Category Archives: Trip Reports

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Grant’s 2017 Year in Miles & Points: How’d it Go?

I thought it would be fun to kick off the new year by interviewing Grant about his past year of travel, miles, and points. Read along as Grant answers the questions I put to him and see how you’d answer these questions about your own year.

1. What was the deal or miles/points opportunity that you wish you had gotten in on (if there was one)?

I was really excited about the British Airways promotion to earn 82,286 British Airways Avios for signing up for Match.com and spending $548.57 (0.67 CPM). I signed up just for the miles and thought since I’m paying for the service, I would try it out and see if I met anyone. Long story short, British Airways never gave me the Avios and Match.com refunded my whole payment, but it was totally worth it because I met my girlfriend on Match.com and we’ve been together for the last 9 months. If you want to read more about the details, check out this post.

Shelli: Did anyone get in on this?

Grant: I don’t think any bloggers or readers got their British Airways Avios ☹

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a close-up of a logo

British Airways Business Class Meal Review (LHR-LAS)

A week before my British Airways long-haul flight in business class, I asked TWG readers to choose my meal for me. The Braised British Beef was the clear winner, getting 53% of the votes! So that’s what I pre-ordered. Before I tell you about that meal though, I had a three hour British Airways flight (LIS-LHR) in business class that provided a lunch which I could not pre-order. Based on what I had heard from lots of different sources, I had very low expectations of British Airways. Both their planes and their food got absolutely no love, at all.

This short British Airways flight was actually a great experience. Nothing special about the plane itself, but it was the crew and meal that made the difference. The crew and service were great. They were fun to talk with and full of good cheer. They did mention that British Airways had a new catering service and menu, and that they hoped we’d notice and be pleased. It did feel like perhaps I was the only one in business class who wasn’t a British Airways regular, so that leaves me with nothing to compare this meal and service to except what I had previously heard from others.

The starter of prawns and seaweed salad was well prepared. Great combo of textures and taste. Since I knew I’d be eating beef on my next flight, I went with chicken for my main course. Big portions, way too much for me, and the chicken cooked just right. I didn’t have dessert or bread. No complaints at all on this meal, and as I mentioned, an all-around great British Airways inflight experience.

a menu of a restaurant

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PSA / Tip: Always Bring a Pen When You Travel

Good morning everyone, greetings from the beautiful Sheraton Presidente San Salvador Hotel. Over the last week, I traveled from Bolivia, to Guatemala, to El Salvador and I am flying to Nicaragua tonight. During this trip, the one thing I noticed is that every country has a different process for immigration, customs, and filling out the custom form.  Some airports only require a custom form on arrival, some require custom forms on arrival and departure, some require visas, and some require a small cash payment.  But no matter what the process is, you always need to fill out a custom form.

people standing in front of a check-in counter

Image source: http://www.theseoulguide.com

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a hammock on a beach

Please Do NOT Skip Seeing the Milan Cathedral

Has this ever happened to you? You read about someone’s travel experience of a certain place or site and it’s so different from yours that you have to double check to see if maybe your experience wasn’t what you thought. That happened to me when I read this post from Traveling the Globe 4 Less. Avoid the Milan Cathedral… no way. Like the plague… seems a bit extreme.

a large white building with many people with Milan Cathedral in the background

Milan Cathedral. Image source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milan_Cathedral

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a black letter b and b

Mr. Money Mustache Drove for Uber; the Results Don’t Add Up

Do you think Uber drivers actually earn much money? Every now and again, since we first started writing about all the Uber ins and outs, I share stories about Uber that I find worth reading. I want to keep you in the know, so here’s my latest find from Mr. Money Mustache. I think you’ll find it as fascinating a glimpse into the backstory of driving for Uber as I did.

a man leaning on a car window

The Man, The Mystery, The Mustache. Image source: http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2017/11/22/mr-money-mustache-uber-driver/