Good morning everyone. Yesterday, I received an email from the Westin Vacation Club (WVC) for a timeshare presentation at the beautiful Westin Mission Hills Golf Resort & Spa in Palm Springs, CA. The timeshare deal is for 5 days / 4 nights + your choice of 5,000 SPG Points or a $75 resort credit for only $349. This offer is not supposed to be transferrable, but if you are interested, try calling the number below or filling out the form on this page.
It all started back in the early 1980’s. I was in Japan studying Japanese art and culture. I had an incredibly wonderful experience and came back to the states sporting a new look. No, I wasn’t wearing a kimono. But I was wearing a fanny pack! It was a small one and made of beautiful smooth black leather. Everyone in Japan wore one. But not in the States. Back then, almost no one had seen a fanny pack, much less was wearing one. I got all kinds of questions about where I got it. And lots of people thought it looked funny. Back then, women were still carrying purses the size of carry-on luggage, and men kept bulging wallets, a la George Costanza, in their rear pants pocket!
But I loved my fanny pack and wore it everywhere. A few years later in the 1990’s, it seemed like everyone was sporting a fanny pack. And then the fad died. For years, I never saw people wearing them. But now they seem to be back in style again. Some people call them lumbar bags, some call them hip packs, and I’ve heard others calling them waist packs. But to me, they are all fanny packs!
These days I mostly wear one for hiking and taking long walks. But they sure have become more versatile and popular. And throwing a small one in my luggage is a given, seeing as how when getting to know a new city, I love to walk long distances or go out for a run. Whether you want to carry a snack, pack your phone, stash hydration, or speed through airport security, a fanny pack helps you do it all without the hassle of shoulder straps or unreachable zippers.
Sure, using a fanny pack can be nerdy, but in a good way. They are not for everyone, but do have a certain appeal. I especially recommend them to my health/fitness clients who have shoulder or neck issues. It can feel like such a relief to take the weight of a backpack off your shoulders. That’s what actually got me thinking about writing this post and recommending some different types of fanny packs. In talking with my clients, I realized anyone who travels might be interested in knowing about the best fanny packs, whether they use them when they travel or at home. Continue reading
You might recall from a few months ago that I broke up with Hertz. It wasn’t a pleasant break up, but they rarely are! To help me get over my break up, TWG readers suggested I look to National Car Rental for rental cars. And so I did. This week, National Car Rental has been in the news because there’s a National Car Rental status match going on. That’s fine BUT it’s only good for two months. If you’ve got a car rental coming up through the end of this year, this status match may be useful. But don’t forget, if you have the American Express Platinum Charge Card (any variety), you can get FREE Executive Status from National Car Rental.
Typically, earning this status requires renting from National Car Rental at least 12 times per year, so the feature has value. If you already have the American Express Platinum Charge Card, you can enroll in the National’s Executive Program. Just login to your account, and select National.
Image source: https://www.nationalcar.com/en_US/car-rental/loyalty/enrollment/benefits.html
Just the other day, I received this email from Alaska Airlines and something caught my attention. It was the usual Check In For Your Flight email, but up at the top, even before my flight and confirmation information, was this notice about their updated no-show refund policy. They’ve made changes based on when you bought or last changed your ticket.
Here’s what you need to know!
Learn about our updated no-show policy.
We’re dedicated to flying on time, minimizing any impacts of overbooking, and helping get seats for guests who need to travel at the last minute. To improve our ability to do these, we’re updating our no-show policy.
Here at TWG, we have our Uber insider, Harry Campbell. Whenever there’s something about Uber we want to know or understand better, he’s the man! Recently, Uber started allowing multiple stops, so I thought I’d reach out to Harry and get his take on this. I asked him a few questions:
Image source: https://dribbble.com/shots/2277631-Uber-Multiple-Stops
Here’s what Harry had to say… Continue reading