Category Archives: Trip Reports

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Guest Post: 8 of the Best Road Trips in America

Good morning everyone.  Today’s blog post is written by my friend Matthew.  He is a car enthusiast and loves going on road trips.  Here are some of his favorite road trips in the United States, and I added my favorite road trip from my recent trip to Maui.  Enjoy the blog post and leave any comments or questions below.  Have a great day everyone!


As drivers, we sometimes want to just hit the road and experience the wonders that our country has to offer.  There are road trips available for all different tastes, from those who crave challenging drives to those who just want to enjoy beautiful scenery.  We’ve highlighted a few of the best routes in America; the next time you want to enjoy a drive, consider taking one of these road trips.

Overseas Highway

The Overseas Highway is the ideal road trip for ocean fans; not only will you see amazing views of the ocean, you’ll also have a chance to see stunning coral reefs as you travel through the Florida Keys.  The 113-mile trip runs between Miami and Key West and consists of 42 overseas bridges.  During the trip, drivers will see a large collection of wildlife, including ospreys, Key deer and the American crocodile.  If you’re a movie buff, the Seven Mile Bridge segment of the trip may seem familiar to you; it’s been featured in a list of films, including “Mission Impossible 3” and “2 Fast 2 Furious.”  The Overseas Highway offers plenty of places for you to get out and stretch your legs.  If you want to learn more about Key deer, the National Key Deer Refuge is a good place to start.  Bahia Honda State Park offers great ocean views and beautiful beaches.

Image source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/100262962@N08/9498661067

Image source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/100262962@N08/9498661067

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FTU Advanced Orange County (October 28-30) and Seattle (February 24-26)

Good morning everyone, I hope your weekend is going well.  We are only 1 week away from FTU Advanced in Orange County (October 28-30).  FTU stands for Frequent Traveler University and is a travel conference with your favorite travel bloggers from Boarding Area and beyond.  I will be attending the conference, but I am not presenting.  I am flying down from SFO on Friday night after work, so I won’t be able to attend the Friday night happy hour (someone, please drink for me).  I am staying at home, not at the host hotel (The Westin South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa), but I will be at the conference all day Saturday and Sunday.  I will be wearing my classic Travel with Grant shirt (much to the chagrin of Devil’s Advocate).  If you see me, don’t be afraid to say hello :)

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Alaska Airlines 20 Minute Baggage Guarantee = 2,500 Miles for Slight Delay

Good morning everyone, sorry my posting frequency has gone way down lately.  I am back from my trip to Maui and Kona, so I will get back to posting more frequently soon.  This is just a quick post this morning about the Alaska Airlines 20 minute baggage guarantee.  If your checked bag is not available on the baggage claim carousel within 20 minutes of landing, you can get a $25 Alaska Airlines discount code or 2,500 Alaska Airlines miles.  My flight from Kona (KOA) to Oakland (OAK) on Alaska Airlines landed at 12:07am PT (according to the Alaska Airlines app).  We went down to the baggage claim carousel and waited for our bag.  As soon as I saw our checked bag, I took a screenshot of the time on my iPhone, showing that the bag came 25 minutes after landing.  I then tweeted the screenshot to Alaska Airlines letting them know that the bag took longer than expected to show up on the baggage claim carousel.

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Reminder: OC Travel Hackers Meetup on Sunday September 25 from 2-4pm @ Tustin District In-N-Out

Good afternoon everyone, I hope your weekend is going well.  I just wanted to remind everyone coming to the OC Travel Hackers Meetup on Sunday afternoon at the Tustin District In-N-Out that the date and time are slightly different from my normal meetup time, so please take note.  I’m looking forward to seeing a few familiar faces and meeting some new travel hackers in Orange County.

  • Where: In-N-Out Burger, 2895 Park Ave, Tustin, CA 92782 (Google Maps)
  • When: Sunday, September 25 from 2-4pm

In-N-Out Tustin District Map

No need to RSVP to this post.  If you have any questions, please leave a comment below.  Have a great weekend everyone!

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30,000 Club Carlson Points Giveaway & 10% Off Members Only Rate Exclusive (MORE) #ClubCarlson

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Update on 10/14/16 at 11am PT: Sorry for the delay, I just picked the winner of the 30,000 Club Carlson points – congrats to twa44.  I also selected 8 runner ups and sent them each a $10 Amazon eGift Card – congrats to Adam, Brant, Dimi, Joe-SC1, Kelly s, Luke US, Nick and Sharon.  Thank you everyone who participated and have a great day.

Good morning everyone, happy TGI Friday!  Today’s post is sponsored by Club Carlson and I am going to introduce you to the MORE program: Members Only Rate Exclusive.  If you are a Club Carlson members and you book directly through Club Carlson’s website, you can now save up to 10% off your Club Carlson hotel reservation at any Club Carlson property worldwide (Radisson Blu, Radisson, Radisson RED, Park Plaza, Park Inn by Radisson and Country Inns & Suites By Carlson).  If you are not a Club Carlson member, you can join today for free.

As a Club Carlson member, you can enjoy Members Only Rate Exclusive benefits, such as:

  • 20 points per U.S. dollar spent on rooms, food and beverages purchases
  • Award Nights starting at 9,000 points with no blackout dates
  • Food and beverage discounts
  • Elite status after just 10 Eligible Stays

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