Tag Archives: Travel

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Are Travel Mistakes Avoidable? Maybe!

We’ve all made them, though I don’t think we’ll ever avoid all of them. But more often than not, there are ways around the travel mistakes we make.  Sure, it might be way more fun to talk about all the room upgrades we score, the elite status benefits we enjoy, or the deal for flights that DIDN’T get away, but let’s face it, we’ve all made a bunch of mistakes. So let’s air them and have some fun laughing at ourselves and commiserating with each other.

No matter how much we plan or how well we assume we’ll carry out those plans, there’s always a lot that’s not under our control. I started asking around and found that some travel mistakes are more common than others. And some people agree on how best to avoid those mistakes, but not always. Based on my own experience as well as that of many other frequent travelers, here are the mistakes and how to avoid them. There are so many of them I’ve actually made this a 3 part series!

Not buying souvenirs right when you see them

I buy souvenirs, and by that I mean chocolate, for people from every place I travel. You’d be surprised how many times I don’t get back to that certain best chocolate bar store or to a certain area of town even though I say I will. So this mistake is easy to make and easy to fix! If you see it now, buy it now.

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Image source: https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/souvenir-buying-guide/index.html

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Buy Miles/Points Promos Ending Sept 30: Air France / KLM 60% Bonus, American Airlines 35% Off & Radisson Rewards 30% Bonus

Good afternoon everyone.  I was working on my Buy Miles & Points Page and found a few offers that are ending on September 30.  Always check the math to make sure that buying miles & points makes sense for you.  Do not buy miles & points speculatively unless you have a use in mind.  With that said, here are the 3 promos that are ending soon (and one that ends in early October).  First up, Air France / KLM is offering a 60% bonus when you purchase at least 4,000 Flying Blue Miles.  This offer expires on September 30.

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Where Are The Most Viruses in an Airport?

At the airport, “virus central” isn’t where you think it is. But do we really think ANY place in an airport isn’t chock full of germs? I would have guessed bathrooms were the dirtiest spots. But I’d be wrong. I like knowing which places at the airport are the most likely ones to be full of germs and viruses so I can take extra precautions. Can’t hurt, right? Does the TSA take any extra measures to “secure” us from germs and viruses?  I was surprised to learn where the dirtiest germ and viruses places are and also about a TSA protocol that I can now request. Hopefully this will keep me away from “virus central.” Be prepared to up your stash of hand sanitizer after you read this!

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Transfer Times to JetBlue from AMEX Membership Rewards, Citi Thank You Points & Chase Ultimate Rewards

Good morning everyone.  A few days ago, Frequent Miler wrote a post that Citi Thank You Points Transfers to JetBlue were getting better (1,000 : 1,000 transfers), so I wanted to check out transfer times from all the major credit card programs.  I wrote a similar post about Transfer Times to KLM / Air France and Transfer Times to Singapore Airlines.  I tested transfers from American Express Membership Rewards Points, Citi Thank You Points, and Chase Ultimate Rewards Points.  I was going to try a transfer from Marriott Rewards to JetBlue, but the conversion was so bad, I couldn’t do it (see the screenshots below).  JetBlue TrueBlue Points do not have a fixed value and they can range in value from 1 cent up to 2.5 cents, if you find the right redemption.  In some cases, you are better off paying for JetBlue travel than redeeming JetBlue TrueBlue Points.

But with that said, sometimes it makes sense to transfer points into your JetBlue account.  I started with a transfer from American Express Membership Rewards Points since you can transfer in 250 point increments.  Unfortunately, since JetBlue is an American airline, American Express charges a fee for the transfer, either 30 Membership Rewards Points or 15 cents.  The amount of the fee varies depending on the number of points you transfer.

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Buy Miles/Points Promos Ending Soon: Southwest Airlines 40% Bonus, Spirit Airlines 30% Bonus, Choice Hotels 40% Bonus & Hilton 100% Bonus

Updated 7:20pm PT on 9/12: I just found a Hilton promo ending on September 20.  Scroll down to the bottom of the post for more details.


Good afternoon everyone.  I was working on my Buy Miles & Points Page and found a few offers that are ending in the next 7 days.  Always check the math to make sure that buying miles & points makes sense for you.  Do not buy miles & points speculatively unless you have a use in mind.  With that said, here are the 3 promos that are ending soon.  First up, Southwest Airlines is offering a 40% bonus when you purchase at least 10,000 Southwest Airlines points.  This offer expires on September 18.

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