Tag Archives: Travel

Getting an International Driving Permit (IDP) at AAA was Very Quick & Easy

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Good afternoon everyone.  I will be in Tahiti & Moorea in a few months and booked a rental car for my trip.  After I booked the rental car, I decided to get an International Driving Permit (IDP) from AAA (Automobile Association of America).  I was worried the process was going to be similar to a trip to the DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles), but I am happy to say that the process was 100x more pleasant.

According to the AAA website, “Your IDP is a valid form of identification in 150 countries worldwide and contains your name, photo and driver information. It translates your identification information into 10 languages — so it speaks the language even if you don’t. Most countries highly recommend an International Driving Permit.”  In addition, “Many countries require an IDP to drive legally. Fines for driving without an IDP can be quite costly. Check countries requirements before travel. ”  For $20, the IDP seemed like a no brainer (the cost is $20 whether you are a AAA member or not).  Here is how to get your IDP quickly and easily from AAA.

Image source: https://www.aaa.com/vacation/idpf.html

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Reality Check: My Dilemma Booking $200+ Hotel Room (But $200+ Flights Are No Problem)

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Good afternoon everyone.  My last reality check post was pretty popular (Reality Check: Traveling with Non-TSA PreCheck Travelers Sucks) so hopefully you guys enjoy this post and I get some good feedback from you guys.  Here is some background info and how I think.  I love nonstop flights and tend to book those even if they are not the cheapest option.  Booking flights under $100, under $200, and under $300 do not bother me at all, but when it comes to booking a hotel room, I find it hard to justify paying $200+ for a hotel room.  For the nonstop flights that I tend to book, using miles is not ideal.  Either the flight is so cheap that I would be getting a terrible value using miles (like a $100 Alaska Airlines flight vs. 12,500 Alaska Airlines miles) or only standard awards are available (like a $200 United Airlines flight vs. 25,000 United Airlines miles).  I mostly fly Southwest Airlines and have a stockpile of Southwest Airlines gift cards (thanks to airline reimbursements from American Express Business Platinum, American Express Hilton Aspire, and Chase Southwest Airlines Priority) and discounted gift cards sold on eBay, along with many Southwest Airlines travel credits that I need to use before they expire.  When I fly Southwest Airlines, I always use up my travel funds and then redeem Southwest Airlines gift cards.  In those instances, those Southwest Airlines flights seem much cheaper to me than the original price.

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Buy Miles/Points Promos Ending Soon: IHG (75%), United (85%), Etihad (20%) & Southwest (40%)

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Good afternoon everyone.  I was working on my Buy Miles & Points Page and found a few offers ending soon.  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 4 buy miles/points promos ending this week.  First up, IHG is offering up to a 75% bonus, depending on the number of IHG Rewards Club Points you purchase.  This offer expires today – February 28.

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Buy Miles/Points Promos Ending Soon: American (42,500 Bonus Miles), Choice (30%), Frontier (50%), Alaska (40%) & Hyatt (30%)

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Good afternoon everyone, I hope your President’s Day Weekend is going well.  I was working on my Buy Miles & Points Page and found a few offers ending soon.  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 5 buy miles/points promos that end this week.  First up, American Airlines is offering up to 42,500 bonus miles, depending on the number of American Airlines AAdvantage miles you purchase.  This offer expires on February 17.

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Valentine’s Day Giveaway: Swag from BoardingArea, Travel Freely & Cash Back Monitor [Winners Announced]

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Updated 6:30am PT on 2/15/19:  Thank you to everyone who entered the contest.  I have selected these winners and sent them an email asking for their shipping address.  Have a great weekend everyone!:

Pam No plans, just home alone with my dogs this year. Cashback Monitor cup or bottle would be nice.
Bruce Spending Valentine’s Day at Le Meridien Chiang Rai–beautiful resort! Socks or Travel Freely would be awesome :)
YoLaViajera Tomorrow evening is a regular work day and school day. Since we have a kid, our Valentine’s Day evening plans are to go over homework w/kiddo, feed her, off to bed, and MAYBE a Netflix movie w/hubs if we’re not too tired. All very mundane, but happy to be alive. :o) Those Boarding Area socks are the coolest. Would look good on my feet. Thanks, and Happy Valentine’s Day to you and your fiance!
Gary Steiger Playing poker on that day (I love the game). Would love the water bottle and cup. Thanks.

Good afternoon everyone, happy Valentine’s Day Eve!  Since I love my Travel with Grant readers so much, I wanted to show my appreciation with a giveaway.  I have swag from 3 of my favorite companies: BoardingArea socks, Travel Freely shirt/bandana/pens, and Cash Back Monitor cup/bottle.  Everything is brand new and never used.  Keep scrolling to learn how to enter the giveaway.

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