La Tete Carrée Library in Nice, France

If blockhead or square-face was your first interpretation of La Tête Carrée Library, it might be just the place for you.

Posing an accusatory and clear metaphor, French artist Sacha Sosno designed this massive sculpture for the Central Library in Nice. Titled "Thinking Inside the Box," the work has a clear but nonetheless important message. At a staggering height of 85 feet, the massive cube-shaped sculpture with a chin, actually houses three floors of books in a perfect melding of art and education.

Although unclear in the bright sunshine of the French Riviera, the floors of the library can be seen at night when it is illuminated through the canvas that covers its exterior. Whether the metaphor applies to you, or another other sun-soaked pedestrian on the streets of Nice, its imposing figure remains intriguing.

from Atlas Obscura http://atlasobscura.com.feedsportal.com/c/35387/f/665719/s/4106ef9c/sc/38/l/0L0Satlasobscura0N0Cplaces0Cla0Etete0Eau0Ecarre0Elibrary/story01.htm

New Show Released!

New Show Released! And going LIVE with the next one soon! See http://www.patreon.com/thearcanum. Welcome to the big show! This is a weekly show featuring a really fun photography competition, represented by some great Masters from The Arcanum! And thanks again everyone that subscribed and is enjoying the Pre-and-Post show Partays! Approx. Key Times: 11.00 Google+ […]



from Stuck in Customs http://www.stuckincustoms.com/2014/12/02/47118/

Here’s why you should always, always, always read your car rental confirmation

from Elliott http://elliott.org/case-dismissed-2/heres-always-always-always-read-car-rental-confirmation/

This Week In Travel – Episode 178

This week we are joined by Mara Gorman of Passports With Purpose and blogger at MotherOfAllTrips.com and author of The Family Traveler’s Handbook. This Week’s News: Hotel fines guests who left scathing review Eurostar’s new trains: will Wi-Fi ruin the experience? Skift Business Traveler: Gogo Just Won the In-Flight Wi-Fi Wars The New JetBlue Will [...]



from Everything Everywhere Travel Blog http://everything-everywhere.com/2014/12/01/week-travel-episode-178/

Please Keep Perspective: Air Travel Isn’t Everything That’s Wrong With Society

Frank Bruni packs a ton of complaints about aviation into a single New York Times column, which really is meant as an allegory for his complaints about society as a whole. He packs a lot of disparate complaints into one column! lack of infrastructure investment poor manners inequality The ‘rich get richer’ theme doesn’t especially […]

The post Please Keep Perspective: Air Travel Isn’t Everything That’s Wrong With Society appeared first on View from the Wing.

from View from the Wing http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2014/12/01/please-keep-perspective-air-travel-isnt-everything-thats-wrong-society/

Last Call: 50,000+ Southwest Points

For the past month or so Chase has been offering a 50,000 point sign-up bonus after spending $2,000 within three months on their co-branded Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Cards.

Both the Southwest Airlines® Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card and Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Card are offering 50,000 points after spending $2,000 within three months, provided you haven't received a bonus on a given card in the past 24 months.

Anyway just a quick heads up that this offer will be expiring Tuesday afternoon, so if you’ve been eying it you’ll want to apply very soon. In fairness, Chase has run this offer with at least some frequency the past year or so, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see it return fairly soon. So this isn’t a total “use it or lose it” offer, since this is their “standard” increased sign-up bonus.

However, if you're making a play for the Southwest Companion Pass (which is hands-down the best deal on domestic travel), you'll want to take advantage of this offer sooner rather than later.

The post Last Call: 50,000+ Southwest Points appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2014/12/01/last-call-50000-southwest-points/

Itineraries: For Uber, Airbnb and Other Companies, Customer Ratings Go Both Ways

Hotel, restaurant and car service companies are now frequently using sophisticated systems that allow them to identify their best, and worst, patrons.

















from NYT > Travel http://rss.nytimes.com/c/34625/f/642561/s/4105dd3c/sc/36/l/0L0Snytimes0N0C20A140C120C0A20Cbusiness0Cfor0Euber0Eairbnb0Eand0Eother0Ecompanies0Ecustomer0Eratings0Ego0Eboth0Eways0Bhtml0Dpartner0Frss0Gemc0Frss/story01.htm

This GoPro bear chase is terrifying

Who knew bears were actually licking their chops behind some bushes waiting for someone to pass by to snack on some tasty piece of meat?



from Matador Network » Matador Network http://matadornetwork.com/life/fake-gopro-bear-chase-awesomely-terrifying/

British Airways Trials New Avios Upgrade Scheme

In theory British Airways has an extremely generous upgrade program.

