick” Blog Update: New Writers = More Content

Good morning everyone – it feels like a long time since I last wrote those words in a blog post.  I have been really busy at work the last 2 weeks preparing for Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Cyber Monday.  Oh and my parents were in town over Thanksgiving weekend and I celebrated my 27th birthday.  Luckily, things are starting to calm down now, so I hope to get back to my usual writing routine soon.  I am in the process of making changes to my blog and I wanted to keep everyone up to date.

Introducing my First New Writer – Tonei

My good friend Tonei (pronounced Tony) joined the TWG family last week and he wrote his first post a few days ago: Travel with Tonei: 15% Off Almost Everything at Target for 2 Days.  In a perfect world, I would have introduced Tonei in a short blog post before his first blog post was published and explained why I think he would make a great addition to TWG.  Unfortunately, that did not happen, but better late than never.

Tonei and I met at the SF Travel Hackers Meetup Group last year and I have always enjoyed talking with him and listening to his travel (mis)adventures.  At our most recent meetup, we talked about his recent move to Mexico City, visiting the multiple Centurion Lounges at Mexico City’s airport, MSing abroad, and future travel plans.  While listening to his stories, I was constantly thinking, “This would make a great blog post,” over and over in my head.  I told him that his stories were so interesting and that others would probably like to read about his stories too.  My writing philosophy is, “I want to write articles that I would want to read.”  If it interests me, it will probably interest other people as well.

Welcome Tonei, I am looking forward to reading your upcoming blog posts :) Continue reading

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Reminder: SF Travel Hackers Meetup Tonight (7pm on 11/15)

Good morning everyone, I’m sorry this is super last minute, but I wanted to remind everyone in the Bay Area that there is a SF Travel Hackers Meetup tonight.  This is the topic of tonight’s meetup:

Want to make sure you’re earning the most frequent flyer miles out of your flights? This event is targeted at novice travelers or those looking to take a long trip in the near future.  We’ll be discussing revenue-based programs, changes made to United, Delta and American and how you can set yourself up for the most number of reward flights.

  • When: Tuesday, November 15 @ 7-9pm
  • Where: Startup Basecamp Civic Center, 900 Franklin, San Francisco, CA 94109 (Google Map)

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I will be there shortly before 7pm and their might even be food/drinks provided.  If you have any questions, please leave a comment below.  Have a great day everyone!

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Guest Post: Hawaii First-Timers: Which Hawaiian Island is Right for You?

The mosaic of colors and ecosystems sitting in the middle of the Pacific Ocean belong to the Hawaiian archipelago, a significant location on many traveler’s bucket lists due to their eye-popping landscapes, mesmerizing culture and delicious cuisine.  Unfortunately, those who have the opportunity to plan a trip often face a major dilemma: how do you choose which island(s) to visit?

Since they are geographically isolated, located 2,471 miles from the closest point in the United States, planning a trip is time-consuming at best.  Each island is also packed with its own unique highlights, which would easily occupy the best of a week to only scratch the surface.  Piggyback that thought with the fact that most travelers average 2 weeks of vacation time per year and you can see that there may only be enough time to explore one or maximum two islands during one trip.

Image c/o WPPilot on Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en

Image c/o WPPilot on Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0) // https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en

Luckily, each island has adopted its own unique personality and travelers can design their Hawaiian vacations by picking those isles that best match their personal characters.  Are you a self-proclaimed foodie whose adventurous palate knows no bounds?  Or do you prefer passing the day on the water, enjoying one activity after another?  Perhaps, Hawaii is your honeymoon destination.  Fortunately, no matter who you are, or what your reason is for visiting, there is an island for everyone. Continue reading