Category Archives: Trip Reports

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My Mix of Emotions about the Devastating Fires on Maui and Lahaina Town

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Good afternoon everyone.  My heart goes out to everyone (residents, businesses, and visitors) affected by the terrible fires on Maui and the devastating images from Lahaina Town.  It is hard to find the right words to describe the terrible scenes from such a beautiful, tropical paradise.  I’ve been lucky enough to visit Maui a few times throughout my life and I have always made sure to spend a day or two walking around Lahaina.  Looking through my photos from Maui, here is the last one I took of Laura and I under the iconic Banyan Tree in the heart of Lahaina.

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Grant & Laura under the Banyan Tree in Lahaina (June 2022).

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Viator Launches Viator Rewards; Earn 10% Rebate on Activities & Redeem Rewards for Future Activities within 6 Months

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Good morning everyone.  During my recent trip to Prague, Copenhagen, and Amsterdam, I booked a few activities on Viator to trigger a few Citi Merchant Offers.  At the time, a few online shopping portal were offering 10%-15% cash back on Viator, so the timing worked out well.  A few days after getting home from the trip, I realized that I earned Viator Rewards.  I am not sure when Viator Rewards was launched or if it is available to everyone, but I thought I would share some info about how it works.  First, sign into your Viator account and click on Viator Rewards (landing page).  Here, you will see all your recently completed Viator activities, when they expire, and how much rewards you have available.

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No Change Fees for Condor Airlines Award Tickets Booked with Alaska Airlines Miles (My 2 Award Changes)

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Good afternoon everyone.  Last month, I wrote Reminder: Condor Airlines has Flights to/from Europe for 25K-45K (Economy) & 55K (Business) using Alaska Miles.  At the time I wrote that post, I had booked Condor Airlines business class from Frankfurt (FRA) to Vancouver, BC (YVR) for 55,000 Alaska Airlines miles per person.  I needed to get to Southern California for an event, so I booked a separate award ticket on Air Canada from Vancouver, BC (YVR) to Los Angeles (LAX).

When it comes to award tickets, the price is the price and the availability is the availability on the specific day that you look.  Award prices and availability are constantly changing, so keep checking to see if award tickets get cheaper or better award flights open up.  I originally booked this award ticket on June 4 and my flight was on July 16, so I kept checking every few days to see if I could find a better option to fly back to Southern California.

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Travel with Grant Turns 10 Years Old + 10 x $10 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway

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Good afternoon everyone, I hope your week is going well.  Travel with Grant just turned 10 years old!  Yup, I started this blog on May 1, 2013 and I can’t believe I’ve had a travel blog for 10 years (I really can’t believe I have done anything for 10 years, let alone blogging). To celebrate this special occasion, I wanted to give away 10 x $10 Amazon Gift Cards to my readers.

To enter the giveaway…

Leave a comment on this post by 11:59pm PT on May 3 telling me about your favorite article / topic covered on Travel with Grant.  I will select 10 winners by Friday, May 5 and email them a $10 Amazon Gift Card.

Good luck to everyone who enters the giveaway and here’s to 10 more years!

P.S. In case you were wondering, here are the 9 other blogiversary posts I wrote throughout the years:

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Last Call: See My Presentation at FTU Virtual Seminar on Saturday, April 29 ($25) or Free with Online Annual Membership

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Good afternoon everyone, happy Friday!  If you are not busy tomorrow, Saturday, April 29, I highly recommend attending the FTU Virtual Seminar (tickets available for $25) or free if you have the FTU Online Annual Membership.  The seminar starts on Saturday, April 29, at 8am PT / 11am ET.  I have attended all of the FTU Virtual Seminars over the last 2+ years and they are always well done, educational, and entertaining – and I am sure this seminar will be no exception!  Here is the schedule for the event.  If you need one more reason to attend, I will be presenting on “Credit Cards 201: Before, During, and After Application Tips” where I will share my more advanced credit card application tips.

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