For example, you can upgrade from business class to first class for the difference in cost between a first and business class award. A discounted business class ticket between New York and London would only require 20,000 Avios to upgrade one-way, with no co-pay. That's a pretty darn good deal, if you ask me.

The catch is that there needs to be award space in the cabin you're trying to upgrade to. And there's no way to waitlist an upgrade. In the past British Airways was great about releasing award space last minute, though they've been getting stingier and stingier lately. In other words, even if 100 people are waitlisted for upgrades, they'll let the premium cabin go out with empty seats if there's no award space.

The post British Airways Trials New Avios Upgrade Scheme appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2014/12/01/british-airways-trials-new-avios-upgrade-scheme/

Pursuits: Casting for a Big Fish on the Big Island of Hawaii

Ulua can weigh well over a hundred pounds. So how, exactly, do you haul one in from the shore?

















from NYT > Travel http://rss.nytimes.com/c/34625/f/642561/s/41053234/sc/10/l/0L0Snytimes0N0C20A140C120C0A70Ctravel0Ccasting0Efor0Ea0Ebig0Efish0Eon0Ethe0Ebig0Eisland0Eof0Ehawaii0Bhtml0Dpartner0Frss0Gemc0Frss/story01.htm

In Transit Blog: Rio, Real Early

The Belmond Copacabana Palace in Rio de Janeiro is offering a sunrise picnic with sweeping views of the city.

















from NYT > Travel http://rss.nytimes.com/c/34625/f/642561/s/410564c3/sc/8/l/0Lintransit0Bblogs0Bnytimes0N0C20A140C120C0A10Crio0Ereal0Eearly0C0Dpartner0Frss0Gemc0Frss/story01.htm

New Newark – London Service Coming Offering Business Class for the Price of Coach

La Compagnie, the all-business class airline flying Paris – Newark with angled seats and just 3 flight attendants for a 74 passenger cabin, will use its second 757 that’s about to be delivered to fly from a London area airport to Newark. No details are announced yet as far as whether they’ll serve Gatwick, Luton, […]

The post New Newark – London Service Coming Offering Business Class for the Price of Coach appeared first on View from the Wing.

from View from the Wing http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2014/12/01/new-newark-london-service-coming-offering-business-class-price-coach/

Oman Air Introduces New (Worse) Business Class Product

Oman is near the top of the list of places I want to visit. While the Middle East in general fascinates me, a lot of the "culture" seems to be list in cities like Doha and Dubai, which are all about building the biggest/newest/most expensive of everything.

Oman, based on what I've heard from everyone that has been there, is a gem of the Middle East. Here's a short tourism video about Oman.

But what fascinates me almost as much as the country itself is their airline, Oman Air. When we think of premium Middle Eastern Airlines we often think of the "big three" -- Emirates, Etihad, and Qatar -- which are most well known.

But Oman Air is arguably at least as cutting edge as they are. Their Airbus A330s are configured with a business class product that's in a 1-2-1 configuration, the same as most airlines have in first class. And they've had that product for years.

The post Oman Air Introduces New (Worse) Business Class Product appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2014/12/01/oman-air-introduces-new-worse-business-class-product/

Seeing the World in a Weekend – Budapest, Hungary

The weather in Budapest was uncooperative during my one full day in this delightful city. The city was, however, one of the most architecturally stunning I have ever seen, so not even the bad weather could keep the sites from shining through the rain and fog. As usual, I make the very best of the […]



from Frugal Travel Guy http://www.frugaltravelguy.com/2014/12/seeing-the-world-in-a-weekend-budapest-hungary.html

I Hate Thailand – reverse psychology clip goes viral, but will it work?

