Category Archives: Trip Reports

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24 Fascinating Facts About Passports

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Got a passport? Well, of course you do. You’re a traveler and miles/points collector! If you enjoy history and learning about quirky travel topics, this post is for you. There’s a ton to know about passports! Do you know their origin? Do you know which country has the most powerful passport, or the least powerful one? Do you know why passports are certain colors, or that Norway’s passport hides a secret feature? Canada’s passport performs a neat trick, and one passport has a running moose when you flip through the pages! And one country, no matter what, will NOT stamp your passport. Not even for a fee.

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Image source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/galleries/fascinating-facts-about-passports/

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Find the Perfect Routing for your Next Award Flight

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Do you have all the time in the world to keep track of all the airlines, the alliances, which airlines are adding flights and routes, and which routes are being canceled? I certainly don’t. I was reminded of this a few weeks ago when United announced its new non-stops to Europe for Summer 2018. Sure, these are seasonal routes, but still, for those of us who work hard accumulating miles and points, this is exactly the kind of knowledge we need to book those award tickets, and book them early. Knowing when award charts open, and seasonal route award seats are bookable, is just not something I’m good about keeping track of. In addition to United’s new Summer routes, United also started daily service between LAX and Singapore and between New York and Buenos Aires. See what I mean? That’s a lot of news to follow. And that’s just United.

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World of Hyatt Partners with IfOnly to Book Travel-Worthy Experiences (Earn & Redeem Hyatt Points)

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Hot off the World of Hyatt presses, another new program has just been announced giving us new ways to earn and redeem Hyatt Points! Do you need some inspiration for finding your next travel destination or experience? World of Hyatt members can now book one-of-a-kind Travel-worthy Experiences through IfOnly. These Travel-worthy Experiences, located across several destinations in the U.S. and Europe, is another step in Hyatt’s strategy to engage with high-end travelers.

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Create Login.gov Account to Log into Global Entry / TSA PreCheck Dashboard

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Good morning everyone, I hope you had a great Columbus Day Weekend.  I just got back from Monterey / Carmel and had a great stay at the Hyatt Regency Monterey, walking around the Monterey Bay Aquarium, wandering around Carmel-by-the-Sea and driving around Pebble Beach on 17 Mile Drive.

Last week, I was checking on the status of my parents’ Global Entry interview and I noticed the Global Entry website was redesigned.  If you haven’t been on the Global Entry website recently, you are in for a surprise.  In the last few weeks, the Global Entry website required you to create a Login.gov account to log into your Global Entry account.  I will show you how to set up your Login.gov account and show you how the new Global Entry dashboard looks.  Click the Get Started button on the Global Entry website.

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Changes to American Express Centurion Lounge Access – Are you Affected?

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American Express has made changes yet again to their lounge access policy. So of course the first thing we want to know is what those changes are and will we be affected. I wrote about the American Express Centurion Lounges and asked readers how they were feeling about them. Readers were mixed, with the chief complaint being the overcrowding of lounges. American Express did start limiting the number of guests cardholders could bring in with them, and as of October 2, they’ve made an even more restrictive change.

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Centurion Lounge in Las Vegas – Travel with Grant meetup

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