Category Archives: Trip Reports

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Reminder: Front Range Travel Hacker’s June Meetup (Sunday, June 4 @ 12-2PM in Denver, CO)

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Good morning everyone, happy Saturday!  If you are in Denver tomorrow (Sunday, June 4), you are in luck.  I will be in Denver this weekend to attend a Front Range Travel Hackers Meetup.  There will be a few other Boarding Area bloggers in attendance too.  The meetup is free to attend, just show up on time and be ready to talk miles and points.

  • Where: Breck on Blake, 2220 Blake St, Denver, CO (Google Map)
  • When: Sunday, June 4, 2017 from 12-2PM

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If you have any questions, please leave a comment below.  Have a great weekend everyone!

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The Ultimate Disneyland Playbook (Full of TWG Reader Tips!)

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Hello Disney fans! You might recall a while ago I asked for advice on all things Disneyland so I could impress my niece and her family and retain my status as the best aunt ever :) The advice offered was incredibly valuable! I can’t thank you all enough. There were so many great tips and tricks I decided to go through it all, organize it, and create a sort of Disneyland playbook for TWG readers. I’ve organized it according to certain categories – I hope you like it!

To Do List:

  1. Download the Disney app for wait times on rides. The Mousewait app also does the same function.
  2. Set up your Disney Vacation Account (DVA):
  • It has to be active 120 days in order to receive the best perk, which is a $20 gift card for every $1,000 in spend.
  • Buy Disney gift cards and load them onto your DVA account. YMMV but sometimes gift cards can be bought at Target with the Red Card for 5% savings. When you load gift cards into your DVA account, you can then buy Disney tickets online.
  • Using your DVA account makes everything easier because you don’t have to carry around individual gift cards and swipe each one to use them.
  • With your DVA you can pay for ANYTHING Disney.
  1. Watch for AMEX offers at places that sell Disney gift cards.

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A Pleasant Surprise at the Priority Pass Lounge in Rome (FCO) [Lounge Closed]

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Updated September 4, 2019: The Priority Pass lounge, I Mosaici, has been closed. The current best Priority Pass lounge at FCO, Rome, is the Plaza Premium Lounge.

Sometimes airport lounges are an especially nice surprise. And sometimes they even exceed your expectations. I know that doesn’t happen often enough, but when it does, it makes for a story worth sharing! And how I even got to the lounge I’m writing about – well, that’s a good story as well.

Since it had been a while since I’d transited in Rome at Fiumicino airport (FCO), I did a bit of research on my lounge options. Seemed there were two to consider and both got awful reviews. My expectations were low, so I figured at the very least, I’d take a look at the better of the two, have a cappuccino, and then shake my head in disappointment and head out of the lounge.

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Dealing with the European Electronics Ban & How to Pack a Laptop in Checked Luggage

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Traveling can be stressful, and sometimes super stressful. I may be stating the obvious but recently, as someone who doesn’t stress easily, I found myself in quite a stressed out mode.

I was in Europe when the proposed electronics ban was announced. And yes, I had all my electronics with me. The thought of putting my laptop in my suitcase and checking it, well, it made me feel anxious and panicked. I had just started my trip in Europe and knew that I couldn’t let myself be consumed by worry for the weeks until I would return to the States. So I got myself into action mode and researched and decided how I would handle having to check my laptop on my flight home. Then, no matter how the ban worked out going forward, I’d at least feel prepared.

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See, Eat & Drink: The Perfect Long Weekend in Vancouver, Canada

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Heading to Vancouver, Canada, anytime soon? Don’t leave home without this list of what to see and what to do. What makes me an expert? Well, not only do I love Vancouver, but I’ve been going there for years! And what a bargain the US Dollar gets right now ($1.00 USD = $1.35 CAD, as of 5/28). I’m going to make some assumptions: that you haven’t been before or at least in a long while, and that you’re staying downtown, as that’s where most of the hotels are. If you drink coffee, I’ll throw in some great cafes to try too. I’m also assuming you’re not renting a car, since it’s not really necessary.

  1. They don’t have Uber, and taxi from the airport is set by zone, so I always use a taxi into downtown. They do have public transportation, but we still take a taxi from the airport. For two people and given the exchange rate, it makes sense. It’s ~$37 CAD (~$27 USD) from Vancouver International Airport (YVR) and takes about 20-30 minutes depending on traffic.
  2. I stay downtown at the Hyatt Regency Vancouver. Just in case that’s your hotel chain of choice as well, it’s a terrific property. If I’m paying cash for a hotel stay, I always use Pruvo to monitor for price drops! I feel pretty strongly about this hotel, its location, and its lounge.
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Image source: https://www.lai.org/images/home/vancouver-skyline

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