Tourism bosses in Thailand are no doubt extremely pleased that a quirky marketing campaign has captured the attention of many. The Tourism ...



from Tnooz http://www.tnooz.com/article/i-hate-thailand-viral-clip/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=hate-thailand-reverse-psychology-clip-goes-viral-will-work

Just Back: Provence

Barbara A. Noe oversees the creation of National Geographic’s travel books—and every now and again has the opportunity to write them. She recently returned from a trip to Provence and the French Riviera on assignment to update Nat Geo Travel's guidebook to the region. Here are some of the high points of her trip, in her own words.



from Intelligent Travel http://intelligenttravel.nationalgeographic.com/2014/12/01/just-back-provence/

December 2014 Desktop Wallpaper

This month’s photo is of Devil’s Tower, Wyoming 1920×1200 | 1920×1080 | 1600×1200 | 1680×1050 | 1600×900 1440×900 | 1280×1024 | 1280×800 | 1024×768 iPad | iPhone 6 | iPhone 6 Plus | iPhone 5 | iPhone 4 2560×1600 (MacBook Retina 13″) | 2880×1800 (MacBook Retina 15″)



from Everything Everywhere Travel Blog http://everything-everywhere.com/2014/12/01/december-2014-desktop-wallpaper/

The Worst Security Line Ever? United’s Worst Twitter Fail? And Buying Avios Via Magazine Subscriptions

News and notes from around the interweb: TSA Line at Chicago Midway Stretched Over a Mile Long 12,000 Avios for £155 with best-ever Iberia / Economist offer Does Washington Dulles — IAD — stand for Inside a Dump, I Advocate Demolition (of the C/D terminal), Incompetent AirLounge Dragons, or International Arrivals Disaster? I pay for […]

The post The Worst Security Line Ever? United’s Worst Twitter Fail? And Buying Avios Via Magazine Subscriptions appeared first on View from the Wing.

from View from the Wing http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2014/12/01/worst-security-line-ever-uniteds-worst-twitter-fail-buying-avios-via-magazine-subscriptions/

Review: Singapore Airlines Suites Class A380 New York To Frankfurt

I don't think there's a more aspirational first class product out there than Singapore Airlines A380 Suites Class, so I was excited to finally fly it between the US and Germany, which is one of my favorite fifth freedom routes that they operate. Previously I had only flown Singapore Suites Class between San Francisco and Hong Kong and then between Hong Kong and Singapore. I've also flown Singapore 777-300ER first class many times.

At the door I was welcomed aboard and immediately escorted to my seat, 2F. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the A380 featured Singapore's refurbished Suites Class cabin. Best I could tell the product itself was more or less identical to the "old" one. The only difference was the finishes -- the seat featured much darker leather.

In terms of hard product it really is tough to beat Singapore Suites. You have a huge seat with a massive TV and big ottoman which can double as a buddy seat.

The post Review: Singapore Airlines Suites Class A380 New York To Frankfurt appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2014/12/01/review-singapore-airlines-suites-class-a380-new-york-to-frankfurt/

In Transit Blog: Walkabout: Uber Takes On Mercedes-Benz Taxis in Germany

A weekly capsule of travel news curated by our writers and editors.

















from NYT > Travel http://rss.nytimes.com/c/34625/f/642561/s/41041ab1/sc/18/l/0Lintransit0Bblogs0Bnytimes0N0C20A140C120C0A10Cwalkabout0Euber0Etakes0Eon0Emercedes0Ebenz0Etaxis0Ein0Egermany0C0Dpartner0Frss0Gemc0Frss/story01.htm

Silvercar Review: Luxury Car Rentals for the Tech Generation

Lifestyle Editor Shayne Benowitz recently gave Silvercar a spin, an Audi-only, on-demand car rental service catering to the next generation of travelers, which is currently the TPG Thursday Giveaway, for a whole year’s rental, a $9000 value! Here’s her review of the new premium service. For travelers in search of luxury rental cars and on-demand […]



from The Points Guy http://thepointsguy.com/2014/12/silvercar-review-luxury-car-rentals-for-the-tech-generation/

Great Time To Start US Airways Challenge

I've written extensively about the US Airways Challenge, which is more useful than ever given that we now know the timeline of the integration between American AAdvantage and US Airways Dividend Miles.

If you're not yet familiar with the challenge, I'd recommend reading my primer post about it, and then the frequently asked questions follow up post I wrote.

