Category Archives: Trip Reports

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Flights to Cuba & El Salvador: Thinking Outside the Box

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I’m well versed in flight options from the US, but when it comes time to plan trips between different regions, I have to think about my options a little more.  My boyfriend and I decided to plan a trip to El Salvador for the end of May, but I was going to Cuba right before as part of the last class for my MBA.  He was able to snag great flights on Delta for only 14,500 miles roundtrip during one of their sales. Unfortunately, I was locked in to flying to Cuba with my class – which, thankfully was a cheap $90 flight that I wouldn’t have used miles for anyway.  I decided it would make way more sense to fly directly from Cuba to El Salvador than to come back to the US first. As usual, I checked cash prices first. I was looking at around $300 for the one-way flight… ouch.

That’s when I turned to using miles. Flyermiler, one of my favorite tools, showed that I could book with Avianca LifeMiles for only 10,000 miles! It also showed that United would cost only 10,000 miles, but that’s not actually correct. United charges 12,500 or 17,500 miles for an economy class flight, depending on routing.  Luckily for me, I had some LifeMiles, so I was able to get a killer deal on my flight to El Salvador!

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Review: American Airlines Economy (A321T) from San Francisco (SFO) to New York (JFK)

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Hi everyone, I am happy to introduce my friend, Vincent, the newest writer on TWG.  We met through the SF Travel Hackers Meetup Group (now dormant) and we have stayed in touch over the years.  Here is his first post.  I hope you enjoy! –Grant

What’s it like taking American’s transcontinental A321T service in economy? It’s pretty good for domestic economy, there’s a responsive IFE, and they serve a complimentary cold meal.

A few weeks ago, I had the need to get back to the East Coast. Instead of flying my usual Southwest, I decided to work in American’s “premium” transcontinental service from SFO to JFK. I purchased the flight using my Chase Ink Business Preferred Card to further progress on my minimum spend requirement for its useful travel benefits. (If you’re interested in this card, I very much appreciate you using my referral links!)

I’m generally not a fan of red eyes as I get terrible sleep on them, but I can’t deny their utility. To my friends which travel frequently for work – or even leisure travelers with a specific schedule in mind – I can imagine them to be a godsend as they “save” an entire day. That is, you’re flying at night and not “wasting” the day.

Note: Since American calls “economy” and “economy-with-more-legroom,” “Main Cabin” and “Main Cabin Extra” respectively, I’ll be utilizing their naming convention for this post. But you’ll know it’s coach/economy.

Flight: AA 18
Route: San Francisco (SFO) to New York City (JFK)
Time: 11:30pm (Pacific) to 8:20am (Eastern) + 1
Duration: 5hr 50m
Aircraft: Airbus A321
Seat: 17F (Main Cabin)
Capacity: 70% Full

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Best Meal at the Singapore Changi Airport? Visit the Staff Canteen

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A while back, I asked for advice about how to spend my time at Singapore Changi Airport. After all, it’s been the number one rated airport for many years and I wanted to find out for myself why. TWG readers are the best, and they offered me many great ideas. One reader, Donald, left a comment that I found intriguing.

He wrote, “You should visit the staff canteen. It’s where the airport workers get their meals–dirt cheap. It’s where you can really get the local experience and eat authentic local food prepared by and served to locals. It’s open to the public so you can sit shoulder to shoulder with baggage handlers and flight attendants while you enjoy your meal together. Skip all that silly stuff (butterfly garden, free movies, etc). This is the true insider experience for travelers.” Continue reading →

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Hyatt 40% Bonus on Purchased Points (Expires May 23)

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Whether or not you buy hotel points when promotions are running, it’s good to know your options. We all like to travel more for less! Topping up accounts for an upcoming stay can serve us well when we can get more value from the cost of the stays then we spend on buying those points. I use up my Hyatt points way faster than I drink my flat whites, so I keep a list of hotel point promos handy to see if they’ll work for me.

Currently, Hyatt is running their buy points promotions. Depending on your travel plans this might be worth checking out.

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The Versatile World of the Buff

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We all have shopping lists, right? I’m talking about that list titled “Buy sometime soon” list. Why is it then that for some items “sometime soon” can become years :) That’s where my story of me and my Buff begins. The first time I saw someone wearing a Buff I knew I had to get one. That, however, was so long ago I can’t even recall the year. Every time I saw anyone wearing a Buff I’d yell to them, “Great looking Buff.” And then I’d say to myself, “I gotta get a Buff, too!” Yes, I’m weird, I get that! Finally, on a bitter cold night, December 24th, 2015, in Vancouver, B.C. I bought a Buff. Well I didn’t exactly buy it, Alaska Airlines bought it for me, but that’s another story entirely. The result was the same, though. I finally joined the Buff club and I absolutely love my Buff!

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