Category Archives: Trip Reports

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10 Things I’m Thankful for in 2020

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Good morning everyone, Merry Christmas Eve!  As 2020 winds to a close, I wanted to share 10 things I am thankful for this year.  I hope you can relate to some of these things and have other things you are thankful for as well.  If you want, please share what you are thankful for in the comments.  Without further ado, here is what I am thankful for in 2020:

Laura

It goes without saying, but I am very thankful for my wife, Laura.  She has been my constant stay at home companion and has made this year special.  I don’t know what I would do without her.  I’ve enjoyed watching TV shows, Hallmark movies, BBQing and making dinner, baking cookies, going for walks around our neighborhood, helping me with puzzles, and much more.  I am also very proud that she finished her Masters Degree this year.  She is incredible and I love her so much. Continue reading →

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Last Call for Discounted FTU Online Membership & Reminder to Register for FTU Virtual Seminar (December 12)

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Good afternoon everyone, I hope your week is going well.  If you do not have any plans this weekend, I highly recommend attending the FTU Virtual Seminar this Saturday, December 12 from 11am to 3pm ET (8am to 12pm PT for those on the West Coast).  Here is the full schedule of speakers and presentations.  You can either watch the FTU Virtual Seminars live on Saturday or watch the recording later, but you need to register before the event begins.  Tickets to the FTU Virtual Seminar are free if you have a FTU Online Annual Membership or $25 for non-members.  I highly recommend signing up for the FTU Online Annual Membership (read Buy a $49 Frequent Traveler University (FTU) Online Annual Membership & Attend First Virtual Seminar December 12).  The FTU Online Annual Membership is currently $49 but will go up to $129 on December 12.

Assuming I persuaded you to attend the FTU Virtual Seminar or better yet, purchase a FTU Online Annual Membership, the next thing you need to do is register for the FTU Virtual Seminar before December 12.  I assumed (incorrectly) that I was automatically registered for the FTU Virtual Seminar when I purchased my FTU Online Annual Membership, but that is not true.  You still need to register for the FTU Virtual Seminar if you want to live stream or watch the recording.  In this post, I will walk you through the steps to register for the FTU Virtual Seminar.

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Several 1 Way RV Relocation Deals for $1 / Day + $100 Gas Allowance with TransferCar

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Good morning everyone.  I just received an email from TransferCar regarding several 1 way RV relocation deals.  Back in 2016, my brother and I went on an epic RV roadtrip from Los Angeles to Denver thanks to TransferCar.  I wrote about the process in 4 parts (part 1: introduction; part 2: reservation, part 3: pickup & drop off; and part 4: thoughts and photos).  If you are looking for a fun way to explore the US, there is no better way than in an RV.  To get started, go to the TransferCar website and select RV Intermediate to see all available RV deals.

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Work from Home Diary: 7 Months Later

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Good morning everyone, welcome to October and the start of Q4 (aka the Holiday Season).  7 months ago, I started sharing my thoughts regarding working from home in a series of Work from Home Diary posts.  It’s been more than 3 months since my last diary post (Work from Home Diary: Eating in Restaurants & Sunburns at the Beach (SoCal Update)), but I thought it would be fun to share what working from home is like, 7 months later.

First off, Laura and I are very fortunate that our families have stayed healthy and safe throughout the Coronavirus Pandemic and that we are both still employed (*knock on wood*).  Even before I first became aware of COVID-19, I worked from home 2-3 days a week.  Since March 1, I transitioned to working from home 5 days a week.  The transition process was pretty easy since my home office was already set up.  As long as a I have an internet connection and power to charge my laptop, I can work literally anywhere in the world.  Thunder and lightning storms, power outages, and smoke from multiple nearby fires has made me feel a little uneasy the last few months.  Every time I think to myself, “Oh 2020, how can things get worse?” something undoubtedly new pops up to remind me that life is truly unpredictable.

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Listen to Grant on the Miles to Memories Podcast

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Good morning everyone.  Earlier this week, I had the pleasure of being a guest / co-host on the Miles to Memories Podcast.  I spoke with Shawn Coomer (MtM Founder) and Mark Ostermann (MtM Managing Editor), while Joe Cheung took the day/night off.  We talked about my British Airways / Match.com love story, our pre-honeymoon to Moorea, and our upcoming road trip to Carmel / Monterey.  Subscribe to the podcast here or click the play button below to stream the podcast.  Have a great day everyone.

P.S. If you want to listen to more podcasts where I was a guest / co-host, check out my new Podcasts & Interviews page.

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