Basically you can pay $200-600 to start the challenge (depending on whether you want Silver, Gold, or Platinum status upfront), and then if you fly 30,000 miles on American or US Airways within 90 days you get Chairman's Preferred status. That will be converted into Executive Platinum status in the second quarter of 2015, at which point you'll get eight American systemwide upgrades (in addition to the US Airways Chairman's Preferred upgrade certificates you get upon completing the challenge).

The post Great Time To Start US Airways Challenge appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2014/12/01/great-time-start-us-airways-challenge/

Startup pitch: Wanderant offers trip tool for prolific planners

Today’s travel startup pitch comes from Wanderant, a travel planning startup that promises to help plan/book/go on trips. The team calls the ...



from Tnooz http://www.tnooz.com/startup-pitch-Wanderant-offers-trip-tool-prolific-planners/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=startup-pitch-wanderant

Win One of 60 Free Starwood Nights Plus 225,000 Starpoints

Visit the Starwood Facebook page today for a chance to win free nights at over 60 hotels or 225,000 Starpoints! Once you enter your name and email, simply shake the snowglobe for your chance to win. You don’t need to enter your Starpoints number or any other information. The participating hotels you can win free […]



from The Points Guy http://thepointsguy.com/2014/12/win-one-of-60-free-starwood-nights-plus-225000-starpoints/

Bicycling South Korea

Bicycles have long been the quickest way to navigate the traffic-choked streets of Seoul. But far from a last resort, cycling has become a national pastime throughout South Korea.



from Intelligent Travel http://intelligenttravel.nationalgeographic.com/2014/12/01/bicycling-south-korea/

How to avoid a missed flight connection

from Elliott http://elliott.org/advice-you-can-take/avoid-missed-flight-connection/

Is It Possible to Fly Too Much?

Reader BOShappyflyer wants to know if I get sick of traveling? You travel a lot. Do you ever get tired of traveling? What do you learn more from your travels? I ask because I recently did a 3 country trip in under 3 weeks on a total of 8 segments. I really love flying, but […]

The post Is It Possible to Fly Too Much? appeared first on View from the Wing.

from View from the Wing http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2014/12/01/possible-fly-much/

Amazing Deal: Nearly Free Hotel Stays Via Orbitz

Orbitz is offering $100 off select hotel stays of $100 or more when using Visa Checkout.

The promotion is valid when you book a qualifying, pre-paid standalone hotel for a stay between December 1, 2014, and June 30, 2015. You must use Visa Checkout as the method of payment, and use promotion code VISACHECKOUT. Using Visa Checkout is pretty easy, so that requirement shouldn't be a limiting factor for anyone.

As I said above, this won't be valid for most chain hotels. When you enter the promo code and go to the search page, you'll automatically see eligible hotels listed as being "PROMO CODE ELIGIBLE." The discounted price will then be displayed on the next page.

The post Amazing Deal: Nearly Free Hotel Stays Via Orbitz appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2014/12/01/amazing-deal-nearly-free-hotel-stays-via-orbitz/

Travelers document mile-long wait for TSA

Travelers at Chicago's Midway airport documented the mile-long security line on one of the busiest travel days of the year.

from CNN.com - Travel http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/bestoftv/2014/12/01/sot-chicago-midway-mile-long-tsa-wait.cnn.html

Up To 40% Off Virgin America Flights Through 9AM PT Today

I'll make this post quick, since you have less than two hours to take advantage of this offer. As a Cyber Monday deal, Virgin America is offering up to 40% off tickets booked by 9AM PT today.

The promotion is valid for flights between January 21 and February 25, 2014. Simply use promotion code FOMO40 at the time of booking.

The discount varies based on the day of the week you fly. Travel on Mondays and Thursdays nets a 20% discount, while travel on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays nets a 40% discount.

The post Up To 40% Off Virgin America Flights Through 9AM PT Today appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2014/12/01/40-off-virgin-america-flights-9am-pt-today/

'Emotional support' pig kicked off flight

A woman was kicked off a US Airways flight after the pig she brought for "emotional support" became disruptive, an airline spokeswoman told CNN.

from CNN.com - Travel http://www.cnn.com/2014/11/30/travel/emotional-support-pig-booted-flight/index.html

Where did mysterious 'snow circles' come from?

