Tag Archives: Travel

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Buy Miles & Points Promos Expiring Soon: United Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Radisson Rewards & SPG

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Good morning everyone, I hope you had a great weekend.  I recently went through all the links on my buy miles / points page and noticed that a few promos are ending in the next week or two.  I don’t recommend buying miles and points unless you have an award ticket or award night stay in mind, but if you do need some extra miles / points, it’s better to buy them when they are at a discount or offering a bonus.  Without further ado, here are the 4 promos ending in the next few days.

United Airlines: Get up to 85% Bonus on Miles (Expires July 11, 2018)

United Airlines seems to run buy miles promos often.  A 100% bonus was the highest I’ve seen recently, so an 85% bonus is almost as good.  This is a tiered bonus, so your price per mile (PPM) will depend on how many miles you purchase.

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Heading to Madrid, Spain? How to Save Money, Time… and Eat Well!

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Have you ever gotten a tip about a place you were about to visit that just didn’t make sense? I have. And it taught me a great travel lesson. When someone gives me tips about a place I’m visiting, I’ll always ask them, “When was the last time you were there?” I just prefer tips to be as recent as possible. So having recently returned from a really wonderful time in Madrid, Spain, I’ve got a variety of tips I think you’ll enjoying knowing about.

Of course, we start with food. Here’s a fun question for you. Do you like to throw your napkins on the floor after you use them? Then I’ve got a restaurant in Madrid to recommend! And not just because of the napkin routine :) Orio is a Basque style tapas bar in the Chueca area of Madrid. If you’ve never tried classic pintxos, you must! Orio is fun, delicious, and a great value. The fresh oysters may have been some of the best I’ve ever had. Don’t be shy about asking questions because the staff is warm and welcoming. And don’t forget to throw your napkins on the floor!

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Pintxos at Orio in Madrid, Spain. Image source: http://gruposagardi.com/en/restaurant/orio-gastronomia-vasca/

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4 Travel Products / Services I Use on International Trips

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Good morning everyone, happy Friday!  I just got back from a 2 week trip to Greece and Malta and I had a great time.  Even though I like to “disconnect” from real life while on vacation, I still like using my iPhone for Google Maps, taking photos, checking emails, reading travel blogs, etc.  So when I travel internationally, I always take these 4 travel products / services with me.  I have written about all of these travel products / services on my blog before, but I thought I would put them in one post so you don’t have to look around the blog to find them.  Without further ado, here are the 4 travel products / services that I use on international trips:

SkyRoam Solis Global WiFi Hotspot with 24 Hour Daypasses

Whenever I travel to a new place, I rely on Google Maps, Uber, Trip Advisor, and Yelp to help me get to where I want to go.  Unfortunately, all of these iPhone apps require an internet connection to work.  There are WiFi hotspots all over the world, but they never seem to be just where you want them, or they are painfully slow, or they only work for 30 minutes before requiring you to pay for them.  Forget those public WiFi hotspots and create your own WiFi hotspot wherever you are.  I used the SkyRoam Solis Global WiFi Hotspot everyday in Greece and Malta and it worked really well.  Each daypass works for 24 hours and you can connect several devices (smart phones, tablets, laptops, etc.) to the same hotspot.  I would turn the hotspot on in the morning, put it in my backpack and be connected to the internet all day long.  Then I would charge the SkyRoam Solis at night so that it had a full charge for the next day.  It definitely made my trip to Greece and Malta a lot easier.  Click here to learn more about the SkyRoam Solis Global WiFi Hotspot.

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PSA: How NOT to Transit Between Airports in New York City

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Sometimes when traveling I think I’ll save some time and energy, but in this case my choice was a total bust. There are so many articles that tell you HOW TO get from one airport to the city center or from one airport to another, but unfortunately I’ve got a story about how NOT to get from one place to another! This may not pertain to most of you, but if it helps even one other person from making the mistake that I made, I’d be pleased.

I needed to get from JFK International Airport to EWR Newark International Airport. Strange but true. It’s not often we transit from one airport to another, I know. After doing some research I opted for a company called ETS Airport Shuttle that offers direct shuttle service between the airports without going through NYC. Even though it cost $34, I thought I’d save time and also the stress of transiting through NYC and then getting out to EWR.

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Image source: https://www.etsairportshuttle.com/

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Did I Upgrade My Chase Marriott, Hyatt & IHG Credit Cards?

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Good morning everyone, I hope you all had a great Fourth of July holiday.  Lately, there has been a lot of news about new Chase credit cards and upgrade options for 3 Chase hotel credit cards.  I have all 3 Chase hotel credit cards (Marriott, Hyatt and IHG) so I had to decide if I wanted to upgrade any, all or none of my credit cards.  The old and new credit cards are good for some people, but everyone’s situation is different.  I will share my thought process about keeping or upgrading each credit card.  Since everyone travels differently, you may agree or disagree with my decisions.

Before I share my decisions, here is where I stand on hotel loyalty programs.  I am very loyal to chain hotels and would rather stay at a chain hotel than an independent hotel or Airbnb.  But I do not have loyalty to a specific hotel loyalty program.  I consider myself a free agent and do not care about hotel elite status unless it is given to me free for having the credit card.  Lastly, I spend 1-2 nights a year at Marriott, 4-8 nights a year at Hyatt, and 5-7 nights a year at IHG (I divvy the rest of my hotel stays between Hilton, SPG, and Radisson Rewards).  I use points and free night certificates for the stays as much as possible, unless the cash rate is cheap.  Without further ado, let’s get started.

Upgrade Chase Marriott Rewards Premier Credit Card to Chase Marriott Rewards Premier Plus Credit Card?

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