Category Archives: Trip Reports

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Come Visit Me at FTU Sydney!

Sorry in advance for the short notice!

I found out just a couple of weeks ago that I was planning to be in Sydney at the same time as the Frequent Traveler University is happening this year. And even better, just last weekend, I agreed to come on as a last minute addition to the already awesome list of speakers!

FTU Sydney is happening this coming weekend – November 17 – 18, 2018, and I would absolutely love to see you there! Now, I know that it’s pretty unlikely that anyone is going to book last minute flights to Sydney to see me speak at the FTU, but it would be so fun to see some friendly faces that already happen to be in Sydney! Continue reading

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How to Book Travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards Expedia Travel Portal (November 2018)

Good morning everyone.  A few weeks ago, Chase changed their travel provider for their Chase Ultimate Rewards Travel Portal to Expedia, so I decided to do an updated guide on how to book travel through the Chase Ultimate Rewards Travel Portal and pay with your Chase Ultimate Rewards Points.  To get started, sign into your Chase online account and click the Go to Ultimate Rewards button on the right side of the page.

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Boston Wins In More Ways Than One

Boston is a city of World Series champions, and I’ve long been a champion of Boston as a winning city to visit! Have you been to Boston? It may seem like a strange question, but I find that a lot of people haven’t been to one of my favorite cities. I’m not exactly a tourist there, and not exactly a local, either. I’m sort of an in-betweener because I went to college there and lived in Boston after that, so I know the area really well.  Continue reading

a close up of stamps

Which National Anthem Never Gets Sung?

Do you get fascinated by certain travel facts that send you on fun journeys learning something new? A friend recently asked me if I knew that there were national anthems that people don’t sing. Hmm, interesting question. I always imagined that a national anthem always gets sung, but I was wrong. Then my friend told me it was actually the national anthem of a country I’d even been to. OK, now I was really curious. And also feeling pretty dumb realizing just how few national anthems I’d even recognize. There are actually four anthems with no lyrics, hence no singing! Do you know which ones they are? Do you think you’d recognize many anthems? I’ve been having fun listening to them , but then I know I’m weird. I can’t wait for my next trip so I can sing, or maybe just hum, the anthem while I’m visiting. Check out the anthems of every nation and maybe even sing along! And here’s the anthem my friend was asking me about.

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Best Southwest Airlines Boarding & Safety Announcement One-Liners (Share Your Favorites)

Good afternoon everyone.  I don’t know about you, but I just love flying Southwest Airlines.  And one of the many reasons why I enjoy flying Southwest Airlines is the happy attitude of the flight attendants, pilots, and crew.  Normally, after boarding a Southwest Airlines flight, I start watching free TV or listen to my music, but every now and then, I listen to the flight attendant announcements.  Here are 3 examples of funny Southwest Airlines one-liners that come to mind.

1. After all the passengers are seated and the plane begins to push back from the gate, the flight attendant comes on the speaker and says:

Attention passengers, did someone lose a wallet?  Now that I have your attention, let’s go through the safety announcements for this flight.

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