A series of almost perfect geometric shapes have appeared on isolated, frozen lakes.

from CNN.com - Travel http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/01/travel/simon-beck-stunning-snow-art/index.html

How to Be Alone on a Holiday

I remember a Christmas in which I spent the day entirely by myself. Strategy #1: sleep as late as possible. Strategy #2: fill up the day with as many things to occupy my time without feeling lonely. It didn’t work, at least not completely. I was sad and depressed for much of the day. I…



from The Art of Non-Conformity http://chrisguillebeau.com/alone-on-a-holiday/

Today Only: Best Western Free $25 Travel Card

As a Cyber Monday promotion, Best Western is offering Best Western Rewards members that register today a free $25 Best WesternTravel Card via email.

Registration is required by 12:00AM MST on Tuesday, December 2, 2014, and the Travel Card must be used by January 5, 2015. The card isn't valid on prepaid rates. You're also limited to one travel card per household, and they're non-transferable, so you can't apply multiple cards towards a single reservation.

The terms for the promotion read as follows:

The post Today Only: Best Western Free $25 Travel Card appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2014/12/01/today-only-best-western-free-25-travel-card/

Putting the (shopping) cart before the horse won’t drive online conversion

It can be easy to forget, but the main purpose of a travel website isn’t to drive conversions; it’s to provide a ...



from Tnooz http://www.tnooz.com/article/travel-online-conversion/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=putting-shopping-cart-horse-wont-build-guest-satisfaction

LifeMiles 125% Cyber Monday Buy Miles Bonus

Between November 19 and December 19, 2014, Avianca LifeMiles is offering a 100% bonus on purchased miles. I wrote about that promotion before, which seems to be the "standard" promotion for purchasing miles. They seem to offer it three times per year, along with a similar 100% bonus promotion on shared miles three times per year, for a total of six promotions per year.

The cost to purchase miles under this scheme is 1.65 cents per mile (it increased by 10% as of September 30, as it was previously 1.5 cents per mile).

Anyway, it looks like LifeMiles is running a Cyber Monday promotion, whereby they're offering a 125% bonus on purchased miles.

This brings down the cost per generated mile to ~1.47 cents per mile. This is the lowest publicly available price I've ever seen on purchased LifeMiles. As usual, you can purchase a maximum of 150,000 LifeMiles per calendar year.

The post LifeMiles 125% Cyber Monday Buy Miles Bonus appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2014/12/01/lifemiles-125-cyber-monday-buy-miles-bonus/

8 California-isms translated for the rest of the world

Fo' reals, bros. You, like, literally need to get with these 8 epic California-isms. Right now.



from Matador Network » Matador Network http://matadornetwork.com/life/8-california-isms-translated-rest-world/

Understanding the nuances of online travel partnerships in Asia-Pacific

Many western companies have tried (or are trying) to expand their operations into the Asia-Pacific region. Some try the acquisition or investment ...



from Tnooz http://www.tnooz.com/article/asia-pacific-online-travel-partnerships-nuances/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=understanding-online-travel-partnerships-asia-pacific

About 50 Homeless Live at the Frankfurt Airport

About 50 homeless people live at the Frankfurt airport. It’s a public space, they can’t be kicked out. It’s heated, and open 24 hours a day — so no need to leave at closing time. Here’s a news report in German focusing on one man who has been there over two years. He collects cans […]

The post About 50 Homeless Live at the Frankfurt Airport appeared first on View from the Wing.

from View from the Wing http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2014/12/01/50-homeless-live-frankfurt-airport/

How having multiple passports changed how I see the world

How many passports do you have? Steve McCabe reflects on national identity and notions of citizenship when you have four (yes, four!) passports.



from Matador Network » Matador Network http://matadornetwork.com/notebook/multiple-passports-changed-see-world/

'A bed for an eel': How Kyoto is saving unique townhouses

Kyoto is Japan's historical heart, the former capital and home to 1,600 temples. From the entertainment district of Gion, where geishas can be spotted scurrying along narrow cobbled lanes, to the cherry tree-lined Philosopher's Path, some parts of the city seem timeless.

from CNN.com - Travel http://www.cnn.com/2014/11/30/travel/kyoto-machiya-house-preservation/index.html